Rapper, winemaker and all-around lovable uncle, Snoop Dogg is one of hip hop’s most beloved MCs. Rising to prominence by the side of Tupac Shakur and Dr Dre on Death Row Records, the rapper (real name Calvin Broadus) is loved for his unique tone, funky West Coast raps and laidback delivery that leaves his listeners feeling relaxed. Known as music’s marijuana maestro, Snoop is definitely one of the greats.
As part of Death Row Records, Snoop Dogg first became mainstream when he was featured on Dr Dre’s 1992 track ‘Deep Cover’. His first and second albums would lay the foundation for a career that would accelerate at lightning speed leading the rapper to work with the likes of Ice Cube, Jay-Z and more.
Snoop Dogg’s early years began during the 1990s G-Funk era, alongside artists such as Dr Dre, Nate Dogg, and Warren G. However, one of his closes affiliates while he was at Death Row Records was the rapper Tupac Shakur. Shakur and Snoop Dogg were always seen as a pair and wherever they went were at each other’s sides.
However, in a recent appearance on The 85 South Comedy Show, Snoop Dogg (real name Calvin Broadus) admitted that although Dr Dre was responsible for his initial fame, it was Shakur that made him a star. Speaking with the show’s hosts: Karlous Miller, DC Young Fly, Chico Bean and Clayton English, Snoop elaborated on his time at Death Row and his transformation while he was there.
He spoke initially on how he was a student under Dre and didn’t want stardom explaining, “I came in as a student, I was studying the industry and then when I got in with Dre, I was his backup. Just right there with him learning. I didn’t want the stardom, I wanted to make him a star! Listen to The Chronic, it was all about him. That’s a lot of my penmanship, a lot of my direction, and mostly his production and his overseeing, but it was about him!”
The Long Beach rapper went on to laud Tupac by admitting, ” I wasn’t a star till I was next to him! He showed me how to be a star. Like real shit! This nigga was a star! Snoop Dogg was famous, but I didn’t know how to be a star…I was still dressing like a n***a from the hood, khakis, chucks. He said, ‘You gotta change your look! You a pimp, you fly! We gonna get you suited up!'”.
According to Broadus, Shakur told him, “‘Ima call Deion Scott, get your suits fitted, get your hair laid, get your nails done, put some pimpin on you n***a!” Snoop Dogg effectively claimed that while Pac was alive, he was his stylist and the man that turned him from a famous rapper into a star. You can watch the full interview in the video below.
