In spite of an impressive blunt habit, Snoop Dogg has a mind that works overtime. As well as being a rapper/songwriter/producer, he’s an actor, presenter, director, sports coach, entrepreneur and winemaker. He’s not one to let the grass grow – except he probably does a bit of that too.
He’s also a man of contradictions: a sometime vegan who occasionally wears fur, a spiritual traveller who has, at various times, embraced Islam and Rastafarianism and declared himself a born-again Christian. In a life that seems to be full of change and evolution, however, there is one constant: cars. (OK, two constants: cars and weed.) One of the mottos he lives his life by is simply: “If the ride is more fly, then you must buy.” And bought he has. Here, to mark the Doggfather’s 49th birthday on 20 October, we take a gander at some of the flyest vehicles in the great man’s collection.
Pontiac Parisienne ‘Lakers Edition’ (1966)
This beauty comes tinged with a degree of sadness. When the late, great Kobe Bryant retired in 2016, Lakers fan Snoop gave him his magnificent Lakers-themed yellow-and-purple Pontiac Parisienne, which has a hood adorned with some of the team’s all-time greats. Among those featured were Shaq, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Bryant himself. Mind you, front and centre and bigger than the rest, in a Lakers shirt emblazoned with a Superman logo, is Snoop himself, ever the shy and retiring wallflower. The car also featured a hydraulic system fitted in the trunk, allowing the car’s riding level to hop up and down.
Cadillac de Ville ‘Brown Sugar’ (1967)
Speaking of restraint and being low-key, this car is neither. This must be the single most hip-hop item in existence: a metallic brown Caddy with chandeliers over the back seat. The trunk also features a design depicting Snoop and his two sons, Corde and Cordell, and the car has “Snoop Dogg” emblazoned across the front of its hood. In a world where most celebrities are desperate to travel incognito, you have to admire the man who is so eager to announce his arrival. This car is so fabulous, it has even been on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit. There’s one thing you should know about Snoop’s cars: almost all of them have been customised by a man called Big Slice (not, unsurprisingly, his birth name), a 6’6”, 295lb self-described former crack dealer who has turned car customisation into an art form.
Buick Riviera (1968)
Snoop has two classic Buick Rivieras. This 1968 version is the second generation of the car and is longer, wider and 200lb heavier than the original. It has pink wheels (because… why not?) and features on Snoop’s music video for “Vato”. A decal on the hood shows a picture of (you guessed it) Snoop, with his wife and infant daughter, under the words “Me and my girls” and “Dogg’s Angels”. The latter is unlikely to catch on as a popular nickname.
Cadillac Coupe de Ville (1968)
Another Big Slice creation, among this car’s more, ahem, unique qualities are its decals, which depict Snoop, dressed in white and praying beatifically, surrounded by his family, underneath the words “My First Ministry”. Below them are the words “Matthew 6: 9-13” (the Lord’s Prayer) and “2 Corinthians 5: 14-21” (no idea. What is this, Bible school?)
Cadillac Snoop de Ville Lowrider (1974)
Lowriders, in which a car is customised, with the body lowered so that it sits inches from the road surface, wouldn’t get you very far on the hilly streets of San Francisco or the dirt tracks of the Midwest. But in LA it’s all the rage and has been popular in hip-hop circles since it was adopted by Eazy-E and Dr Dre in the 1990s. Snoop is well-known for his love of lowrider culture and this car, with its lime-green paint job, lemon trim and lime-green wheel rims, is certainly eye-catching. It is also available in a remote control toy version.
Snoop Chrysler 300C (2006)
In the 2000s, Snoop was hired as a spokesperson to advertise Chryslers, a move that paid off as sales rocketed thanks to the rapper’s patronage. As a token of gratitude, the company rewarded Snoop with its Chrysler 300C, a car so popular it was owned by everyone from Dr Dre to Barack Obama. Obviously, Snoop had to make the car his own (enter Big Slice, natch), so he had it lowered, added chrome rims, blacked-out tail-lights and windows and the word “DUB” plastered all over the windows and trunk. All in all, pretty restrained and low-key, by Snoop’s standards.
Ford Mustang GT Funkmaster Flex Edition (2011)
This is something of a collector’s item. Not only is it a Snoop car customised by someone other than Big Slice, but that someone in question happens to be New York DJ, rapper and producer Funkmaster Flex. It was Ford’s idea to invite Flex to customise its Mustang for Snoop and he did a pretty decent job of it. This beast of a car is adorned with Baurtwell custom tail-lights, a 3-D carbon bodykit and a souped-up engine that launches the car from 0-60 in 4.6 seconds. The metallic blue paint job has white details down the hood and the windshield has “Snoop Dogg” written across it.
Polaris Slingshot – The Batman (2015)
And now for something a little different. This cheeky little three-wheeler is a far cry from your average Reliant Robin (for a start, the single wheel is at the back). It’s also nippy, lively and fun and at $26,000 is a fair degree cheaper than most of Snoop’s rides. It boasts a 2.4-litre EcoTec engine turning out 173bhp, which isn’t bad for a 1,743lb car. It’s got a tilt-adjustable steering wheel and side-by-side bucket seats and has been customised (of course) with a chrome blue paint job and a blinking purple and blue dashboard. Snoop refers to it as The Batmobile.
Tesla Model X (2017)
In March 2017, Snoop tweeted: “Tesla just dropped off my new ride.” In a sign that eco-motoring had definitely arrived, Snoop was embracing the electric car with gusto. Mind you, it’s easy to be impressed by this version of the Model X, complete with 22-inch matte-black onyx wheels, black leather seats with an ash wood interior, falcon-wing doors, autopilot, air purifier and 17-inch touchscreen. Snoop also had the car fitted with six seats, for his wife and four kids. Awww.
Rowland Heights School Bus
We’ve saved Big Slice’s best work for last. Snoop coached the Rowland Heights Raiders football team in LA and in 2004 had Big Slice buy a dilapidated school bus for $4,500. Slice then got to work doing his thing, kitting it out in Oakland Raiders silver and black and fitting it with 27 video screens, 70 speakers, two DVD players, a £90,000 stereo and a VHS player (whatever that is). The MVP in each game would also get to play the bus’ Xbox on the ride home. Needless to say, the bus also featured, on its side, a large picture of someone throwing a football. You will never guess who…
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