Snoop Dogg and Carlita

There are more than a few artists around that it’s basically impossible to say anything new about. They have been so scrutinised, so celebrated and so criticised that most of what one can say about them has already been said before. This is very much the case with Snoop Dogg, one of the cast iron legends of Hip-Hop and one of the key influences that make it what it is today, both as a cultural phenomenon, and as (arguably) the dominant force of pop music in the world.

After his rapping caught the attention of Hip-Hop godhead Dr. Dre, the legendary producer gave the up and coming Snoop the exposure of a lifetime by featuring him heavily on his 1992 album “The Chronic”. The California, US native capitalised by releasing the following years “Doggystyle” and promptly became one of the world’s most successful, famous, controversial, and downright feared musicians overnight. Since then his image has softened slightly, he’s more likely to be seen in adverts for Hot Pockets than on trial for murder (as he was in 1996), but he’s diversified to a thrilling degree as a musician.

Not content with giving the world the best G-Funk it’s ever going to get with “Who Am I (What’s My Name)?” and “Gin and Juice”, he’s also given it some of its best straight up hip hop with the Pharrell Williams assisted “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and is still unafraid to tread his own path. His most recent reinvention, with a new name (Snoop Lion) and a new reggae sound on the album “Reincarnated”, sees him still going from strength to strength 22 years into his career. With a back catalogue like his, and a bright future to match, you can’t go wrong with the Doggfather himself, Snoop Dogg.