People are just now finding out the story behind rapper and music icon Snoop Dogg’s nickname, over three decades since he made his mark on the hip-hop scene.
Known at birth as Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr, culinary queen Martha Stewart’s confidant is famously referred to as Snoop Dogg, having previously gone by Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly adopted the moniker Snoop Lion.
The famed rapper has moved over 37 million albums globally, making him one of the most triumphant artists in hip-hop history, with the dubious honour of holding 17 Grammy nominations but never pocketing a win – the highest number for any artist. Snoop first captured attention in the early part of 1992 when Dr. Dre featured him on ‘Deep Cover’.
His initial album, ‘Doggystyle’, came out the following year under Death Row Records, securing the top spot upon release, selling 11 million copies worldwide, and generating hit singles such as ‘Who Am I? (What’s My Name?)’ and ‘Gin and Juice’.
However, it’s only recently people are getting to grips with how Snoop acquired his storied stage name. During a conversation with NBC Nightly News presenter Lester Holt, the 52-year-old musical giant divulged: “My mother’d say, ‘You watch [Snoopy the dog] so much, you startin’ to look like him.’ So she started calling me Snoopy. That’s the only name my mother called me my whole life.”
Furthermore, he shared: “My mother never called me by my real name, my whole life. She just ever called me was Snoopy. And I owned the name in every space I entered from the playground to the classroom to the chapel, I was known universally as Snoopy.”
A recent interview revealed that American rapper Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr, better known as Snoop Dogg, got his nickname from his mother due to his resemblance to Snoopy from the Peanuts cartoon. The news sparked a flurry of comments on Reddit, with one fan saying: “Savage! Literally roasted by his own mother haha.”
Another user expressed surprise, saying: “Today I learned Snoop Dogg’s birth name!” A third commenter noted: “He totally does look like Snoopy! Especially before the facial hair.”
Another person jokingly suggested an alternative nickname: “Just think, he could have been Cordy B!”
