Snoop Dogg’s Anti-Trump Statements Go Viral as Fans Cancel Him for Performing at Donald Trump’s Crypto Ball

America’s favorite rapper Snoop Dogg is currently being labeled a sellout for “performing at the Crypto Ball, an event in Washington D.C. preceding Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. You can hear the informal commentary of this story on the Backstreet Hot Takes podcast.

What Happened

Snoop Dogg performed at Donald Trump’s “Crypto Ball” the Friday before the inauguration, and it’s contrary to everything Snoop has been saying about Trump performers the past few months. In the above video republished by actress Amanda Seales from Snoop’s Instagram account, Snoop questions who will perform for Donald Trump. He expresses his disgust at the idea by threatening to “roast” — make a mockery of — anybody who does. “I’s bes the one that performs for ya, sir,” Snoop says in mockingly dumbed-down tone colored with an exaggerated mispronunciation of simple words. This form of mockery is used to erroneously reflect the tone and obedience of a slave. Although he was trying to prove a point, this can be offensive to African Americans. Ironically though, Snoop answered his own question about who would perform for Trump, and Snoop should be roasting himself.

Snoop has pledged his allegiance to all things Black in the past without fully understanding the history of ideas associated with the Black American Plight.

Furthermore, Snoop calls other Black entertainers who may perform for Trump “Uncle Toms”. This is a common misnomer used to incorrectly identify what some African Americans would call a “sellout”. Just to address this line of attack, let’s explore where its origins. The name “Uncle Tom” comes from the 1852 book Uncle Tom’s Cabin, written by abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe.

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As a note, there will be spoiler alerts about the book in this paragraph. Skip to the next paragraph if you do not wish to know how the book ends. Uncle Tom is a loyal character, and this is where some might view him as weak, since he is sometimes portrayed to be as loyal to his slave owners as his is to other Black people at best. At worst, some may see him as an obedient servant to the system of slavery. However, he sacrifices himself to free two fugitive Black women, and, in that way, Uncle Tom is a martyr.

… Uncle Tom is not who Snoop thinks he is…

To bring the point home, Uncle Tom is not who Snoop thinks he is, and Snoop’s unfamiliarity with the character he so casually speaks on shows he is not in tune. Snoop has pledged his allegiance to all things Black in the past without fully understanding the history of ideas associated with the Black American Plight. This might be more offensive than his performance for Trump, but his performance for Trump is unsettling still.

Why Some African Americans are Cancelling Snoop

Donald Trump has signed executive orders — such as one restricting funding to grammar schools teaching history related to Black Americans — that are a direct attack on African American people. Trump’s executive orders have ended racial sensitivity training across states and encouraged other states to create laws banning any education related to Black history. Trump is attempting to effectively remove the Black part of history from American history books. He’s also attempting to whitewash the reprehensible acts in history against African Americans that America is responsible for. History that is hidden away until the new generation is entirely ignorant of it is more likely to repeat.

Trump’s presidency is based on mass deportation of immigrants, revocation and denial of citizenship and re-marginalizing African Americans…

Snoop Dogg has had his controversies in the past like in the 1990s when he beat a murder case, but America as a whole has always welcomed Snoop with open arms. If America has a favorite rapper, he’s him. His synergy with the unlikely businesswoman and homemaker Martha Stewart was unexpected but captivating. It introduced them both to households that otherwise would never have glanced in their direction. Snoop’s persona has always been founded on his likability. With low eyes and a smile, Snoop represents for us a chill, laid back good time. MAGA for some of Snoop’s fans represents the opposite.

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Trump’s presidency is based on mass deportation of immigrants, revocation and denial of citizenship and re-marginalizing African Americans, while Snoop is the perceived as the embodiment of unity, as displayed by his connection with Martha Stewart. His performance for Trump may have done irreparable harm to Snoop’s public persona.

The Takeaway

The anti-Trump statements Snoop Dogg made have aged like Benjamin Button, and his fans are calling him a sellout. Some are outright boycotting him and his music. Snoop, up until now, represented peace, unity and a chill time for everybody. For Snoop’s fans, Donald Trump represents the opposite. By performing for Trump and going back on his own word, Snoop Dogg has effectively told his fans, “I’m not like you.”

HEAR the informal commentary of this story on the Backstreet Hot Takes podcast.

This article was written by Jermaine Reed, MFA, the Editor-in-Chief of The Reeders Block, who also works an Adjunct College Professor. Join the email list to get notifications on new articles and books. This article is 100% human-written. And remember, if you see an error, that’s what makes us human. Subscribe and share.