Released on this day in 1993: Snoop Doggy Dogg “Doggy Style“.

Doggy Style was recorded soon following the release of Dr. Dre‘s landmark debut album The Chronic (1992), to which Snoop Dogg contributed significantly. The style he developed for Dre’s album was continued onDoggystyle. Critics have praised Snoop Dogg for the lyrical “realism” he delivers on the album and for his distinctive vocal flow.

Despite some mixed criticism of the album initially upon its release, Doggystyle has earned recognition from many music critics as one of the most significant albums of the 1990s, as well as one of the most important Hip Hop albums ever released. Much like The Chronic, the distinctive sounds of Doggystyle helped introduce G-funk to a mainstream audience, bringing forward West Coast Hip Hop as a dominant force in the early 1990s. As of 2008, the Recording Industry Association of America(RIAA) has certified Doggystyle quadruple platinum in sales, and it serves as Snoop Dogg’s highest-selling album.

Doggystyle debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and sold 806,858 copies in its first week alone, which was the record for a debuting artist and the fastest-selling Hip Hop album ever until Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP in 2000. Doggystyle is included in The Source magazine’s list of the 100 Best Rap Albums, as well as Rolling Stone magazine’s list of Essential Recordings of the 90s. About.com placed the album in number 19 of the greatest Hip Hop albums of all time. (Wikipedia)