Snoop Dogg

A spotlight-stealing star straight out of the gate, Snoop Dogg absolutely killed his early guest spots alongside Dr. Dre, from the low-rider loops of “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang” to the trunk-thumpin’ breaks of “F**k Wit Dre Day (And Everybody’s Celebratin’).” And before anyone could truly follow his buttery flow, the D-O-double-G dropped his debut, 1993’s Doggystyle, an instant classic that includes such massive gangsta rap moments as the cruise-control keys of “Gin and Juice,” the time- machine-tapping choruses of “Doggy Dogg World,” and the woofer-wreckin’ basslines of “Who Am I (What’s My Name)?”

Then there’s our Next Steps, a bulletproof playlist that pits Snoop against everyone from Akon to D’Angelo.

For more than two decades, Snoop Dogg has been one of hip-hop’s most trusted cleanup hitters, an MC who doesn’t maim the mic so much as own it. But don’t let that scenery-chewing grin of his fool you; whether he’s in the driver’s seat or ridin’ shotgun, Snoop is ready to rock a party with his rabid rhymes, as heard atop the steely synths and Twilight Zone melodies of “Pronto,” the spare guitar licks and windswept strings of “Neva Have 2 Worry,” and the steel drums of “P.I.M.P.,” a 50 Cent remix that’ll have you reaching for a bottle of suntan lotion in no time.

And the saga continues in our Deep Cuts, as we uncover a towering stack of fan favorites from one of rap’s true godfathers.

Digging through Snoop Dogg’s bottomless back catalog is like taking a tour of hardcore hip-hop itself. Take “Chin Check,” for starters: The long-awaited reunion of N.W.A. drops Snoop in the rather large shoes of Eazy-E, a role he relishes — paws drawn and teeth bared — down to the very last, speaker-panning G-funk sample. Speaking of bringing things back to the L.B.C., “Game Don’t Wait” pairs a surprisingly subdued Dr. Dre production with his stepbrother (Warren G) and Long Beach’s resident smooth operator (Nate Dogg), and “Groupie Luv” has its way with a wobbly Herbie Hancock hook on the trio’s sorely overlooked supergroup debut as 213.

While countless TV commercials and crowd-pleasing acting gigs may have helped Snoop Dogg shed his gangbanger beginnings, his decade-spanning influence on hardcore hip-hop can’t be overstated. We’re not just talking about the dawn of gangsta rap here, either — street-seasoned songs that range from the rain-slicked grooves of “Murder Was the Case” to the sinister Sly & The Family Stone beat of “One Eight Seven,” a.k.a. the first solo appearance of Dr. Dre and his partner in rhyme. Look past all of those venomous verses and you’ll find a natural-born pop star as well, someone who’s able to hold his own on everything from a twisted Neptunes track (Snoop’s first No. 1 single, “Drop It Like It’s Hot”) to the crossover cuts of Akon (“I Wanna Love You”), Mariah Carey (“Say Somethin’”), and the Pussycat Dolls (“Buttons”).