Music lovers old enough to remember 1992 recognized Snoop Dogg's greatness the moment he was introduced to the world, when he delivered the opening verse on Dr. Dre's classic "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang." The character and cadence of his rapping, the unmistakeable drip in his voice - he's one of those rare artists who arrived on the national scene fully formed and spitting gold.
So it was interesting to find out that the 43-year-old rapper (real name Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr.) didn't always envision his career lasting this long and bearing so many different types of fruit. He once doubted his own legacy, he told his manager and friend, Ted Chung, during an enlightening South by Southwest keynote conversation on Friday morning.
See photos of Snoop's keynote in the photo gallery above.
"There was a time when they were really out to get me - I had preachers running over my CDs. ... Everybody was on Snoop Dogg like he was the worst black man ever created."
While Snoop fought his critics with venom in his younger days, he said he eventually determined that it was better to use the struggle to motivate himself and others.
"It could have deterred me, but it made me stronger," he says.
And, really, Snoop Dogg has never seemed stronger or wiser as an artist than he did during the interview Friday. The candid conversation touched on his old and new music, his philanthropic efforts, his endeavors on big and small screens and, because it's Texas, his relationship with Willie Nelson.
Responding to Chung's notion that a friendship with the country legend seemed odd to some, Snoop snapped back:
"I don't know why people think me and Willie have nothing in common. ... We like animals, we like good music and we like grass."
"It's a natural relationship."
He went on to tell a story about the two going through a KFC drive-through together and then reaching into a bucket for the same piece of chicken. That was just one of many quips that had the audience erupting in laughter. (Hear the side-splitting audio below).
Snoop also discussed some of the more significant collaborators of his long career, including Dr. Dre ("We built a friendship and a bond that was like a brotherhood") and Pharrell Williams, who produced Snoop's forthcoming album, Bush. He said the new material - hitting stores in May - finds him in funky, feel-good form.
"I don't usually listen to Snoop Dogg, because I am Snoop Dogg," he said. "But this record is living with me. It's starting to become a part of my everyday life."
On top of music, the entertainer spends a large chunk of time with his wildly successful non-profit outreach program, the Snoop Youth Football League, which he says helped even his own son develop football talents to the point of landing a college athletic scholarship.
There are also film and TV endeavors, including a just announced HBO show he's developing with noted director Allen Hughes (Gang Related). The show will focus on the collision of politics and family life in 1980s Los Angeles; Snoop came of age in Long Beach in that era and rapped about it plenty in his own music.
For all its topics, the conversation on Friday came back around to Snoop Dogg's 23 years as a music superstar. Would he do anything differently?
"I have no regrets," he said. "I enjoyed every moment of it - the good, the bad and the ugly."
Keep reading for Snoop Dogg's six best quotes from the SXSW keynote conversation:
On the music he loved growing up: "Mom played Isley, Marvin Gaye, Smokey — everything that felt good."
On developing his skills as a rapper when he was a teenager: "The rhyming was easy for me - I didn't have to write. I just wanted to talk about what was going on in the moment. But once I could write, I was unstoppable."
On staying relevant and working with younger artists: "I keep my ear to the street and I keep my feet to the pavement. ... It's not like I'm and old man trying to infringe. It's like, 'that's Uncle Snoop.'"
On his general Snoop-ness: "I'm a problem solver. I'm the answer. I'm what you need."
On his forthcoming album, Bush: "The mothership is reconnected. It's a ride through the funkmosphere."
On social media: "It's a bridge between people. I don't call them fans anymore - they're my people."
