Long, lanky and ludicrously laid back, highly charismatic performer Snoop Dogg broke into hip-hop's big time as a protégé of rapper Dr. Dre in 1992 and nine years later made his acting breakthrough with several feature film roles, including a starring turn in the horror fantasy "Bones". Hailing from the mean streets of Long Beach, California, Snoop went from gangbanger to music superstar thanks to his unmistakable drawl and impressively assured flow, his brutal lyrics gaining even more unsettling power in juxtaposition with his honeyed delivery. When Dr. Dre released his blockbuster album "The Chronic" in 1992, the very present guest star Snoop Dogg (then known by the slightly more cumbersome moniker Snoop Doggy Dogg) reached a wide audience, winning fans and helping to give the record a fresh edge. Soon after in 1993, the rapper released his debut album "Doggystyle", featuring the career-making hits "Who Am I (What's My Name)" and "Gin and Juice".
As well known for his videos (one of the more memorable featuring his likeness morphing into a Doberman, whose pointed features and piercing eyes were eerily similar to Snoop's own) as his songs, Snoop starred in the 1994 short film "Murder Was the Case", written, directed and produced by Dr. Dre based on Snoop Dogg's song of the same title. Here the ever-enigmatic performer proved a natural in front of the camera. The kind of hard man who could sport Shirley Temple curls and still strike fear in the hearts of many, Snoop had his own run-ins with the law, though, in 1996, he was acquitted of the 1993 murder of Philip Wondermariam, a reputed gang member shot by the rapper's bodyguard. Fans got behind the scenes and on stage with Snoop in the 1995 concert documentary "The Show" and saw his lighter side that same year as Scavenger Smoke in the marijuana-fueled comedy "Half Baked". Though the rapper's own musical output was somewhat halted, he remained a big name and a heavy hitter in the rap game, due in no small part for his role in popularizing G-funk, an influential fusion of gangsta rap and 1970s soul and funk.
His 1996 follow-up "Tha Doggfather" further established the artist, who proved with the derivative single "Snoop's Upside Your Head" that a musician need not be completely original to be groundbreaking. After a highly publicized split with the troubled Death Row Records (who lost star artist Tupac Shakur to gunfire and CEO Suge Knight to prison), Snoop defected to No Limit, an up and coming independent label out of the southeast poised to take over the rap world. Under that aegis, he released 1998's "Da Game Is to Be Sold Not to Be Told", a creatively disappointing effort that made no new strides but at least gave fans some new material that delivered the performer's hypnotizing flow. The following year's "Top Dogg" similarly failed to thrill but Snoop's final No Limit platter "Tha Last Meal" (2000) saw the writer and performer return to form with such intoxicating slow burners as the hit "Lay Low". That same year Snoop set out on his own with Dogghouse Records, while Death Row released a compilation of Snoop Dogg tracks with an incendiary title ("Dead Man Walking") designed to both intimidate and make money off of one of their few still-successful former artists.
A dedicated family man who claimed to pimp actual prostitutes, a shrewd but fair budding executive and a laconic but quick-witted interview subject, Snoop Dogg was far more unpredictable and versatile than many of his counterparts in the hip-hop world. As a testament to that fact, he launched a serious acting career in 2001, not long after releasing the controversial hardcore video "Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle", which melded his music with another of his passions, triple X pornography. Though John Singleton's "Baby Boy" (2001) made much of the rapper's role in promotion for the film, Snoop's part was small though crucial. As parolee Rodney, the actor was at once violent and vain, laughable but ultimately deadly serious.
His next big screen appearance was as the star of the hip horror feature "Bones", playing the eponymous Jimmy Bones, a character he often likened to himself. A legendary laid-back man of the people who wielded great power and kept a cool head, Bones had definite similarities to his portrayer, though one would hope that Snoop Dogg wouldn't meet Bones' notorious fate. Subsequent supporting roles in the police action feature "Training Day" and the comedy "The Wash" (which he also executive produced) rounded out 2001 for the performer, who had a comedic guest turn on NBC's "Just Shoot Me" and was vocal about pursuing an acting career as a full-time prospect when his rapping days were done.
Snoop Dogg then dabbled in his own self-branded offshoot of the popular if distasteful "Girls Gone Wild" DVDs in which hard-partying young women flash body parts for amateur videographers. At the same time, the rapper-actor became a ubiquitous pop culture personality, appearing as himself (or satirical variations thereof) in commercials, cameos, comedic guest spots and late night talk shows. After voicing Ronnie Rizzat for the Jamie Kennedy comedy "Malibu's Most Wanted" (2003), Snoop also had a vital cameo as himself in the hit comedy "Old School" (2003) and re-teamed with that film's director Tod Phillips to appear in the satirical big screen remake of the 70s TV cop series "Starsky & Hutch" (2004), playing the superfly informant Huggy Bear opposite Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in the lead roles. That same year he took on the recurring role of Slim Daddy in the lesbian-themed Showtime series "The L Word." Trading on his well-known ability to get high, Snoop slyly took on the role of airline pilot Captain Mack for the urban-oriented comedy "Soul Plane" (2004). Snoop then lent his laidback persona to the bloodhound Lightning in the combination live-action and animated comedy “Racing Stripes” (2005).
Along with his increasingly prolific acting career, Snoop Dogg had a thriving sideline providing music for films. His original songs have appeared on the soundtracks of films including "Dr. Doolittle 2" ("Do U Wanna Roll [Doolittle Theme]"), "Baby Boy" ("Just A Baby Boy" and "Crip Hop"), "The Real Cancun" ("Beautiful"), "Hollywood Homicide" ("Bang This") and "Bad Boys II" ("Gangsta Sh*t").