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All About Snoop Dogg's Parents, Who Are His Mirror Image
Thanks to Snoop Dogg's parents, we have an elite Olympics commentator, a powerhouse Voice Coach, and countless beloved rap songs.
Season 26 Coach of The Voice Snoop Dogg has always been open about his roots, particularly the influence both of his parents have had on his life and sprawling entertainment career.
Snoop Dogg, born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. in California, grew up in a family that significantly shaped the artist fans know and love today. His late mother, Beverly Tate, helped instill a love for music by recruiting her son to sing in the church choir and play the piano at Golgotha Trinity Baptist Church, per People. His father, Vernell Varnado, is a Vietnam veteran and former singer who passed down his passion for the craft to his son. Snoop's parents divorced when he was young, leading his mother to become his primary caregiver, but they both remained key figures in his life, contributing to his creativity in their own ways. Oh, and did we mention Snoop is the spitting image of both of them?
RELATED: Snoop Dogg, His Dad Vernell, & His Son Cordell Look Crazy Alike in This Pic
Read on, below, to learn more about Snoop Dogg's parents, Beverly Tate and Vernell Varnado.
Who is Snoop Dogg's late mother, Beverly Tate?
Fans can thank Beverly Tate, Snoop Dogg's late mother, for his beloved stage name that transformed him from Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. to the D-O-double-G. His childhood nickname "Snoopy" — inspired by his love for the Peanuts character — later became "Snoop Doggy Dogg," as the rapper's career began to take off.
"My mother'd say, 'You watch [Snoopy the dog] so much, you startin' to look like him.' So she started calling me Snoopy," the Season 26 Voice Coach told NBC Nightly News in August 2024. "That's the only name my mother called me my whole life. My mother never called me by my real name my whole life. All she ever called me was Snoopy. That became my name, that became who I was when I went outside to play, when I went to school, when I went to church, Snoopy."
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According to People, Tate worked as a church choir director for several decades before becoming an ordained evangelist. She authored two books under the name Beverly Broadus Green: Real Love and Real Love II: The Story of an Extraordinary Woman. Tate passed away at the age of 70 in October 2021. Following the news of Tate's passing, Snoop Dogg took to Instagram to share a few photos with his mother as a touching tribute.
"Thank u god for giving me an angel 🕊 for a mother 💖🙏🏽🌹💝 TWMA," Snoop Dogg wrote. He shared another post with the words, "Till. We. Meet. Again." In another Instagram post, Snoop shared a photo of him and his mother hugging with huge smiles, captioned, "Mama thank u for having me 🙏🏾🌹."
As you can see here, the resemblance between mother and son is uncanny.
Who is Snoop Dogg's father, Vernell Varnado?
Snoop Dogg's father, Vernell Varnado, A.K.A. "Papa Snoop," was born in December 1949. According to a 1993 Spin interview, Varnado is a Vietnam war veteran who worked as a postal carrier for 25 years before relocating from Detroit in the 1980s to chart a brief career in gospel music. A musician just like his son, Vernado made a brief cameo on Snoop's debut studio album, DoggyStyle.
"Snoop was always extraordinary," Varnado proudly recalled. "I thought he was a genius. Even when he was like, 6 or 7, if music came on, he'd jump up and dance and perform all the hand movements."
RELATED: Snoop Dogg and His Dad Look Just Alike with Same Exact Eyes
Varnado is bursting with pride over his son's many achievements as one of Snoop's longest-running cheerleaders. "When 'Nuthin' but a "G" Thang' came out, man, that was like the national anthem," Varnado said in a 1999 interview with OC Weekly. "I was out there delivering mail in Detroit, and everyone on my route was playing it, givin' me love because everybody knew I was Snoop's dad. It made me popular in Detroit. I mean, I'm a mailman, and my son is doin' this and doin' that?"
Varnado later moved to Southern California to continue his career in entertainment, eventually landing roles in 2008's Make It Rain and the 2017 biopic All Eyez on Me. Nowadays, Varnado is a proud grandfather and entrepreneur. He and Snoop celebrated the grand opening of a smoke shop in August 2024.
In the above photo, you can see how much the two look alike!
Don't miss Snoop's red chair debut on The Voice Season 26, premiering Monday, September 23 at 8/7c on NBC and available to stream the next day on Peacock.
