A Moment in Time: Murder Was the Case

A seasonal anthology series that explores the true stories in which iconic hip hop moments collided with the sensational and sometimes criminal events behind-the-scenes. In 1993, Snoop Dogg, aka Calvin Broadus, was charged with first degree murder for the shooting of Philip Woldermariam, a member of a rival gang who was actually killed by Snoop's bodyguard, McKinley Lee, aka Malik. Snoop's trial was going on during the release of Snoop's debut album, Doggy Style, on which the most popular single was the song "Murder was the Case." The publicity of the case boosted sales to over 5 million albums, but the violent nature of "Murder was the Case" would go on to hurt Snoop's case in his trial. Represented by defense attorney Johnnie Cochran, who repped OJ Simpson just theyear before, Snoop and his defense claimed that his bodyguard was the shooter and acted in self-defense. This season will pull back the curtain on this very publicized story and show what Snoop dealt with in front of and behind cameras.