Snoop Dogg Performance Prompts Apology From University
Snoop Dogg brought the strip club to the University of Kansas, but not everyone was happy.
The college has issued an apology after an “R-rated performance” from the rapper at the “Late Night in the Phog” annual basketball kickoff event on Friday night. According to The Associated Press, the rapper brought out stripper poles and shot fake money over the heads of fans and prospective recruits, prompting an apology from athletic director Jeff Long.
“We apologize to anyone who was offended by the Snoop Dogg performance at Late Night,” said Long in a statement. “We made it clear to the entertainers’ managers that we expected a clean version of the show and took additional steps to communicate to our fans, including moving the artist to the final act of the evening, to ensure that no basketball activities would be missed if anyone did not want to stay for his show. I take full responsibility for not thoroughly vetting all the details of the performance and offer my personal apology to those who were offended. We strive to create a family atmosphere at Kansas and fell short of that this evening.”
Updated statement from KU AD Jeff Long on tonight’s performance by Snoop Dogg at Late Night in the Phog… #KUbball pic.twitter.com/Q2dXZxGSVL
— Matt Tait (@mctait) October 5, 2019
Other rappers including Tech N9ne, Lil Yachty, and 2 Chainz have performed during Kansas’ Late Night festivities, which have been held for the past 35 years to celebrate the start of basketball practices.
The performance took place while the school is being investigated for major violation allegations from the NCAA, including a lack of institutional control charge. It was intended to take the minds of players, fans, and recruits off the specter of the college basketball scandal.
The school even promoted Snoop’s appearance with a social media video of Hall of Fame coach Bill Self wearing chains and an adidas T-shirt as he browsed through Snoop CDs.
During his 35-minute performance, Snoop delivered unedited versions of his hits including “Gin and Juice” and “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” as pole dancers performed and fake $100 bills featuring the rapper’s face were shot over players and recruits. Based on video footage, the crowd didn’t seem to mind.
Sports! #kubball pic.twitter.com/rNdTMhJwB6
— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) October 5, 2019
After the evening, Bill Self addressed the controversial performance. “I didn’t know there was going to be anything like that,” said the KU coach. “I was told this was radio edited and everything else, so I don’t guess you have visuals on radio. But no, that’s not the direction that anybody at our school would want that to go at all. Regardless of the entertainment it provided, it’s still not the right way to provide the entertainment.”