The murder trial of Snoop Dogg — then known as Snoop Doggy Dogg — was well underway this week in 1996, and while Snoop, along with his bodyguard McKinley Lee, were ultimately acquitted of murdering 20-year-old Phillip Woldemariam, the defense hit a speed bump this week when a witness testified she saw Woldemariam walk away from the jeep driven by Snoop when he was shot and killed in 1993 by Lee, who was riding in the jeep's passenger seat.

Snoop didn't stop the music, however, during this trying time. Instead, he was setting up his own label, Doggy Style Records, and he had just signed the imprint's first act, the LBC Crew. He talked about the group on the set of its first video, "Beware of My Crew."

"It's called 'Beware of My Crew' for the simple fact it's letting everybody in the industry know to be aware of my crew," Snoop said. "This is my crew. Snoop Dogg. This is my homeboys. I just want people to recognize and just pay attention to them and hear what they gotta say. You know what I'm saying, not just 'cause they're down with me but just because they got talent and they want to express it."

(The LBC Crew have since broken up— the group's Tray Deee is now one-half of Tha Eastsidaz, and Bad Azz has put out two solo albums.)

There didn't seem to be anything objectionable about a concert by Rob Zombie's former band, White Zombie, that was scheduled to be held in the city of Johnson City, Tennessee, on February 4th, 1996, until a local Baptist minister suddenly discerned in the group's music (gasp!) satanic messages. The minister led his flock to rise up and pressure the city commission to cancel the band's contract to perform at a city venue with the apparently ironic name of Freedom Hall. As for the group itself, it simply relocated its show to Viking Hall in nearby Bristol, where religious leaders planned further protest.

Also doing their part to promote moral decay in the state of Tennessee were AC/DC. The veteran Australian headbangers were touring there six years ago this week to promote their first album in five years, titled, with typical subtlety, Ballbreaker. Keeping the rhythm going for that outing was original AC/DC drummer, Phil Rudd, who had returned to the fold after a 14-year absence.

Guitarist Angus Young and frontman Brian Johnson talked a bit about the good old U.S. and what it meant to their music.

"American music has influenced us — really that's where it all came from," Johnson said.

"Yeah, a lot from the blues side of it, blues and early rock and roll," Young added.

"[Those were] really the stepping stones towards the music the way it is today," Johnson said.

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