What's My Name? (Snoop Doggy Dogg song)

Death Row Records
Company type	Record label
Industry	Music industry
Founded	1991
Headquarters	United States
Products	Music recordings
Parent	Interscope Records

Who Am I? (What's My Name?)—often simply called What's My Name?—is the first solo single released by American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg on November 11, 1993. Distributed by Death Row and Interscope Records, it served as the lead single from his debut album, Doggystyle (1993). The track, produced by Dr. Dre, features samples and interpolations including the chorus from George Clinton's "Atomic Dog", the bass groove from Funkadelic's "(Not Just) Knee Deep", and a bridge interpolation of Parliament's "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)". Additional vocal contributions come from Jewell and Edward Tony Green. The introduction incorporates a sample from the Counts' "Pack of Lies," alongside a recurring vocal snippet ("the bomb") taken from Parliament's "P. Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)". The accompanying music video, directed by Fab Five Freddy, depicts Snoop Dogg morphing into a dog.

The track was humorously referenced in Rusty Cundieff's 1993 film Fear of a Black Hat. In 2014, it appeared in a UK commercial for MoneySupermarket, featuring Snoop Dogg himself. It secured the 456th spot on NME’s list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

Critical reception

Alan Jones of Music Week awarded the song four out of five stars, selecting it as Pick of the Week and emphasizing its clear inspiration from George Clinton and Cameo. He pointed to its relaxed rap delivery, memorable chant, and soulful vocal elements as reasons for its anticipated success. NME honored it as What's My Muthaf—in' Single of the Week, applauding its fusion of 1970s funk revival with Snoop’s unique style, describing it as a "Jurassic-size monster of a hit" and an energetic party anthem brimming with hooks. Ralph Tee from Record Mirror Dance Update praised its catchy refrain and production steeped in classic Seventies funk, noting that Snoop’s lyrical flow combined with the hook made it compelling. Adam Higginbotham of Select highlighted the "viscous P-Funk squelch" present in the single, while Charles Aaron from Spin commented on how prominently the George Clinton sample bolstered Snoop’s confident persona.

Commercial performance

"Who Am I? (What's My Name?)" became Snoop Dogg’s inaugural top 10 entry on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 charts as a leading rap artist, reaching number eight on each. The song also dominated the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart for three consecutive weeks and received gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1994.

Music video

The music video, directed by American visual artist and hip hop innovator Fab 5 Freddy, utilized CGI effects to bring its concept to life. In it, Snoop Dogg along with collaborators (Kurupt, Daz Dillinger, and Warren G) transform into different dog breeds to escape disapproving fathers and dog catchers. A memorable sequence features dogs engaged in dice gambling, an homage to Cassius Marcellus Coolidge's famous painting series Dogs Playing Poker. Snoop is seen atop the roof of V.I.P. Records, where he recorded some of his earliest tracks. One of the models featured in the video later became clinical nurse Athena Germany, who appeared on Family Feud in 2021.

Live performances

Snoop showcased the track live on several occasions, including appearances on The Arsenio Hall Show on December 17, 1993, Soul Train the following day, and during the 1994 Soul Train Music Awards held on March 15, 1994.

Track listing

CD single

"Who Am I? (What's My Name?)" (clean radio mix) — 4:15
"Who Am I? (What's My Name?)" (clean club mix) — 5:03
"Who Am I? (What's My Name?)" (explicit club mix) — 8:12
"Who Am I? (What's My Name?)" (LP version) — 4:15
"Who Am I? (What's My Name?)" (instrumental) — 4:15

Weekly charts

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Chart (1993–1994)	Highest position
Denmark (IFPI)	10
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)	29
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)	21

Year-end charts

Chart (1994)	Ranking
Australia (ARIA)	61
Brazil (Mais Tocadas)	67
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)	87
France (SNEP)	29
Germany (Media Control)	99
US Billboard Hot 100	62
US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)	75
US Hot Rap Singles (Billboard)	23

Release history

Region	Release date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.

|- !scope="row"|United States

|November 11, 1993
|Cassette
|rowspan="2"|Death Row, Interscope
|

|- !scope="row"|United Kingdom

|November 22, 1993
|7-inch vinyl, 12-inch vinyl, CD, cassette
|

|}

References