Snoop Dogg's Real Name: Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr.

Quick answer: Snoop Dogg's real name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. He was born on October 20, 1971, in Long Beach, California. He first recorded as Snoop Doggy Dogg, rose to fame on Dr. Dre's The Chronic, and released the chart-topping debut Doggystyle in 1993. He also recorded as Snoop Lion and, in 2022, bought Death Row Records (Britannica; Biography.com).

Real name and early life

Biography.com lists his full name as Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. and his birth date as October 20, 1971, in Long Beach. Britannica's quick facts give the name in the order "Cordozar Calvin Broadus, Jr." and list Snoop Doggy Dogg and Snoop Lion as other names. The Library of Congress files him as "Snoop Dogg," with variants including "Broadus, Calvin" and "Snoop Doggy Dogg." Its citations give his birth year as 1972, while Britannica and Biography.com give 1971.

Biography.com says his mother nicknamed him after Snoopy from Peanuts because she thought he looked like the character. He played piano and sang at his Baptist church and started rapping in sixth grade. Britannica says that after high school he was in and out of prison for several years before he took music seriously. Biography.com adds that he made early demos with his cousin Nate Dogg and friend Warren G as the group 213.

Career highlights

Dr. Dre featured him on "Deep Cover" and The Chronic (both 1992), and the hits "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" and "Dre Day" made him a star. Doggystyle (1993), with "Gin and Juice," became the first debut album to enter the Billboard 200 at number one. While he was recording it, he was arrested in connection with a drive-by shooting. Britannica notes he was ultimately cleared of all charges, but the case delayed Tha Doggfather (1996).

His first Hot 100 number one was "Drop It Like It's Hot" (2004), with Pharrell. He sang on Katy Perry's "California Gurls" (2010). In 2012 he announced the name Snoop Lion after embracing the Rastafari movement and released the reggae album Reincarnated. He went back to Snoop Dogg for Bush (2015). He performed at the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show and that year acquired Death Row Records, the label that launched him and his late labelmate Tupac Shakur. Britannica also notes he carried the Olympic torch before the Paris 2024 opening ceremony and became Team USA's first honorary coach for the 2026 Winter Games.

Name notes for searchers

Broadus is his surname, and the "Jr." suffix is part of his documented full name. Snoop came from his childhood nickname. He has recorded as Snoop Doggy Dogg, Snoop Dogg, Snoop Lion, and, on a 2013 funk project, Snoopzilla.