Snoop Dogg kicked off his 21 city, “I Wanna Thank Me” tour on December 2nd in San Francisco. His 12th stop was The House of Blues, Orlando on December 21st. Snoop, the man, the myth, the legend. Seriously. He needs NO introduction (unless you’ve been living under a rock for 25 years!) Everyone knows how he came up, rough past and run-ins with the law. None of that is important. What’s important here, today is that Snoop D O double G is a RAP ICON. He is the O.G.
I have always enjoyed old school rap, such as Snoop and Dr. Dre. As a teenager, The Chronic was on repeat in my tape deck. I grew up listening to the men and few women who paved the way in the rap world, but I have never been to a rap concert. While I’m not really in touch with current rap artists, I have been known (pretty recently) to blast some Snoop in my truck and have him on my playlist. When I heard he was coming to Orlando, I couldn’t think of another living rap artist that I would like to photograph as my first rap concert. I HAD TO PHOTOGRAPH THIS SHOW! I am a strong believer in being true to one’s self, and Snoop is that man. Always true to who he is, where he came from and where he is headed. He is a family man and is a big provider in his community. He has made a tremendous impact on young lives with his support of youth football. He is also known for his open support of cannabis. Truly he is the cannabis king. And Snoop and Martha Stewart? Seriously, their chemistry is off the chain! I guess you could say, I’m a bit of a fan.
It was obvious when I arrived at Disney Springs (home of The House of Blues) on this rainy Saturday night, that EVERYONE else in Central Florida was there to see Snoop. The parking lots were full, and lines were wrapped around the building, something I haven’t seen in a while. The doors were scheduled to open at 7 with the first artist starting at 7:30. Triggs, the first scheduled performer, for whatever reason, did not take the stage as scheduled. The next four openers TAYF3RD, TRAE, RJ Mr LA, and OT GENASIS performed their sets and got the crowd moving and shaking…but the best was yet to come. These people came to see Snoop Mutha Fuckin Dogg. The O.G.
After about a 25 minute delay, Snoop, in all of his glorious swagger, strolled out on stage with his purple Gin and Juice 25th-anniversary jacket and signature blunt. The Dogg Pound had arrived and we were all a part of it. His dancers went to their respective poles (did I forget to mention the stripper poles?) in the corners of the stage and Snoop began to spoon-feed the lyrics to all of the hungry fans.
After serving the crowd several songs, Snoop stepped off the stage for a brief intermission while his DJ played some old school, house party style rap. Snoop strolled back onto the stage with a big blunt in his mouth and performed “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and “Take Me Away“. After those songs, Snoop paused and passed the blunt he was smoking out into the crowd and shared with us what his tour was all about: Getting love, giving love, and showing love. He then asked the crowd if they had love. The crowd roared yes as he began to pay tribute to Eazy E, Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur and Nipsy Hussle. The crowd sang along with every word of “Boyz-n-the-Hood“, “Hypnotize”, and “Gangsta Party”.
It was truly a night of giving love, getting love and showing love. It was like everyone had been invited over to their friends for a house party. I am reminded with every show I attend that music has no boundaries, it knows no color or background. Through music, we are brought together as one. On this night, it brought us together for one hell of a house party! Be sure to catch him on one of his stops along this tour. My colleague Brandon Amos will (hopefully) be covering this show in Silver Springs, Maryland at The Fillmore on January 19th – Stay tuned for his review of this incredible show!
Enjoy some photos of Snoop and all of the opening acts performing at House of Blues Orlando on December 21. All photos copyright and courtesy of Chris Cornett.
