Billboard Special Feature: Snoop Dogg

[T-Dogg]

The following appears in the July 12 issue of Billboard as a part of a special Snoop Dogg feature/salute. This part is availible at the Billboard site for everyone.

Snooping Around: A Billboard Q&A
By Rashaun Hall

Ten years in the music business is a long time, especially for a rapper. The fickle tastes of rap fans often see many artists here today and gone tomorrow. Not so for Snoop Dogg.

The Long Beach, Calif., native has not only maintained a thriving music career but has branched out to become an entrepreneur, clothing designer, label owner and film/TV star, all while maintaining a relationship with his peers and fans that is unparalleled in hip-hop. From his 1993 debut, "Doggy Style" (Death Row), to his latest set, "Paid Tha Cost to Be Da Bo$$" (Doggystyle/Priority/Capitol), the rapper continues to raise the bar as an entertainer.

In this exclusive Q&A, Snoop Dogg talks about his career, his fans and his goals.

Did you ever expect the success that you have had thus far?

Snoop Dogg: Nope. I was just doing it to be doing it. It was something that I loved and I was having fun doing it, but I never really had that thought in my mind because I didn't have a picture of that [success] even happening. I just wanted to work hard and be in a position that if it ever did happen, I would have earned it instead of someone just giving it to me.

When did you first realize that you were a star?

Snoop Dogg: I never really paid attention to the numbers or how I did. It was never a numbers thing. It was about the people putting me in a position where they wanted me to be. Once people started putting me in that position, I had to cater my lifestyle and my music according to them. They make me who I am. It was more about me being personal with the people and trying to stay on point with them.

What is your favorite Snoop Dogg album?

Snoop Dogg: I don't even know. All of them have meant a lot to me. I was going through completely different things with every record that I've worked on. That's what I love about my albums. Every record is reflective of a time in my life where I was going through some things, and the record expressed that. So it's hard to make a decision and say one record is better than the others. I have to look at all of them as a whole. I just feel like all the work that I've done to this point has been a great depiction of my heart and whatever it was that I was feeling at that time.

Why did you get involved in the movie business?

Snoop Dogg: There were many reasons. Considering that most artists only last so long in the rap game and then they [are forgotten] so fast -- it's a wrap if you don't have a hot record out. So I thought, 'If I had other hot commodities associated with me when it was time to drop a record, there would be people still with me whether I had a hot record or not.' That's why I wanted to create that bond and that love between the public and myself by creating things that were within the realm of Snoop Dogg.

You mentioned the bond you have with fans, and that is evident. How did you develop that? And what does it mean to you to continue to have that a decade into your career?

Snoop Dogg: That just shows that I've been dedicated to what I do. I'm also thankful to God for putting me in a position where people can listen to me, respect me, and appreciate the music that I do. It makes me want to make better music. It also helps me to be more creative, to where it all comes off real swell. After 10 years in the game, it's finally looking like this was all worth doing.

Having had success as an artist and as an actor, why did you then decide to enter the business side of entertainment by launching the Doggystyle label?

Snoop Dogg: Basically, I just wanted to let the world see that the talent that I believe in is worth believing in. If they hadn't given me a shot then I wouldn't be where I am, so I just wanted to give a few shots back. I feel like the artists that I put on my label are definitely superstars, and I wanted to put them in the spotlight.

In addition to all of that, you have also done things like the Snoop Dogg doll, Snoop Dogg Clothing, MTV's "Doggy Fizzle Televizzle" and the "Girls Gone Wild" project. How important was it for you to diversify?

Snoop Dogg: It was all necessary. Things were already bigger and better, so TV and movies were just new avenues for me to showcase my talents and show that I'm more than just a rapper. Those other business projects, like the dolls, open up more and more opportunities for me and all the people I'm associated with.

What is next for you?

Snoop Dogg: I recently wrapped a mix tape, "Volume 1," which is out right now. It introduces all of my artists to let people know that they're coming. Then we plan on dropping a 213 album and an Eastsidaz album. The 213 is Warren G, Nate Dogg and I. That will be coming at the end of the year, and the Eastsidaz will be before that.

Flexing His Branding Muscle, Snoop Became A Household Name
By Gail Mitchell


Snoop Dogg may be best-known for his music skills, but his talents as an entrepreneur are also considerable. Though his rapping possesses a laid-back flow, the California native is anything but a slacker when it comes to parlaying his music success into lucrative business ventures.

Whether operating his label, acting, or overseeing his self-named clothing line along with his Santa Monica, Calif.-based attorney Stephen Barnes, Snoop Dogg seeks opportunities that are consistent with his image.

"Snoop is creative, humorous, extremely charismatic, and very smart," says Barnes, who has worked with the rapper for nine years. "We have laid out a game plan that expands into related but ancillary businesses. We've also tried to either have an ownership stake or a significant involvement in those ventures. And it's quite a diverse list."



LABEL OPERATOR

In 2000 and 2001, Snoop Dogg introduced proteges Tha Eastsidaz ("Snoop Dogg Presents Tha Eastsidaz, Duces N' Trays: The Old Fashioned Way") and Doggy's Angels ("Pleezbalevit") on TVT-distributed Dogghouse Records. He now operates the MCA-distributed Doggystyle Records, a separately funded, stand-alone company, according to Barnes.

Doggystyle's first release, the compilation album "Doggy Style Allstars: Welcome to the House, Vol. 1," was issued in August 2002. Snoop Dogg plans three more releases on his label this year, as well as a possible third Eastsidaz album.

Meanwhile, he's also launching a three-volume mix-tape series this summer, the first installment of which is "Welcome 2 the Chuuch, Vol. 1." It includes unreleased material by Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, Warren G., Redman, Marvin Gaye and Soopafly. The compilation can be ordered through doggystylerecords.com.

Snoop Dogg, Warren G. and Nate Dogg are also working together under the group moniker 213. The act is expected to release an album this fall.

Snoop's latest gold-certified album, "Paid Tha Cost to Be Da Bo$$," is his last for Capitol. He is now signed to MCA Records, which will release his next solo project.



ACTOR/ENTREPRENEUR

The rapper has had cameos in a slew of movies -- from the comedy "Half-Baked" (1998) and Master P's "Hot Boyz" (1999) to co-starring with Ice-T in action flicks "The Wrecking Crew" (1999) and "Urban Menace" (1999). More recently, he appeared with Dr. Dre in 2001's "The Wash," with fellow artist Tyrese in director John Singleton's "Baby Boy" (2001) and with Academy Award winner Denzel Washington in "Training Day" (2001).

Snoop Dogg's first starring role was in the 2001 horror film "Bones." Now he has taken on the role of the slick Huggy Bear in the film adaptation of the popular TV series "Starsky & Hutch" alongside Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. Snoop Dogg is also slated to appear as a pilot in a remake of the 1980 comedy "Airplane!" titled "Soul Plane." His co-star will be Method Man.

Also in the mix is a DVD tentatively titled "The Longest Yard." It will document the Snoop Dogg All-Stars' win over the Inland Empire Police Department Enforcers. The fundraising football match, staged last December at Long Beach City College Veteran Stadium in California, benefited the Loma Linda Children's Hospital.

In addition, Snoop Dogg has a direct-to-video company, Snoopadelic Pictures. The 5-year-old firm's inventory includes the adult video "Doggy Style, Vol. 1." Although nothing is in production right now, Snoop Dogg has also done a Hustler video and a Girls Gone Wild video, "Girls Gone Wild: Doggy Style."

No stranger to TV appearances, Snoop Dogg is part of MTV's summer lineup with "Doggy Fizzle Televizzle." The show, which began airing June 22 and has a 10 p.m. slot, has been described as a satirical view of news, politics and pop culture. The six-episode series finds the rapper as a surprise guest at such events as a wedding and a bar mitzvah.

Earlier this year, Snoop Dogg co-hosted the first week of the ABC new late-night show, "The Jimmy Kimmel Show."

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