The time Swansea City co-owner Snoop Dogg loved wearing a Cardiff City shirt
David Owens
Anyone who has followed the career of one of rap music’s XXL personalities, Snoop Dogg, will attest to his solid gold marketing abilities.
As a huge sports fan, Snoop, who last week was pictured cheering on the USA team at the Winter Olympics, loves to be part of the action.
Be it performing during this season’s NFL Christmas Day show on Netflix or hilariously calling an NBA game for US TV in January, Snoop is a sports nut who loves to show his face in the right place.
The California native is also heavily involved in promoting the upcoming LA Olympic Games in 2028, having performed at the closing ceremony handover in Paris in 2024.
But rather improbably given his sizeable global reach – in a move that no one saw coming, the rapper joined the likes of US TV host Martha Stewart and Croatian footballer Luka Modric, and became a part-owner of Swansea City.
Snoop will tonight pay his first visit to the Swansea.com Stadium when the Swans take on Preston North End with expectation already at fever pitch.
Taking to Instagram he posted: “Uh-oh. Tuesday, February 24. Swansea in Wales. That’s right. I’ll be at the game and I need to see you at the game too. Let’s go Swansea. Represent one time. Your Dogg will be at the game. Spread the word.”
The visit marks a significant moment for the club, but whisper it quietly it’s not the first time he’s worn the colours of a Welsh club – and not any Welsh club at that, but the shirt of the Swans’ arch rivals Cardiff City.
So strap yourself in because the story behind his pulling on of a Bluebirds’ replica top is quite the tale.
Ahead of the rapper’s appearance at the Cardiff International Arena back in 2011, Snoop took to YouTube to record a series of videos to promote his UK tour and his date in the Welsh capital – all of which saw him wearing a Cardiff City shirt.
The videos with the hashtag #whensnoopsineurope saw him putting shout outs to Welsh stars like Gareth Bale and Ryan Giggs, as well as posing a series of madcap question pertinent to Cardiff.
Snoop started by asking his millions of followers to recommend some restaurants in Cardiff.
“I want 2 know about the best fried chicken in chip alley,” he tweeted first, before then inquiring of food blog site Cardiff Bites where he could buy waffles in the Welsh capital.
“Yo @Cardiffbites I heard you got tha best taste in #Cardiff….where can I get some waffles?” he asked.
Then, taking his knowledge of city landmarks up a notch, he asked his followers: “Wheres d best fish n chips n #cardiff? at albany fish bar or the codfather ?!”
Having gained dozens of recommendations about where to eat on his visit, Snoop then set about posting a series of video clips paying tributes to a series of Welsh figures – from the famous to the obscure.
Among the subjects of his videos – all filmed with Snoop Dogg wearing a Cardiff City shirt – were footballers Ryan Giggs (“Shout out to Ryan Giggs, 20 years in the game, I want you to come to my show so we can celebrate”) and Gareth Bale (“Shout out to Gareth Bale, player of the year last year – I want to let y’all know, I’ve been player of the year many times”).
There was also a special Snoop shout out to Cardiff schoolgirl Tiana Hinton, a nine-year-old local girl who chased a robber who had stolen her mum’s purse while the pair were shopping in Cardiff.
“She looked out for her mama – this fool tried to steal her mama’s purse. She caught up to him. Sunshine you are a real hero.”
Snoop’s subjects then became a touch more obscure, turning to Olympic sailing hopeful Hannah Mills (“Just made it to the Olympics, what an achievement – I want you to go out there, break a record and win a gold medal”).
But arguably the most peculiar was Ian Neale – the Newport amateur gardener who secured a place in the record books after growing the world’s largest swede.
“Shout out to my homeboy Ian Neale in Cardiff for breaking the world record for the biggest vegetable,” said Snoop, to the backdrop of giant image of cannabis plants.
“I want to tell you something – when I do my show in Cardiff I want you to come backstage and see me, because I do vegetation myself, and I want to know your secret, so I can show you my vegetables, and see if you can grow that into a real big vegetable.”
And as this hilarious clip from Sky News shows, Snoop was as good as his word – much to the joy of the evidently bemused but also delighted gardener.
Of course, this only demonstrates the Dogg’s expertise when it comes to magnificent marketing opportunities and what a coup getting the rapper on board is for the Welsh football club.
And it appears the rap superstar has thankfully been forgiven by the Swans for wearing a Cardiff shirt.
Swansea CEO Tom Gorringe said: “We all make mistakes in life. What is important is you learn from them. He has found the right shirt to wear now!
“Everyone at the club is excited because with one of world football’s biggest icons and Snoop Dogg’s huge global pulling power, the opportunity that presents to this club is endless.”
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