Calvin “Snoop Dogg” Broadus Jr. has been under fire for participating in one of the inauguration events for President Donald Trump.
Snoop, 53, performed at the Crypto Ball event in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 17 in honor of the then-president-elect, who did not attend the black-tie affair.
Snoop’s appearance at the pro-Trump party became a polarizing conversation considering Snoop has blasted Trump repeatedly in the media, even before the Republican politician entered his first time in office. The hip-hop legend has also received praise from right-wing influencers for showing support to Trump’s MAGA movement.
Meanwhile, critics blasted him for seemingly flip-flopping his political views by aligning with the GOP, but Snoop appears to be unfazed after being labeled a “sellout.”
On Jan. 26, the Death Row Records owner addressed the Crypto Ball controversy on Instagram Live. He spoke into his camera as “Ain’t No Need To Worry” by The Winans featuring Anita Baker and “Stairway To Heaven” by The O’Jays played in the background.
“For all the hate, I’m gonna answer it with love. Y’all can’t hate enough for me, I love too much,” Snoop told his 88 million Instagram followers.
He continued, “Get your life right, stop worrying about mine. I’m cool, I’m together. Still a Black man, still one hundred percent Black.”
The “Drop It Like It’s Hot” hitmaker went on to say he was not going anywhere as he smoked on what appeared to be a marijuana-filled blunt. The weed enthusiast also chastised Black people for hurting their community.
“We gotta learn to pick each other up instead of pulling each other down. That’s what we’re great at as Black people. We’re great at tearing each other down,” Snoop said. “But I’m a strong Black man, cut from a different cloth. Can’t tear me down. I’m one of God’s children.”
Snoop’s message to his detractors generated even more discussion online. Many Social media users continued to slam the “Doggystyle” artist for uniting with MAGA.
“We ain’t say you wasn’t Black. We said you [are] a sell-out,” one person asked in The Shade Room’s comment section in response to Snoop’s video.
Another like-minded individual said, “They played him. Walked him just like a dog. They sought him out to make him eat those words he spoke 4 years ago.” A more scathing comment read, “Went from Uncle Snoop to UNCLE TOM.”
However, Snoop still has supporters including one who wrote, “Still my Dogg. I’ve seen the amount of people he takes care of and looks out for behind the scenes. Unc is far from a sell-out.”
Snoop’s frenemy association with Trump goes back years, including his 2011 appearance at “The Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump.”
In 2017, Snoop infamously fired a toy gun at a Trump parody clown in the “Lavender” (Nightfall remix) music video with the Canadian group BadBadNotGood.
Trump fired back in a tweet by suggesting that the Grammy-nominated hitmaker should be locked up.
“Can you imagine what the outcry would be if @SnoopDogg, failing career and all, had aimed and fired the gun at President Obama? Jail time!” Trump posted on the X platform (then known as Twitter).
In addition, Snoop called out members of Trump’s base during a 2018 interview with DJ Suss. When Suss informed the rap star that his fans get upset when Trump is criticized, Snoop aimed at MAGA loyalists and their figurehead.
“You need to know that a lot of your fans is racist,” Snoop told DJ Suss. “I don’t give a f—. I’ll tell them straight up. Motherf—er, if you like that n—gas , you motherf—er racist. F—k you and f—k him.”
His opinion of Trump likely changed when the former “The Apprentice” television host commuted the sentence of Death Row Records co-founder Michael “Harry-O” Harris on his last day as president in January 2021.
“I love what they did,” Snoop told the New York Post about Trump’s decision to free Harris from a federal prison. “That’s great work for the president and his team on the way out.”
Harris, who was slated to be released from federal prison in 2028 after being convicted in November 1990 for running a nationwide drug trafficking network, defended Snoop while speaking with TMZ in January 2024.
The conversation included the Godfather Entertainment head revealing he spoke to Snoop about changing his tune on Trump between the president’s first successful campaign in 2016 and his second White House win in 2024.
“Of course, we talked about it,” Harris admitted. “Snoop is appreciative, just like I am, and my family, for what Donald Trump did for me and my family by letting me out.”
Additionally, he said, “If the American people have chosen President Donald Trump to be the president, then why are we continuing to throw arrows at somebody that we could work with that could change the trajectory of our lives?”
Trump has been a lightning rod ever since he stepped into the national political conversation.
He and some of his celebrity endorsers, such as retired WWE wrestler Hulk Hogan and billionaire businessman Elon Musk, have faced accusations of promoting bigotry and white supremacist ideologies since the 2024 election.
The Tesla CEO weighed in on Snoop going from being a Trump hater to a Trump ally. The richest man in the world essentially mocked the Hollywood Walk of Fame recipient by reposting a side by side of still images from Snoop’s Instagram Live about Trump in 2017 paired next to Snoop performing at Trump’s party.
“The vibe shift is real,” added Elon.
Ahead of Trump’s first inauguration, Snoop said, “So nobody gone perform for Donald Trump?” in an Instagram Live video.
“Which one of you jigga-boo ass n—gas gon’ be the first one to do it?” he continued. “I‘m waiting, I’m gone roast the f-ck out of you Uncle Tom ass n—gas for doing it. Which one of you n—gas is gon’ do it first? ‘I’s be the one that perform for him sir.’
The West Coast native was not the only rapper to show up for the Crypto Ball. Soulja Boy and Rick Ross also performed at the super-insider function held in D.C.’s Mellon Auditorium.
According to New York Magazine, guests reportedly had to pay between $2,500 and $100,000 for tickets to the event hosted by another billionaire, former PayPal COO David Sacks. Numerous tech industry VIPs, like billionaire PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, attended.
