Cordozar Calvin Broadus, Jr. (born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as an MC in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of producer Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. His catch phrase is "-izzle," a style of slang invented by Frankie Smith and The Gap Band in the early eighties, and popularized in part by fellow rapper E-40.
His mother nicknamed him "Snoopy" as a child because of the way he dressed and because of his love of the cartoon Peanuts; he took the stage name Snoop Doggy Dogg when he began recording. He changed his name to Snoop Dogg in 1998, when he left his original record label Death Row Records and signed with No Limit Records.
Doggystyle is the debut album by West Coast hip hop artist Snoop Doggy Dogg, released in 1993 through Dr. Dre's label, Death Row Records. The album was recorded after Dr. Dre's debut release of The Chronic; the album which is credited with founding and popularizing the G-Funk sub-genre within gangsta rap. Snoop Dogg was featured prominently on the album, and many of the methods used on Dr. Dre's record are maintained on Doggystyle.
The title of the album is in reference of a popular sex position. It has been certified four times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and remains Snoop Dogg's highest-selling album to date. The album has sold over seven million copies, including 802,858 copies in its first week, debuting at number one on the Billboard Hot 200. It was the fastest-selling rap album prior to Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP in 2000, and the highest US debut album for any artist in history.
