Snoop Dogg is undoubtedly one of the greatest rappers to grace the hip-hop industry. His versatility won him many hearts and followers not only in the United States but across the world. In the early 1990s through to now, he has entertained music lovers with hits after hits.
His success with the microphone, coupled with other economic ventures, has equally brought him a fortune, making him one of the highest earners in the industry. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the rapper, entrepreneur and actor has a net worth of $150 million.
Snoop’s career in music started after he was discovered by millionaire musician, rapper and music producer Dr Dre. Under Death Row Records, he released a number of classic songs. His debut album, Doggystyle, was released in 1993 and went on to debut at number one on both the Billboard 200 and Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.
He released Doggfather in 1996, which also topped both Billboard charts. He also released albums in 1998, 1999 and in 2000. In 2002, he signed with Priority/Capitol/EMI Records and released Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss. Also, in 2004, Snoop signed with Geffen Records and released Rhythm & Gangsta: The Masterpiece, That Blue Carpet Treatment, Ego Trippin, Malice ‘n Wonderland, and Doggumentary.
Although Snoop’s career in music started when he was discovered by Dr. Dre, he began singing and playing piano at the Golgotha Trinity Baptist Church. He then started rapping in sixth grade. However, he would later begin life as a gangbanger to the displeasure of his mother.
The second child of his mother’s three sons, Snoop also delivered newspapers and bagged groceries as a child to help his family survive. His life as a gangbanger saw him arrested for possession of cocaine not long after graduating from high school.
After his time behind bars, he, together with his cousins and a friend, formed a musical group called 213 after the area code of Long Beach at that time. They released homemade tapes. It was “Hold On,” a solo freestyle song by Snoop on a mixtape, that got Dr. Dre interested in him. Dr. Dre invited Snoop for an audition and later introduced him to NWA affiliate The D.O.C., who taught him how to structure his lyrics and verses, among others.
Following a trip to Jamaica in 2012, Snoop announced that he was a Rastafarian and rebranded to Snoop Lion and released a reggae album. He went back to being called Snoop Dogg in 2015. In 2018, he said he was a born-again Christian and released his first gospel album, Bible of Love. This was followed by an album, I Wanna Thank Me, in 2019 which was his seventeenth solo album.
Aside from music, Snoop has made a career in movies, starring in a number of films and producing as well. He also has several commercial endorsements including Boost Mobile, Chrysler 200, Orbit Gum, and St. Ides. He also lends his name to a malt liquor of his own, Snoop Dogg’s footlong hot dogs, the Snoop Dogg Board Company, and several clothing lines, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
He recently acquired the brand name rights to Death Row Records. According to him, the move was an “extremely meaningful moment for me” and he was looking forward to “building the next chapter” of the record label.
“I am thrilled and appreciative of the opportunity to acquire the iconic and culturally significant Death Row Records brand, which has immense untapped future value,” he said in a statement. “It feels good to have ownership of the label I was part of at the beginning of my career and as one of the founding members.”