Biography of Snoop Dogg

Rap's reigning superstar, Snoop Doggy Dogg made his debut on Dr. Dre's The Chronic. His laconic, low-volume rap style struck a nerve with hip-hop audiences and his debut release, Doggystyle, became the first album ever by a new artist to make its initial entry onto the pop albums chart at number one. The album had sold over four million copies by the midpoint of 1994, and also generated plenty of controversy for its sexist and homophobic tendencies and explicit language. The record did shine the spotlight on some neglected acts and music from the '70s, notably The Dramatics, who appeared in one of Dogg's videos and backed him on one single. ~ Ron Wynn

Biography of George Clinton

George Clinton scored a few solo hits on Capitol in the early '80s, but as the president of Parliament, P. Funk, Funkadelic, and other outfits, Clinton set a new agenda for Black music during the '70s. He combined theater, sci-fi, and funk glossolalia into something that was uniquely his own. On record he loses some of his impact, but it's still the ultimate boom-box music. That Motown passed on him says much for the stripe of Clinton's music. ~ Colin Escott