In the Los Angeles offices of Death Row Records someone is singing, "If you don't give a f--- about a bitch/ Then you're rolling with the Row." The lyrics are from Doggystyle, the debut album by gangsta rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg, the label's star. Doggystyle, released Nov. 23, sold 800,000 copies in its first week and enters this week's Billboard charts at No. 1. Associates of Snoop lounge around Death Row, loose and jovial. Snoop, 22, smiles along, autographing posters of himself. Despite the happy mood, he has grave legal troubles. Police say that in West Los Angeles one evening in August, he was driving when his bodyguard shot a man to death from the car. Charged with being an accomplice to murder, Snoop says he's not guilty and is free on $1 million bail. He's set to be arraigned Dec. 8. In an exclusive interview, Snoop talked to TIME about success, violence and rap.
TIME: What are the biggest misconceptions about you?
Snoop:Gang member. Hell of a drug seller. All of that negative stuff that I ain't even f----- with in four or five years. It's cool to bring it up, but damn, I ain't did it in years, so why are you stressing?
TIME: What makes your rapping unique?
Snoop: Listen to my music -- it's a conversation rather than rap. Now if I'm hollering, you might turn me off.
TIME: When a kid buys your album, what do you hope he or she gets out of it?
Snoop: ((That)) any black man out of the ghetto can do something positive with his life if he's dedicated and he becomes a student at what he does.
TIME: Is your music too violent for kids?
Snoop: Whether I make a record or not, someone is being shot right now in gang violence. Are you going to blame me, because I made a record about it?
TIME: Some say gangsta rap is white record execs making money off blacks rapping about shooting other blacks.
Snoop: See, it seems like that, but at Death Row it ain't like that. Interscope is the distributor, but Death Row is black-owned. It's run by brothers and sisters.
TIME: Does rap cause violence?
Snoop: That's a lie. Before rap came out, there was violence. When I was nine years old, one of my homeboys got shot in some gang violence. And wasn't no rap music being played then. So you tell me the music we make now made him die? If they're saying that, well, country music makes white motherf------ go kill horses and tie horses and do all that crazy-ass s--- they be doing at rodeos.
TIME: Do you have to use the word nigger? It's offensive.
Snoop: Yes, I have to. This is me. This is the stuff I grew up on, and can't no one change that. If you don't like this music or you have something negative to say about it, don't purchase the tape. I was taught, if you can't say something nice about somebody, don't say nothing at all.
TIME: How can you justify calling black women "bitches" in your music?
Snoop: It's like this. I got a woman, and I have a black lady manager. So I couldn't be that hard on women. It's just for those women who are like that, it's directed to them. If you're a real woman, you're classy, you're elegant. Those lyrics wouldn't necessarily affect you, you'd just groove to the music.
TIME: What does your mother think of the language you use?