There may not be a person in the world more associated with cannabis than Snoop Dogg. The legendary, 17-time grammy nominated rapper Snoop Dogg has been tied to cannabis since his album debut with Dr. Dre on the appropriately named The Chronic. Since then, Snoop has released 19 studio albums and featured on countless more tracks. Also, Snoop Dogg became a movie star, a record producer, and a big-time live streamer. Snoop doesn’t show signs of slowing down soon, which goes double for his cannabis use.
Several years ago, Snoop Dogg went viral for employing a blunt roller, a person whose job is to exclusively roll blunts for Snoop Dogg. In a recent interview, the blunt roller, who goes by Renegade Piranha, said she has rolled nearly half a million blunts and joints for Snoop Dogg. Furthermore, she said he smokes anywhere from 75 to 150 blunts per day! For even the most dedicated potheads, this is a staggering amount. Almost anyone would be absolutely catatonic smoking so much every day, but Snoop’s prolific rap career proves he is the exception. For Snoop, cannabis isn’t just a pastime, it is an essential part of how he became one of the biggest stars in the world. So, let’s find out why Snoop Dogg and cannabis go together like gin and juice.
Starting Out
Born in 1971 as Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., Snoop Dogg lived in Long Beach, California. He picked up the nickname “Snoopy” as a child due to his affinity for the famous cartoon Peanuts. Snoop also developed a love for music at an early age by singing and playing the piano at his church, and he soon started rapping. Snoop said that his raps would draw such a big crowd at school that the principal thought there was a fight in the hallways. Sadly, Snoop also had a troublesome youth.
Although he has frequently denied his gang associations, Snoop fell into the trap of gang life in his teenage years. In 1989, he was arrested for possession of cocaine and spent the next few years in and out of prison. During this time, he began to further his rap skills. Soon, with the help of musicians like N.W.A’s Tracy Lynn Curry, he was able to make it to the big time and leave gang life behind.
Journey to Rap Superstardom
Snoop got his first break working with Dr. Dre on the soundtrack for the movie Deep Cover. Afterward, Snoop and Dre began cooking up an all-time hip-hop classic, the album The Chronic. The album’s name refers to the slang term for premium grade cannabis, chronic, and the album cover is inspired by Zig-Zag rolling papers. On the album, Snoop’s relaxed flows and witty wordplay drew loads of fans. His next step was to make his solo debut.
The aptly named Doggystyle made waves in the hip-hop community and beyond. The album became the fastest-selling hip-hop album at the time and produced two hit songs, “Who Am I (What’s My Name)?” and “Gin and Juice.” The incredible success of his first album led to an equally acclaimed follow-up Tha Doggfather. Now a hip-hop superstar, Snoop started to pursue other ventures.
Snoop started acting, producing, and directing TV and film. Many people likely remember his sketch-comedy Doggy Fizzle Televizzle, which aired during the glory years of MTV. He also appeared in guest roles on shows like King of the Hill and Entourage. In addition to acting, he also came out with a cookbook called From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from Tha Boss Dogg’s Kitchen, which features comfort foods any stoner with the munchies will enjoy. Snoop also got into the wine business, creating the red blend “Snoop Cali Red” with winemaker 19 Crimes. Far from a couch-locked stoner, Snoop did all of this while continuing his prolific music career. Furthermore, Snoop owes much of his success to his love for cannabis.
Snoop Dogg: Cannabis Crusader
Snoop likely discovered cannabis early in his life, but there is a famous story about how he became a cannabis connoisseur. At a party for the film Poetic Justice, Snoop hung out with the movie’s star, and famous rapper, Tupac Shakur. During the party, Tupac pulled out a blunt and smoked it with Snoop. Although Snoop had smoked cannabis many times before, he never enjoyed it like with a blunt. From that moment forward, Snoop was in love with blunts and cannabis.
Snoop quickly became a cannabis icon, frequently rapping about marijuana in his songs. He was also unafraid to show his love for cannabis, which was uncommon at the time. Many musicians in the 90s and 2000s used cannabis but shied away from publicly embracing the plant, worried it might hurt their public image. Snoop did not care, and his association with cannabis likely helped his iconic image and career.
When Snoop sits down to write his raps, cannabis is essential to his creative process. He said in a 2012 interview, ”to write rap I’ve got to smoke a lot of weed.” Unsurprisingly, the chilliest rapper in the game writes his raps while enjoying a blunt. Also, it is not an exaggeration to say that without cannabis, some of the greatest raps ever written would not exist if it were not for cannabis.
Considering the astonishing amount of cannabis Snoop consumes, there is actually one person who was able to out-smoke the “d-o-double g.” That person is Willie Nelson. Snoop said that Willie smoked so much that even he had to take a break during the session. So even though Snoop might be the king of rap, Willie is the king of green.
The Legend of Snoop Dogg
Even though he has been rapping for most of his life, Snoop shows no signs of slowing down. Snoop continues to pursue business ventures, directing movies, producing records, rapping, and, of course, smoking with incredible zeal. With his unbelievable track record, there is no doubt that LP #20 and much more are right around the corner for Snoop Dogg.