On this day in Hip Hop history, veteran rapper, actor, producer and triple OG Snoop Dogg released his debut album Doggystyle under the infamous Death Row Records. Along with being his most successful album to date, Doggystyle is also his most critically acclaimed. It also dawns one of the craziest covers in all of rap music drawn by visual artist Joe Cool.
Although Doggystyle was officially his debut album, Snoop’s voice was already a force in West Coast rap. He was featured heavily on Dr. Dre’s super successful debut The Chronic and already had a couple hit single out with his name on them. Due to this exposure, Snoop Dogg was able to be the first artist to have a debut album debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The success of this project is due to both Dr. Dre, who produced the album, and Snoop. This album helped to solidify the sound known as ‘G-Funk’ that was born on Dr. Dre’s album. With the combination of funky beats, melodic flow, and street lyricism, this project was something fresh on the LA scene at a time where the tone of how to be a gangsta rapper was set by artists like NWA with their blunt flow and aggressive lyrics.
Debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 is enough to give any rapper some serious clout, but that wasn’t the end of the list of accolades of this album. Selling 806,858 copies in the first week, Doggystyle broke the record for the fasting selling Hip Hop album ever (until Eminem’s Marshall Mathers LP in 2000 also produced by Dr. Dre). The album’s sales have only increased exponentially since then. To date, the album has been certified sextuple platinum in the United States selling 6,957,800 copies and 10,981,210 copies worldwide. The album has also been recognized on countless “top rap albums” list by media outlets such as Rolling Stone and, of course, The Source. The album also houses two top 10 singles, “Gin and Juice” and “Who Am I?(What’s My Name)”, both peaking at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
As everyone who doesn’t reside in Amish Country should know, Snoop Dogg went on to becoming one of the most known faces in Hip Hop history after this album. His influence spans far past music. He has had his hand in film making, acting, and sports. Snoop has released 12 solo studio albums with the most recent releasing earlier this year. It can be said that Snoop Dogg is the current reigning king of West Coast rap and there doesn’t seem to be an end to his career in sight. We as fans just have to wait for what the Doggfather has next in store for us. For now, celebrate today by pouring up some gin and juice and listening to the debut of this titan of music.
