Rapper-turned-mogul Snoop Dogg is feeling the heat for performing at the Crypto Ball, an event in Washington D.C. preceding Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration.
When video surfaced of the rapper performing at the Friday night event, held at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium and hosted by former PayPal COO David Sacks, fans expressed anger and shock online. The Shade Room posted a video of Snoop — along with Rick Ross and Soulja Boy — on stage performing, and the comments section was filled with outrage over The Voice judge’s decision. “This is culturally embarrassing and disrespectful asf,” one reaction read. “Not a check in the world worth selling my soul to the Devil…” another commenter remarked.
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon covered the performance on his live stream, Lemon LIVE at 5, wondering aloud whether Snoop and other Black hip hop artists are “sellouts [or] grifters who only care about a dollar?”
Actress Amanda Seales criticized the rapper and came to social media with the receipts, posting a mashup of his performance with a years-old video from Snoop’s Instagram questioning which artist was going to be the first to perform for Trump. “I’m waiting,” the 53-year-old said in the resurfaced video, promising to “roast” whoever does. “I hope it’s worth it,” Seales said in the video.
The video that Seales resurfaced is one of several circulating in which Snoop has criticized the president-elect. In July 2016, the rapper posted a video to Instagram of him smoking to YG’s and the late Nipsey Hussle’s anti-Trump protest song, “FDT.” “We ain’t voting for your punk ass,” Snoop said in the video. Snoop later released a video for his “Nightfall Remix” of BADBADNOTGOOD’s “Lavendar,” in which he shoots a toy gun at Donald Trump impersonator.
In 2019, the rapper had strong words for Trump amidst the government shutdown. “All you people for the federal government that not getting paid right now, ain’t no fuckin’ way in the world y’all could vote for Donald Trump when he come back up again,” Snoop said, referring to the 2020 presidential election. “If y’all do vote for him, y’all some stupid motherfuckers,” he continued.
Snoop has yet to comment on the performance on social media, instead reposting an Instagram story of him and Ross at the event. And to his credit, the SoCal native has been mobilizing his fans to donate and distribute needed items for those who experienced loss due to the L.A. wildfires. The collection took place at his Snoopermarket in Inglewood last week.
The Inaugural Crypto Ball is described as a “celebratory setting intended to honor … America’s first ‘crypto president,’ President elect Donald J. Trump, his incoming cabinet and administration,” per its official website.
President-elect Trump is set to be sworn into office on Monday.