Dressed for equestrianism and carrying a carrot for any hungry horse, Snoop Dogg has further cemented his status as one of the most upbeat icons at the feelgood Summer Olympics in Paris, where he has popped up everywhere in an impressive array of sporting uniforms to root for the athletes and share his uniquely chill brand of good cheer.
From the moment he carried the Olympic torch through its final stages in Saint-Denis to mark the beginning of the 33rd Games to his appearance this weekend at the dressage, no one has appeared to be having as much fun in the French capital as the US rapper.
Despite confessing to being afraid of horses, he stole the show at the dressage competition at the Palace of Versailles, appearing with his friend, lifestyle guru Martha Stewart, in immaculate matching equestrian outfits.
“I’m interested in the horses that dance and I wanna give them some carrots and apples,” he said earlier in the week.
Snoop Dogg is working as a primetime Olympics correspondent for the US TV network NBC, as he did at the Tokyo Games in 2021 which were marked by the pandemic.
Freer to move about this time and mingle with the teams, the 52-year-old hip-hop star has proved to be a secret weapon for morale, vibes and viewership.
Snoop is “going for gold as Olympic commentator and No 1 Team USA cheerleader with his must-see appearances,” USA Today newspaper said.
Even his French hosts have been charmed by his humour and panache.
From dancing with gymnastics champion Simone Biles and catching the tennis with court legend Billie Jean King to taking a dip with 23-time Olympic gold medal winner Michael Phelps and mock-fencing wearing an American-flag mask, Snoop has brought the party and revelled in the attention.
His Olympic stardom took him by surprise, he said in an NBC video he posted on X, where he has more than 20 million followers.
“Never in my wildest dreams,” did he expect to become a beloved fixture at the Games, “especially as a kid growing up watching the Olympics, seeing how big this was … (now) I’m the biggest kid in the crowd.”
Snoop has carried out his duties with flair including exploring Paris landmarks with camera crews, commenting on Olympic competitions and events and paying visits to athletes and their loved ones in the Olympic village. His Olympic pin featuring the rapper blowing smoke in the shape of the Games’s five rings has become, next to medals, among the most sought-after accessories of the Games.
NBC, which in 2014 paid $7.75bn for the rights to broadcast the Olympics in the US until 2032, faced some raised eyebrows with a strategy to draw younger viewers by deploying a celebrity whose top-selling album, Doggystyle, came out more than three decades ago.
But the network seems to have got its money’s worth, with an impressive ratings rebound thanks to stellar performances from Team USA as well as Snoop, who has hyped the crowds at events across the city.
“Man, the DJ off the chain,” he said of the music offered at the beach volleyball court at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. “I need to get him signed up right now, party rockin’.”
The Grammy-nominated artist’s irreverent but well-informed takes have been on point even for sports often ignored by American audiences.
His commentary of the badminton match point in men’s doubles between the US and China had mesmerising flow: “As you see, it don’t stop ’til the casket drop. They rocking and rolling. Back and forth,” he said, tracking the intense volley. “Give me that. No, I need that. Nope, over here. No, over there. What about over there? Nope.”
After the rugby, Snoop appointed French star Antoine Dupont, who led the men’s team to gold, to his NFL fantasy team.
“I need him at running back on a quick toss, 37 toss to the left. He’s got wheels. He deals, he falls, he spills when he gives to his homie, and he gets five to stay alive. So that’s five points. Now they grooving,” Snoop said.
He created an instant meme watching Biles when he was captured on camera lifting his sunglasses to show his wide-eyed adulation. And along with flawless comic timing, Snoop has also shed tears as he belted out the US national anthem when swimmer Caeleb Dressel clinched his eighth gold medal.
Snoop is not the only star of hip-hop’s mid-80s to mid-90s “golden age” going viral in Paris.
Flavor Flav, the founding member and hype man of Public Enemy, is also in the French capital as a sponsor of the US women’s water polo team. Bringing his own irrepressible enthusiasm, he has been spotted hugging everyone from the US first lady, Jill Biden, to Serena Williams at events.
Snoop has also been the man about town in a Paris that seems to have surprised itself with infectious euphoria during the Games.
On an apparently private tour of the Louvre, Snoop admired the collections’s treasures. “You ever seen Night at the Museum?” he said. “Well, tonight you get to go in the museum with Snoop Dogg and we’re finna be snooping around.”
As a guide steered him through the galleries, Snoop stared down Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, telling the audience at home: “I just found out I was Mona Lisa’s twin brother, Tony Lisa.”
On seeing Winged Victory of Samothrace, the most prized Ancient Greek sculpture at the Louvre, he appeared moved. “I love this. This is beautiful.”
Snoop said that, of all his adventures during the two-week events, carrying the Olympic torch had been the standout experience. “It’s something I’m going to be able to live with and be happy with, to know that I was the face and the voice of peace for that one moment in time.”
