He was a member of the Rollin 20s Crips
As a teenager, Snoop Dogg was already involved in gang culture and violence. Even as a mere teen, Snoop Dogg had sadly already become involved with the notorious criminal street gang the Rollin 20s Crips, which is the second largest African-American street gang on the East side of Long Beach, California. Being caught up in that level of criminal activity at high school age is no laughing matter.
He was in and out of jail for years
In his time involved with gangs, Snoop Dogg was arrested and sent to jail on multiple occasions. Not only has he been arrested and incarcerated several times in the United States, but he has also been put behind bars in other countries: he was arrested and held overnight in Sweden in 2007, and detained in Norway in 2012. Most of these charges were related to drugs and drug possession.
He dealt drugs
Many people are aware that Snoop Dogg dealt drugs for a long while. This was part of his involvement with the Crips but also as a way of surviving when things were difficult. He dealt several different popular recreational drugs including cannabis, which he remains an active advocate for to this day as the class B drug has been increasingly legalised across the US and other parts of the world.
He was charged with murder
In 1993, shortly before the release of his first album Doggystyle, Snoop Dogg and his bodyguard McKinley Lee were charged with first degree murder over the fatal shooting of a rival gang member. There was widespread media outrage that Snoop continued to pursue his music career whilst awaiting trial, but both he and Lee were ultimately acquitted in 1996. In the aftermath of this controversy, Snoop decided to focus even more heavily on his music and distance himself from the gangland life.
He was banned from Australia
It is no secret that Snoop Dogg has been convicted of crimes involving drugs and firearms. It turns out that Australia was not a big fan of these broken laws, and in 2007 the Australian authorities banned him from coming to the country when he was set to attend and perform at an MTV awards show. The ban was ultimately lifted a year later in 2008.
His mother kicked him out at 17
When Snoop Dogg was 17, he was still living at home with his mother, as most teenagers do. However, his own mother kicked him out of her house at that age due to his involvement with gangs and drugs. Apparently she felt her son was bringing too much drama back to her household and she did not feel safe in the company of the people who were regularly coming to visit.
He lived out of his car until it was towed
After his mother threw him out, the young Snoop Dogg went through phases of homelessness. During these times, the aspiring rapper was forced to live out of his car. Though this worked for a while, until one day he parked his vehicle on the wrong side of the street where parking was not permitted. The car ended up being towed away along with all his clothes and possessions inside.
He thought the gangster lifestyle might lead to his family being killed
Though Snoop Dogg was heavily involved in gangs and drugs for much of his life, that is not something he wanted to be involved with forever. Snoop Dogg has admitted that he struggled mentally with the decision to leave that life behind. He was afraid the choice would leave him hated or even lead people to want to hurt or kill him and his family.
His father left as a baby
Snoop Dogg was born into a family with two parents, but it didn’t last long. When he was only three, his father Vernell Varnado left the family and did not return. Snoop Dogg therefore grew up with a single mother who did her best to support him through his difficult times, relationships and other aspects of life.
He had to work several jobs as a child to support his family
Snoop Dogg’s family were far from wealthy when he was young. He took on a lot to help make ends meet at home, including working several jobs throughout his childhood. He delivered newspapers, sold candy, and bagged groceries to help the family get by as best he could. The family all made efforts to be supportive of one another and their livelihood.
