Snoop Dogg’s LA3C Performance Proved Love Can Light Up the Night
I can remember as clearly as if it were yesterday the first time I saw Snoop on television. It was the music video for Gin and Juice. I thought to myself, now this sound is different. There was just something magnetic about his voice. The fact that I thought he was super cute didn’t hurt either.
The image of him that always stuck in my mind was him riding on the handlebars rapping. He had this cool calmness about his delivery that said I didn’t come to play and he was about to take the rap game by storm.
However, the Snoop Dogg we met in 1992 wasn’t exactly a beacon of light. His songs were somewhat comical, especially Gin and Juice, but he was a self-identified gangster, a member of the Crips street gang. From everything I had ever been told about the organization (at the time), it wasn’t something any good person could be affiliated with.
Despite this, as the years went on Snoop showed that he was in fact a good guy who only wanted to improve his life and the lives of people around him. As he got older, we saw him transform into a funny, rather silly, the guy who always had a big smile on his face.
Everything about him gradually transformed. He was acting in comedies, like Soul Plane, and hanging out with Martha Stewart. He even recorded reggae music with Eddie Murphy and started calling himself Snoop Lion. It had become evident to his fan that this man was growing and glowing brighter with each year that passed.
His music discography showed increasingly positive, playful, and even seductive music. Snoop was now here to celebrate life, have fun, and bring us all along for the ride.
His song Sexual Seduction showed the ladies that he had a soft side, his song Drop It Like It’s Hot reminded us that he knew how to get the party started, and his song Smile (Living My Best Life) with Duval let us all know that no matter what we needed to appreciate the life we have.
Last night, I had the pleasure to see Snoop Dogg perform at the LA3C Festival in Los Angeles, courtesy of my partnership with She Media. He lit up the stage with pure positivity and love. He looked like a man living on Cloud 9. Dressed in yellow, with blinged-out glasses, and the biggest smile, Snoop looked so happy that the joy was contagious throughout the entire crowd.
He began his performance with a homage to Biggie and Tupac, celebrated his ownership of Death Row Records, and spoke to the audience about the importance of spreading love. It was absolutely beautiful.
Snoop electrified the crowd with his delivery which was as smooth as it was 30 years ago. He did his Crip walk and made it clear that he hadn’t lost a step.
The show last night was so good for my soul. I danced and sang like I haven’t in a long time. I was especially shocked to realize that I remembered every lyric from the songs that came out during my youth. Soaking up all the positive energy radiating from the crowd gave me the most wonderfully euphoric feeling.
I feel so fortunate to have had this experience and am thankful to Snoop Dogg for his positive influence on the crowd. If there was ever any doubt about the power of music to unite us all, I’m sure the audience last night shed there’s before leaving the show.
