10 Things You Didn't Know About Snoop Dogg

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10 Things You Didn’t Know About Snoop Dogg looks at an artist whose real name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. The man is a famous American actor, rapper, media personality, and football coach. He has worked with several celebrities throughout his music career and has appeared in various commercials and movies. Born on October 20, 1971, in California, he rose to fame in 1992 after featuring Dr. Dre in his debut movie Deep Cover.

He has grown to become one of the most impactful artists in America and worldwide, especially in the hip-hop industry. However, being in the entertainment industry for more than two decades, it’s possible there are several things that fans don’t know about this legend. Read on for 10 things you might not have known about Snoop Dogg.

# 1 – The Origin of “Snoop Dogg”

When you hear the name “Snoop Dogg,” you already know who the person is. But how, exactly, did he end up with this name? Well, his parents had nicknamed him “Snoopy” when he was young because they thought he resembled Snoopy, the anthropomorphic beagle – a character in the comic strip Peanuts. With time, the name evolved to Snoop Dogg and would become his global identity, although he later changed to Snoop Lion (more on this below).

# 2 – He Has a Significantly High IQ

Snoop Dogg is said to be among the most intelligent rappers worldwide, with an IQ of 147. According to TheThings, the average IQ level usually ranges from 85 to 115.

Only a small percentage of people have IQ levels above 130. Therefore, an amazingly high IQ of 147 ranks Snoop Dogg among special elite category individuals. He could undoubtedly be seen as a genius in his acting, music, and business careers.

# 3 – He Was a Piano Player in Church

Huh! Yes, you read that right. This is arguably one of the most interesting facts about Snoop Dogg. Being a popular secular rapper and reggae singer, it would be unlikely that he was once passionate about playing piano in the church.

Snoop sang and played piano in a church called the Golgotha Trinity Baptist Church at a young age. Perhaps it has something to do with her mother being a staunch Christian (she later became an ordained evangelist). But when did he transition to being a passionate rapper? This would be in his high school, at the Long Beach Polytechnic High School.

# 4 – He Married His High School Girlfriend

Snoop’s romantic life is another interesting fact to look at. He married Shante Taylor, his high school girlfriend, in 1997. However, their future was jeopardized in 2004 following some cheating allegations of Snoop Dogg cheating on Taylor with a model called Celina Powell. Later that year, they opted for a divorce and would renew their vows four years later. Snoop Dogg explained that although he wanted a divorce, he later fell in love with his wife and kids. He admitted to having made a mistake and promised to try and get everything right. He even joked about not ever filing for divorce again unless his wife does.

# 5 – He Has Triple Ancestry

As rare as it may be, triple ancestry (people having DNAs of three different ancestries) exists among some individuals, and Snoop Dogg is living proof. In 2010, George Lopez revealed Snoop’s ancestry test results on Lopez Tonight. The DNA test results showed that Snoop Dogg was 71% African, 23% Native American, and 6% European.

# 6 – He Has Infamous Murder Charges

During the 1993 summer, Snoop Dogg and McKinley Lee, his bodyguard, were arrested and charged with an assault conspiracy, which led to the death of Philip Woldermariam at Palms Park. After some hours of deliberation, they were acquitted of first- and second-degree murder charges for the shooting incident.

When interviewed moments after the juror decided, Snoop Dogg expressed his joy and thanked the jury for making the right decision. He explained how his family had been affected by the case and the fear of not raising his son had the ruling gone the other way.

# 7 – He Quits Smoking When Coaching

In 2002, the award-winning rapper was challenged by his youth football league player to quit smoking for about six months. Snoop Dogg confirmed the reports and told Khloe Kardashian, the host to Kocktails with Khloe, about a day that he had gone to practice while under the influence of drugs when a certain kid claimed he smelled like the boyfriend of the kid’s mother. He explained that that statement made him quit smoking from that day for a whole six months. What? So, whenever he goes coaching football (usually around three months a year), he promises to quit smoking throughout that time.

# 8 – He Has Popular Cousins in Hollywood

Did you know that Snoop Dogg has many celebrities that he calls his cousins? Well, there are quite a few, actually. Below are some of them:

Brandy – Brandy Norwood, a popular American RnB singer known for her songs, such as Missing You, Right Here, Long Distance, and Afrodisiac.

Ray J – William Ray Norwood, Brandy’s younger brother, is a popular American rapper, singer, and television personality.

Daz Dillinger – Delmar Drew Arnaud, a gangsta rap pioneer at Death Row Records and formerly known as Daz or sometimes, Dat Daz.

Sasha Banks – Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado, a popular WWE SmackDown wrestler and the reigning champion of SmackDown Women’s in her first reign.

RBX – Eric Dwayne Collins, who became a member of Death Row Records in 1992, the same year as Daz and Snoop.

# 9 – He Converted to Rastafarianism

Snoop Dogg traveled to Jamaica in 2012 and would soon announce his conversion to Rastafarianism, popular religion in Jamaica and other Reggae-loving regions in the world. He even declared changing his name to Snoop Lion and has released various songs in his album, Reincarnated. The album highlighted his journey from rap to the reggae industry and the new name, Snoop Lion.

# 10 – Bunny Wailer Slammed Him for Culture Appropriation

Following his conversion from the three-week trip to Jamaica, Bunny Wailer (one of the pioneers of the popular reggae group called “The Wailers”) accused Snoop of defrauding the Rastafari religion and culture. He threatened to seek legal action against the rapper, accusing him of fraudulently using the personalities and symbolism of the Rastafari Community.

He further accused him of not adhering to the verbal, moral, and contractual commitments of the Rastafari lifestyle. Snoop Dogg defended himself by claiming that his faith and beliefs were personal and didn’t need outside sources to approve or deny them.