Word on the street is that Snoop Dogg will be performing at the inaugural ‘Crypto Ball,’ hosted by Trump’s nominated “AI and Crypto Czar” David Sacks. The Ball is one of many parties meant to celebrate the incoming administration, so Black folks are not happy with homeboy.

“Yo don’t tell me Snoop Dogg is performing for Trump… this BETTER be fake news,” tweeted one fan. “A big f—k you to @SnoopDogg,” said another.

Really this should not be surprising: Quietly, Snoop Dogg has been fluttering his eyes at the 45th President of the United States, going so far as to say he has ‘nothing but love and respect’ for the man who has a long, storied history of doing and saying racially problematic things.

The two men have an up and down relationship that goes back almost two decades: In 2007, Trump gushed over Snoop’s music when the rapper made an appearance on The Apprentice. In 2011, Calvin Broadus Jr. (Snoop’s government name) was chummy with the orange man when appeared on a roast of the soon to be president on Comedy Central.

They had a falling out when Snoop said publicly that he would be voting for Hillary Clinton in 2016. He then expressed dismay on Instagram when Trump beat her, saying that he would roast any Black artist who performed at the first inauguration. Calling anyone who did a “jigaboo” and an “Uncle Tom.”

But when Donald Trump used his Presidential powers to grant clemency to Death Row Records co-founder Michael ‘Harry-O’ Harris, Snoop publicly thanked the president and he quit his criticism of Trump.

Trump is comfortable having the support of racists. He has said that Kamala Harris calls herself Black when it benefits her (Despite the fact that she is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, a Black Greek Letter Organization and attended Howard University, an HBCU.). But we must recognize that he has done some good things for a few Black individuals. In addition to Harris, he did granted clemency to Kodak Black and Lil Wayne as he was leaving office.

But just because he has done some good things for people whose skin is kissed by the Sun does not erase the years of violent, racist rhetoric and the damage his has done to our community.

In 2019, we were all shocked to learn that Chrisette Michele would be performing at Trump’s first inauguration. The backlash she faced was fierce and unforgiving. She was essentially cancelled, and her career has never really recovered. Remember when people took to social media to ridicule Kanye West when he showed up at the White House to meet with Donald Trump wearing a cheaply made “Make America Great Again” red hat? Kanye never recovered from that meeting.

What Snoop Dogg is doing should carry the same penalty as Michele and West. It does not matter that he is clever when he is on television during the Olympics. It should not matter that he has a wonderful rapport with Martha Stewart.

Snoop is unquestionably selling out the Black community by performing at the Crypto Ball. One hopes the check he gets is worth the price of his soul.