After Snoop Dogg's arrest in September 1993, the editor of The Source, Jon Shecter, predicted that the chain of events "will only make the record blow up even more because it will generate even more curiosity among those who have never heard of him" (via The L.A. Times). Indeed, the looming murder trial grabbed headlines at the height of the press' sensationalization of the gangsta rap phenomenon. And Shecter was proved correct when "Doggystyle" became one of the best-selling albums of the year after its release in November 1993, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard chart (per The Source).
Snoop still had his trial to face, but his prosecutors were hamstrung from the start: It soon emerged that police had mistakenly destroyed key evidence in the case, while the prosecutors themselves were held in contempt of court for "procedural infractions," per MTV.
As HipHopDX notes, Snoop's celebrity lawyer Johnny Cochran argued that Woldermariam had indeed been armed, but that his friends had hidden the weapon. Meanwhile, Snoop's record label flooded the courtroom with famous supporters, including Death Row rapper Tupac Shakur, and chart favorite MC Hammer. Snoop and Lee were acquitted February 20, 1996, after a 24-month trial.
Following the acquittal, Snoop made a conscious effort to minimize the theme of gang-related death from his lyrics, which had regularly featured in his bars to that point, and later explained how his change in subject matter bothered his fanbase, but that he was comfortable with his decision. "They wanted me to glamorize and glorify," he said, "but I was like, 'Somebody's life was lost. My life was changed. This is a real situation.'" (per HipHopDX)
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