Snoop Dogg responds to ‘all the hate’ over Trump inauguration performance
Snoop Dogg has a blunt response to fans who criticized him for performing during Donald Trump’s inauguration celebrations.
In an Instagram live broadcast on Sunday, which he later posted to the main page of his account, the rapper and former Trump critic, 53, spoke about “all the hate” he’s been receiving lately. Though he didn’t mention the president by name, Snoop’s comments came a little over a week after performing in Washington, DC, on Jan. 17 at the Crypto Ball for one of Donald Trump’s pre-inauguration festivities.
“It’s Sunday I got gospel in my heart,” the “Drop It Like It’s Hot” hitmaker said in the clip, in which he is seen smoking and listening to gospel music in his car.
“For all the hate I’m going to answer with love, I love too much,” he added. “Get your life right, stop worrying about mine. I’m cool. I’m together. Still a Black man. Still 100 percent Black. All out ’til you ball out or ’til you fall out.”
Later in the video, Snoop said, “We gotta learn to pick each other up instead of pulling each other down. That’s what we great at as Black people. We great at tearing each other down.”
He continued, “You can be up one minute and they’ll try to pull you down the next.”
“But I’m a strong black man. I’m cut from a different cloth. You can’t tear me down. I’m one of God’s child [sic]. One of his children.”
Snoop closed his video saying, “Y’all stay strong. The only way to beat hate is with love. Learn from the Dogg. Teach you something every day.”
The “Gin & Juice” rapper also addressed the backlash during an appearance on “R&B Money Podcast” over the weekend.
“You ‘gon deal with hate when you get to the top, no matter who you are,” he said. “Me, personally, I answer it with success and love. That’s my answer to any hate and negativity that comes my way, ’cause it’s the strongest force that can beat it.”
Snoop wasn’t the only big name to perform at the Crypto Ball. Rick Ross and Soulja Boy also took the stage. Other celebrities, including Carrie Underwood, Billy Ray Cyrus and Nelly performed at other inauguration events.
Following his performance, Snoop lost a significant number of social media followers — more than 500,000 on Instagram and nearly 20,000 on X.
The musician and mogul was once a fierce critic of Trump.
In September 2018, the “Sweat” rapper spoke out against Kanye West and everyone who supported Trump, 78.
While discussing West’s support for the former “Apprentice” host during an interview on DJ Suss One’s SiriusXM show, Snoop had a fiery response when the DJ mentioned that some of his fans might back Trump.
“I tell them straight up motherf–ker, if you like that n—–, you motherf–king racist. F–k you, and f–k him.”
Snoop also said Trump fanned strife between people of different backgrounds and “drew the lines.”
“Before him, there were no lines,” he said. “Everybody was everybody, we respected everything; we didn’t trip. But n—–, when you drew the line, n—– started pointing motherf–ker out … f–k you n—–.”
Snoop had a change of heart about Trump in 2021 after he pardoned Death Row Records co-founder Michael Harris, who had who served 30 years on charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
“He ain’t done nothing wrong to me. He has done only great things for me,” Snoop said of Trump in a January 2024 interview with The Sunday Times.
“So I have nothing but love and respect for Donald Trump.”
