Snoop Dogg

Calvin Broadus — more frequently known as Snoop Dogg — got his rap alter-ego from his mother when she jokingly likened him to the character in the Peanuts cartoon. Earning his big break in the music industry from pal Warren G, Snoop released his first album, Doggystyle, in 1993, and saw the disc reach the top of Billboard‘s hip-hop and Top 200 charts. Doggystyle featured Snoop’s popular hits “What’s My Name” and “Gin and Juice.”

Eleven additional albums followed, with his most recent disc, the reggae-tinged Reincarnated, hitting store shelves in April 2013. It is a companion project to a documentary film of the same name, and the first released under his new name, Snoop Lion, which the performer adopted professionally in July 2012. Throughout his career, Snoop has collaborated with the likes of Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, will.i.am and The Lonely Island, among many others. Appearing in cameos on the TV programs One Life to Live, Entourage and King of the Hill, the rapper and his family were the focus of their own E! reality series, Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood, in 2007.

Snoop married his high school sweetheart, Shante Broadus, in 1997, and the couple have three children together: Cori, Corde and Cordell.