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This Day in Black History: Nov. 23, 1993

Death Row Records releases Snoop Doggy Dogg’s debut album, Doggystyle, on Nov. 23, 1993.

The first time was the charm for rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg when his debut album, Doggystyle, debuted at number one on the Billboard hip hop and top 200 chart on Nov. 23, 1993. The album sold a record 803,000 copies in its first week, selling more copies than the other top five albums that week combined.

That same year, Snoop, née Calvin Broadus, also made headlines when he was charged earlier in the year as an accomplice to murder after his bodyguard fired fatal shots from the Jeep they were traveling in.

The rapper, who is a native of Long Beach, California, got his nickname from his mother, who thought he looked like the Peanuts cartoon character, Snoopy. He got involved in the music-making business after several arrests for drug possession and a stint in prison.

Since the release of Doggystyle, Snoop has produced other chart-topping albums, including Tha Doggfather, Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told and No Limit Top Dogg. In addition, he has delved into acting, appearing in the film Starsky & Hutch and the television shows The L Word and Weeds. He also starred in his own reality show, Snoop Dogg's Father Hood.

In 2012, Snoop replaced his moniker, Dogg, with Lion and began work on an all-reggae album, Reincarnation.

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(Photo: Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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