How Snoop Dogg went from pimp, gang murder suspect and drug user to beloved celeb performing Super Bowl Halftime show

HE is the Gangsta Rap sensation who for almost 30 years has been a household name – loved and revered the world over for his impact on music and his loveable character. But his life has been far from a fairy tale. APSnoop Dogg is due to perform at the Super Bowl on Sunday February 13[/caption] GettySnoop Dogg has claimed he smoked “81 blunts” every day[/caption] Hailing from a life riddled with gangs, violence, prostitution and murder, California-born Snoop Dogg, 50, shot to fame with the 1993 album Doggystyle. Iconic hits including Drop It Like It’s Hot and Gin and Juice have since studded a career that has seen him enjoy enormous success, cementing his place in Rap music’s hall of fame. The dad of four, who says he smokes “81 blunts” of weed every day, has lived a life on both sides of the track. But now, in new shocking allegations, the West Coast icon is being sued by a woman who claims he forced her into oral sex. The allegations, which he vehemently denies, date back to 2013 and come just days ahead of his Super Bowl Halftime Show. Snoop Dogg rose through the ranks of thug life to become one of the most iconic rap artists of the 21st century. Most read in Music BLOW YOUR MIND Inside Dua Lipa's £7m home after Brits success - as she reveals pool plans reality hits Maura Higgins ends Brits in McDonald's as Sophie Kasaei reveals HUGE bar tab SOMEONE LIKE HIM Find out if Adele is engaged to Rich Paul PARTY'S OVER Mollie King, Becky Hill & Sam Fender lead partied out celebs after Brit Awards Brits blunder Brit Awards host Mo Gilligan says sorry to viewers for swearing 'IT'S ALL OF OURS' Adele breaks down in tears as she dedicates Brits win to son Angelo & ex The star was born Calvin Broadus Jr. October 20, 1971, in Long Beach, California to Beverley Tate and Vietnam War veteran Vernell, who walked out when Snoop was three months old. He got his nickname for his love of Snoopy the dog from US cartoon Peanuts. A grade-A student who would regularly attend church, Snoop found his calling for ‘gangsta rap’ after realising solo performances at his high school were drawing him crowds. But a life of murder and drug dealing would follow as a once God-fearing good boy would fall into true thug life. After graduating high school in 1989, Broadus found himself in and out of prison for a variety of offences including cocaine possession. This was supercharged by his involvement in the Rollin’ 20s Crips gang who roamed the Eastside neighbourhood of Long Beach. But this new thug life culminated in Snoop, then 24, being charged with first-degree murder for the shooting of rival gang member Philip Woldermariam. Woldermariam was actually killed by Snoop’s bodyguard, McKinley Lee, and following a lengthy case where the pair claimed Lee acted in self-defence, both were acquitted of murder in 1996. However, the publicity of the trial, which was taking place at the same time as the release of debut album, Doggystyle, supercharged sales to over 5 million, the album staying in the charts for months. Broadus has also admitted to being a cocaine dealer, saying he was so engrossed that he has seen so many people “destructively die and get hooked on that s***”. He has also claimed that hip hop and its messages against hard drugs has done a better job with the war on drugs than the US Government. Speaking to Rolling Stone in 2013, the rapper, who often uses the term “pimp” to describe himself, revealed he actually was one in 2003 while on tour following years of “fascination” with the lifestyle. He even claimed he pimped women to famous US athletes and entertainers in every city he went to, saying he once provided women to American footballers in Colorado’s Denver Broncos and the city’s Nuggets basketball team. Explaining the stint, he said: “I did a Playboy tour, and I had a bus follow me with 10 b****** on it. “I could fire a b****, f*** a b****, get a new ho: it was my program. City to city, titty to titty.” Instagram/thedonjuanshowFormer pimp Bishop Don Juan has been sued alongside Snoop Dogg[/caption] Broadus has been arrested and fined at least eight times for possession of cannabis, with offences spanning from 1998- 2010. Despite this, the dope-loving rapper has avoided jail each time, instead he has been hit with suspended sentences and community service. His penchant for carrying a bit of green wherever he goes is something that has seen him run into trouble with immigration authorities as well. The rap-sensation was banned from entering Norway for two years in 2012 after rocking up to customs with eight grams of the Devils Lettice on him. And in 2007, he was banned from entering Australia after the country’s Department of Immigration and Citizenship said his “prior criminal convictions” meant he had to stay away. In 2018, Snoop told US chat show host Jimmy Kimmel he can “out smoke” anyone, apart from country music legend Willie Nelson, 88. On Wednesday, the singer became the new owner of Death Row Records, the label which launched his career 30-years ago. It is not clear how much Snoop Dogg paid for the label. GettyThug life beginnings: Snoop Dogg’s mugshot[/caption] Getty - ContributorSnoop has become a household name in a career spanning 30-years[/caption] GettyThe gangsta rapper started life as a church-going good boy but he found thug life soon after[/caption]