Blunt instrument
West Coast rapper Snoop Dogg delivers lazy, hazy performance in nostalgia-heavy hip-hop show
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $205*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/06/2024 (789 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Snoop Dogg was laid-back, with his mind on nostalgia and nostalgia on his mind during a pitstop in Winnipeg Monday night. Maybe a little too laid-back.
The weed-smoking West Coast rapper is on the tail end of his cross-country Cali to Canada Tour — a flashy production that leans into the early California hip-hop scene and features a sampling of hits from the multi-platinum artist’s more than 30-year career.
Snoop arrived in style, rolling onto the stage in a blue low-rider convertible. He stepped out of the ride to the opening sequence of The Next Episode; his tall, slim frame backlit, a plume of smoke rising from his mouth.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Snoop Dogg brings his Cali to Canada Tour to the arena Monday night.
The 52-year-old headliner wore a red and white tracksuit emblazoned with a maple leaf, dark sunglasses and his signature braids — now peppered with touches of grey.
He performed with a rotating cast of male and female back-up dancers (as well as a blunt-smoking monkey mascot) on a stage flanked by chain-link fences and a pair of red and yellow dog houses, à la the cover of his 1993 debut album, Doggystyle.
Snoop released his 20th studio album in 2022 and has dozens of mixtapes under his belt. Yet, despite his deep, beloved catalogue, the setlist included as many Snoop solo releases — such as Lodi Dodi and Murder Was the Case — as it did ‘90s and ’00s covers and collaborations. They weren’t in Winnipeg in the flesh, but Dr. Dre, Pharrell and Akon joined the party via songs Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang, Beautiful and I Wanna Love You.
During the latter, the stage was crawling with scantily clad female dancers performing athletic feats on free-standing poles. Snoop paraded around with a money dispenser, sending faux dollar bills into the crowd.
When he wasn’t rapping, the headliner was vibing out and engaging the hydraulics of the prop car. He also went AWOL during an extended set by Dogg Pound members Daz Dillinger and Kurupt, causing the night to lose major momentum.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Snoop Dogg arrives in style, via a low-rider convertible, at his Monday show.
The crowd rose to its feet and the room again filled with cheers when Snoop returned to the stage along with the deep bass of Drop It Like It’s Hot. At press time he had won back some of the flagging energy.
While the concert featured a who’s who of Cali rap royalty, Snoop faithfuls were likely disappointed by his lack of presence, both physically and musically, especially since it’s been so long since his last visit.
Snoop last performed in Winnipeg in 2007 with fellow West Coast rapper Ice Cube at the Convention Centre. Ice Cube also broke his 17-year visitation hiatus this year with a show at Canada Life Centre in February. It’s a mystery why both artists decided 2024 was the year to return to Winnipeg, but the post-pandemic trend of aging retrospective tours likely has something to do with it.
Whatever the reason, the sold-out arena — filled with an eclectic, multi-generational crowd — was still eager to spend a weeknight getting down and smoking up with the prolific rap icon.
Weed was the unofficial star of the evening. From the street corner to the rafters of the arena, the smell of cannabis permeated the venue and the room only got hazier as the night ensued.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Snoop released his 20th studio album in 2022 and has dozens of mixtapes under his belt.
The three-hour-plus show started with a surprise set from fast-talking Vancouver rapper Merkules, a Canadian artist signed to Death Row Records, the star-studded hip-hop label recently purchased by Snoop. The heavily tattooed rapper delivered a handful of original songs, FaceTimed his dad, reminisced about previous under-attended shows in Winnipeg and preached about the value of manifesting your goals.
DJ Quik, a Compton-born rapper and producer, followed with a short, groovy and somewhat chaotic set. Despite admitting to being hungover, Quik and his accomplice bounced around the stage, acting as effective hype men, running through a sampling of songs by the likes of 50 Cent and Kendrick Lamar that bear his producing credit.
Warren G rounded out the openers. The bespectacled rapper, joined at one point by Cali rap duo the Twinz, gave a funky, but sleepy 30-minute performance full of odes to marijuana. He took a “small chronic break” and puffed on a fat blunt before getting into his 1994 crowd-pleasing anthem, Regulate.
eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com
X: @evawasney
JOHN WOODS /
Snoop's signature braids are now peppered with touches of grey.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Snoop's setlist included as many Snoop solo releases as it did ‘90s and ’00s covers and collaborations
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Snoop wore a red and white tracksuit emblazoned with a maple leaf.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Snoop Dogg pays homage to his long career on his latest tour.
Eva Wasney has been a reporter with the Free Press Arts & Life department since 2019. Read more about Eva.
Every piece of reporting Eva produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Concert Review
Snoop Dogg
With Merkules, DJ Quik and Warren G
• Monday, June 17
• Canada Life Centre
• Attendance: 11,800 people
★★★ out of 5 stars
Eva Wasney has been a reporter with the Free Press Arts & Life department since 2019. Read more about Eva.
Every piece of reporting Eva produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Advertisement Advertise With Us
Advertisement Advertise With Us
