Fans Call Snoop Dogg a ‘National Treasure’ As He Delivers ‘Iconic’ Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony Performance
The love that fans have expressed for Snoop Dogg throughout his contributions to NBC’s 2024 Summer Olympics coverage over the last couple of weeks carried right through to the memorable performance he delivered for the closing ceremony on Sunday, Aug. 11.
After impressing fans with its ambitious opening ceremony on July 26 and providing a stunning setting for the days of competition that followed, the 2024 host city, Paris, officially handed the reins over to Los Angeles, Calif., which will host the next Summer Games in 2028. The 52-year-old rapper was among the star-studded lineup for the ceremony’s handoff segment.
The host city handover began in Paris with a performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by H.E.R., which was closely followed by an adrenaline-fueled series of stunts by Tom Cruise.
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Pre-recorded videos then showed the Olympic flag as it landed in Southern California, where the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Billie Eilish celebrated its arrival with performances along the shoreline in Long Beach, Calif. According to Long Beach Post, their performances—and the one starring Snoop Dogg that followed—were filmed at Rosie’s Dog Beach on Saturday, August 10, so that the video footage could be used during the closing ceremony.
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Once Eilish finished singing, the focus turned to Snoop Dogg, who was decked out in a white suit featuring red and blue detailing. One side of his jacket was emblazoned with “USA,” and he wore a white shirt featuring glittery Olympic rings beneath it.
Snoop Dogg started with a performance of his hit “Drop It Like It’s Hot” before leaping onto a stage along the beach and bringing out an unexpected guest: Dr. Dre. The two rappers then performed the fan-favorite “The Next Episode” before a cheering crowd. The performance ended with Snoop Dogg picking up the Olympic flag and waving it for his live audience.
Photos and videos that were later shared on social media sparked a wave of excited fan reactions. “The perfect person to kick off #LA28: SNOOP DOGG,” NBC’s official Olympics Instagram account wrote as it shared photos from the event online.
The Olympics’ official account on X, formerly Twitter, also shared photos of Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, writing, “Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre? We must be in LA. ?? ??.”
“Olympic comes home to LA with Snoop Dogg ?? The performance in LA is lit ??????,” one fan gushed on Instagram as another declared the rapper a “national treasure.”
“Iconic!!! This was everything! ??,” one person commented as another said the performance was “the perfect way” to kick off the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
“This was outstanding ??,” another Instagram user agreed.
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