Happy 4/20! To those of you who celebrate, hit one for me, for those of you who don't, I'm sure someone will smoke some for you, too. 4:20 is credited to five high schoolers in San Rafael, CA in 1971. In the fall of 1971, the "Waldos", as the group called themselves, learned of a person who had planted a cannabis plant and could no longer tend to the crop. Legend has it, the boys were provided with a treasure map (some say by the plant’s owner himself) which supposedly lead to the abandoned plant. The group would meet at the Louis Pasteur statue outside their high school at least once a week conduct a search. Their meeting time was 4:20 p.m, after practice as they were all athletes. The Waldos would smoke pot and scour the nearby Point Reyes Forest for the elusive, free herb. One of the original members of the Waldos, Steve Capper is quoted, “We would remind each other in the hallways we were supposed to meet up at 4:20. It originally started out 4:20-Louis, and we eventually dropped the Louis.”
Today's doodle as a tough one... a person would, and likely should, argue Willie Nelson is a bigger figurehead for the day than Snoop Dogg, but I'll save Willie for his upcoming birthday (keep an eye out for April 29th)! So Snoop Dogg, you're the man today! And I think the obvious question is, what is Snoop Dogg's birth name?
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. was born on October 20, 1971 in Long Beach, California. His nickname "Snoopy" came from his mother because she thought he looked like Snoopy from the Peanuts cartoon, and he later added doggy dog before ultimately calling himself Snoop Dogg. He was musically inclined from a young age, playing piano and singing at his local Baptist church, before starting to rap in sixth grade. After graduating from high school, Snoop Dogg was arrested several times, spent time in prison and was accossiated with the Rollin' 20 Crips gang. He used music to try and lift himself out of his current lifestyle and made some demo tapes with his cousin, Nate Dogg (I can appreciate they are both Doggs). One of these tracks came to the attention of Dr. Dre, who invited Snoop — then rapping under the name Snoop Doggy Dogg — to audition. The two collaborated on a song called "Deep Cover" for the soundtrack of the film Deep Cover, and Snoop became a key rapper on Dr. Dre’s successful first solo album,The Chronic, in 1992.
Snoop's first album was produced be Dre, titled Doggystyle in 1993. It climbed its way to the number 1 spot on Billboard's hip-hop and Top 200 charts, based in part on the success of the singles "Who Am I (What's My Name)?" and "Gin and Juice". In 1996 he released Tha Doggfather, which also reached top of the charts, despite the absence of Dre. Snoop continued to make music and enjoyed a big hit in 2004 with the chart-topping single, "Drop It Like It's Hot," which sparked several fruitful collaborations with Pharrell Williams. That year he also reunited with Warren G and Nate Dogg as 213 on the album The Hard Way. In 2007, Snoop became the first artist to release a track — "It's The D.O.G." — as a ringtone prior to its release as a single.
Snoop branched out into acting and appeared in several films, including Starsky & Hutch, The Wash and Training Day. He also made guest appearances on television shows, including The L Word and Weeds, and starred in his own E! reality show, Snoop Dogg's Father Hood, in 2007. The series featured his wife, Shante, and their three children, Corde, Cordell and Cori. He was part of a sketch show,Doggy Fizzle Televizzle, and participated in the 2011 Comedy Central Roast of future president Donald Trump.
In early 2012, Snoop announced that he was working for the first time on an all-reggae album, called Reincarnated. Later that year he announced that he was dropping "Dogg" from his name to become Snoop Lion, deciding to change his name after traveling to Jamaica where he met with a priest, who told him: "You are the light, you are the lion." Moved by the meeting, Snoop immediately changed his name. In August 2012, Snoop Lion released Reincarnated's debut single, "La La La." Snoop's 13th studio album, produced by Pharrell and titled Bush, arrived in May 2015. With the release of singles like "Peaches N Cream" and "So Many Pros," the album shot to No. 1 on the hip-hop/R&B charts and debuted at No. 14 on the Billboard 200. In July 2016, Snoop followed with his 14th studio album, Coolaid, which also garnered positive reception.
In May 2017, Snoop dropped his 15th studio album Neva Left. Branching out again, he released his first gospel album, Bible of Love, in March 2018, before returning to hip-hop form in summer 2019 with I Wanna Thank Me.
Snoop has made investments in the budding cannabis business (pun intended) as well. In November 2015, he launched Leafs By Snoop, becoming the first A-list celebrity to brand a line of cannabis products. That same year he also launched a new digital-media venture called Merry Jane, which focuses on the latest marijuana news.
So there you have it, Snoop's life, all rolled up.
