West Coast legend Snoop Dogg is one of the most well-known rappers in the world and has been a formidable force in hip-hop for over three decades. Born and raised in Long Beach, a small city south of LA, the emcee (real name Calvin Broadus) was brought up in a religious home by his mother, with his father living in Mississippi.
However, although Snoop was raised in a single-parent household, he still had a great relationship with his family, including his dad and many cousins, some of whom are well-known artists and athletes.
As an adolescent, Snoop Dogg formed the Long Beach rap collective 213. Comprised of Warren G, who is Dr Dre’s brother, the third member was Nate Dogg. However, few know that the late musician was Broadus’ cousin. Moreover, Snoop had another family member in the area. Daz Dillinger.
All three cousins lived in the impoverished Eastside neighbourhood of Long Beach and got caught up in the gang culture that plagued his area. However, they were all musically talented and began experimenting with making tapes in the 1980s. One of these cassettes, Broadus presented to Warren G, who then passed it on to his brother Dr Dre. This saw Snoop and his affiliates become part of the Death Row movement in the 1990s.
Nate Dogg passed away at the age of 41 in 2011, and Snoop Dogg memorialized his cousin by getting a tattoo of his face, with the writing “all dogs go to heaven” underneath the portrait. However, Broadus hasn’t only got family in hip-hop.
Snoop also has cousins in the R’n’B genre, as he is also first cousins with Brandy Norwood and her brother, the ‘One Wish’ vocalist Ray J. Snoop and Brandy have even collaborated on the song ‘Special’ from his 2009 project Malice N Wonderland.
Snoop is also related to the wrestling star Sasha Banks as her father Kaestner-Varnado is the brother of Boradus’ father Vernell Varnado, a family well-known in the rural Mississippi town of McComb. You can watch a video explaining Snoop’s family relations in the video below.
