“Snoop Dogg has been hailed as the ‘King of Rap’ after he took to the stage for the AFL Grand Final on Saturday.”, — write: www.dailymail.co.uk
The US hip-hop icon, 53, ripped through a stunning nine-song set that featured a slew of classics and a few surprises.
After a performance from homegrown hip-hop star Baker Boy and the obligatory rendition of the iconic Up There Cazaly from Mike Brady, Snoop wasted no time getting the crowd into the mood.
Before the event took to the pitch, Snoop was egging the crowd on from the big screen with the help of a Superbowl-style marching band and a litany of dancers.
Dressed in a crisp white tracksuit bearing his name, Snoop kicked off proceedings with his 1999 collaboration with Dr Dre, The Next Episode.
Another Dre collab, Nothing But A ‘G’ Thang came next, followed by his 2004 Billboard chart-topper Drop It Like It’s Hot.
The rapper then dove into a spirited rendition of his 2011 track Sweat and the bold and brassy Signs.
Aussie star Jessica Mauboy then joined Snoop on stage for a stunning version of his 2003 track Beautiful.
Baker Boy then joined the star for a cover of the Dr Dre track Still D.R.E, before the rapper closed the show, with flames shooting metres into the sky, and renditions of his iconic tunes Gin and Juice, and Who Am I (What’s My Name), for which he was joined by Tash Sultana on guitar.
While some viewers had mixed reactions to the star’s performance, the commentary online was overwhelmingly positive, with fans taking to social media to hail the star as the ‘King of Rap’.
‘The King of rap,’ one fan enthused while another was critical of the crowd’s reaction to the performance.
‘Snoops is being wasted on this audience,’ they wrote.
One fan hailed Snoop’s turn as being streets ahead of one disastrous AFL performance.
‘Snoop is better than Meat Loaf,’ they wrote.
However, there were some who were critical of the performance.
‘I’m not a fan of AFL Grand Final entertainment,’ one wrote. ‘Snoop Dog [sic] is a horrible choice.
‘Unwatchable crap. Tuning back in 10min for the first bounce.’
Another agreed, adding, ‘Not sure this is vibing,’ while a third added: ‘Daytime pregame entertainment just doesn’t work.’
The positivity kept coming over on Instagram, though, with one fan praising the AFL for booking Snoop.
‘This AFL live entertainment by snoop gave us super bowl vibes,’ they wrote. ‘Props to AFL for doing that something that Teddy Swims can’t do in the NRL grand final.’
Another added: ‘Whoever came up wit this is a genius! Give them a pay rise!!! Looked like a world class event!’
A third chuffed footy fan added: ‘From kicking goals at the MCG and actually taking a REAL interest in our game. Now he lit up the G with the OG.’
The AFL’s decision to hire Snoop Dogg for the Grand Final has received backlash in recent weeks, with concerns arising that he would be booed when he stepped on stage, given his recent comments about same-sex couples and lyrics in his songs.
The league copped further criticism for Snoop Dogg’s appointment after the AFL handed Adelaide forward Izak Rankine a four-match ban for a homophobic slur that was made during Adelaide’s game against Collingwood in August.
Some claimed that the AFL had been hypocritical for hiring Snoop Dogg, despite its zero-tolerance approach to homophobia.
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon recently defended the decision to pay Snoop Dogg a rumoured $2 million to perform at the Grand Final.
‘We cannot vouch for every lyric in every song ever written or performed by any artist who has or will appear on our stage, Australian or international,’ he said.
‘It’s also important to remember that we have engaged Snoop Dogg in 2025 as the person he is today.
‘He has spoken publicly about his past, he has changed, and today he is a grandfather, philanthropist, he helps rehabilitate youth, and he’s a global entertainer who has performed at both the Super Bowl and the Olympic closing ceremony to audiences of more than 100 million people.
‘In those environments, his performances were appropriate and well-received, and his performance this year at our Grand Final will be fitting for the best sporting event in the country.’
However, Snoop Dogg proved Dillon wrong when he appeared on a podcast earlier this month.
He was discussing taking his grandson to see the kids’ movie Lightyear, which features two female characters who kiss.
Snoop Dogg said his grandson asked him, ‘Papa Snoop, how she have a baby with a woman? She’s a woman.’
He responded, ‘Aw s***, I didn’t come here for this s***, I just came here to watch the goddamn movie.
‘F*** me, I’m scared to go to the movies now, y’all throwing me in the middle of this s*** I don’t have an answer for… it threw me. Do we have to show that at that age? They’re going to ask questions. I don’t have the answer.’
Snoop Dogg also said, ‘they putting it everywhere’ as he began talking about the depiction of same-sex relationships in popular culture, leading to calls to scrap him from the family-friendly Grand Final.
Snoop Dogg touched down in Melbourne on Tuesday, meeting up with AFL brothers Nick and Josh Daicos for a kickabout at the MCG.
It came just a day after Nick had agonisingly missed out on claiming this year’s Brownlow Medal, after the Collingwood midfielder, who had been the outright favourite to win the best and fairest award prior to the evening, was usurped by Gold Coast’s Matt Rowell.
The footy stars were seen showing Snoop Dogg how to kick the Sherrin before teeing him up to have a shot at goal.
In a video posted on the AFL’s Facebook page, the rapper – who has allegedly never played AFL football before – is seen lining up a shot at goal, from around 35m out, before sending the ball straight through the middle sticks.
The Daicos brothers were left enamoured by Snoop Dogg’s kicking skills, with the rapper celebrating the kick by saying: ‘That’s six points baby!’