What We Know About Snoop Dogg's Arrest Record
Born Cordozar Calvin Broadus, Jr., rapper Snoop Dogg first made his name with such songs as "Gin N Juice" and "What's My Name" on his 1993 debut album "Doggystyle." He got his distinctive nickname from his mother (via AllMusic). Dr. Dre and Suge Knight helped him out as producers of this record, which made music history as the first debut album to start out in the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart, according to Brittanica. After its release, he quickly became one of hip-hop's top rising stars.
Snoop's rise to fame had begun the previous year with his appearance on Dr. Dre's song "Deep Cover." He played a big part on Dr. Dre's hit album "The Chronic" (1992). Around the same time he was making his own album, "Doggystyle," Snoop found himself once again in legal trouble. He had already experienced several brushes with the law, and he would soon find himself making headlines for his alleged involvement in a serious criminal case.
Snoop's early legal troubles
Snoop attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School where he may have engaged in some criminal activity. Actress Cameron Diaz went to the same school and told Lopez Tonight that he may have sold her some marijuana during those days, and Snoop thought it was probably true. According to Rolling Stone magazine, he had many sides to his personality as a teenager, both playing quarterback on the school's football team while also being a member of the Rollin' 20s Crip gang.
In 1990, Snoop ended up going to prison after he was convicted of cocaine possession and possession with the intent to sell (via The Age). While behind bars, he was encouraged by other Crips members to pursue his gift for rapping as a career, per Rolling Stone. His friend Warren G soon introduced Snoop to Dr. Dre, and the two hit it off. Little did he know that he would soon be facing criminal charges once again.
Snoop acquitted in murder case
Snoop, along with his bodyguard McKinley Lee, were arrested in 1993 on several charges stemming from Philip Woldemariam's death that August (via the Los Angeles Times). It seems that the conflict between Snoop and Lee and some local gang members, including Woldemariam, started outside of Snoop's apartment building, per Spin magazine. Snoop, Lee, and a third person later met up with Woldemariam and his friends at a nearby park, and the confrontation turned violent. Lee shot Woldemariam reportedly after Woldemariam reached for a gun. It took several years for this case to work its way through the courts, and finally, the murder trial ended with Snoop and Lee being acquitted on all charges in 1996.
According to Rolling Stone, Snoop's next bout of legal trouble came in 2005 when he was sued by a makeup artist who was seeking $25 million in damages. She claimed that the rapper and some of his friends drugged and raped her after his appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in 2003. She dropped her lawsuit later in 2005, saying that they had reached a settlement.
Snoop was arrested at a Burbank, California airport on October 26, 2006, on a possible drug possession charge, and the police later found a gun at Snoop's home during a search of his residence, per the Los Angeles Times. In 2007, he ended up pleading guilty to two felonies –- one for possessing marijuana and the other for violating the law that forbids felons from owning guns.
Snoop's latest legal woes
Drugs were at the roots of Snoop's next arrest in 2012. According to Reuters, his tour bus was stopped at the customs checkpoint in Sierra Blanca, Texas, on the border with Mexico. Marijuana was discovered, and Snoop acknowledged that the drugs were his. He was taken to the Hudspeth County sheriff and there he received a citation for possessing drug paraphernalia and was released. Since then, Snoop has managed to avoid any major run-ins with the law. Though he did make headlines in 2022 for a different type of legal battle.
That February, Snoop appeared at the Super Bowl as part of the halftime show, performing with Eminem, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige (shown above). Around this same time, he filed a counter lawsuit against a former employee who sued him, claiming that he and his associates had sexually assaulted her (via the Los Angeles Times). Snoop denied all of her allegations, and he claimed that her suit was merely an attempt at extortion.
Snoop is also looking to bring his experiences with the justice system to the small screen. In December 2021, he announced plans to explore his 1993 trial for the murder of Philip Woldemariam as part of the "A Moment In Time" series (via Deadline). This part of the series will be called "Murder was the Case," which takes its title from Snoop's hit song released around the time as his trial.