Long Beach's own turns 55 this week. Snoop Dogg — born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. on October 20, 1971 — has been a star for so long that it's easy to forget how unlikely the run was: a laid-back flow from Long Beach that became one of the most recognized voices on the planet.
The introduction came through Dr. Dre: "Deep Cover" in 1992, then all over The Chronic, including "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang." Then came the debut. Doggystyle (1993) opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with "Who Am I (What's My Name?)" and "Gin and Juice" turning Snoop into a household name in a single season.
What separates Snoop is the second act — and the third, and the fourth. Tha Doggfather, the No Limit run, Tha Last Meal, "Drop It Like It's Hot" with Pharrell giving him his first No. 1 on the Hot 100, "Young, Wild & Free" with Wiz Khalifa, Bush, BODR, and 2024's Missionary, produced by Dr. Dre. Most careers don't last one era. Snoop has headlined several.
Then there's everything outside the booth: the Super Bowl LVI halftime show alongside Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige. Buying Death Row Records in 2022. Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party. A chair on The Voice. Carrying the Olympic torch through Paris as NBC's Olympics correspondent. A Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2018.
And he's still working: his new single "H.O.U.S.E" with HUGEL dropped October 16 on Make The Girls Dance Records — the Doggfather's 2026 is as busy as ever.
Three decades-plus in, the lesson of Snoop Dogg is staying power: stay yourself, stay working, and let the culture keep catching up. Happy 55th birthday to the Doggfather.
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