Snoop Dogg sparked controversy on Wednesday when he posted a picture portraying the dead body of President Trump. The picture was part of his ‘Make America Crip Again’ album cover, and has since been deleted.
This isn’t the first time the rapper throws a jab at President Trump, earlier this year he sparked controversy for his ‘Lavender’ video, in which he shot President Trump.
Snoop doesn’t hide his feelings for the President
The rapper took to Instagram to share with fans an alternative cover of his album ‘Make America Crop Again,’ that was released last week. In the alternative cover featured Snoop Dogg wearing a blue hat looking over a dead body draped in an American flag with a toe tag that reads “TRUMP.”
The picture parodies the cover of Ice Cube‘s 1991 album ‘Death Certificate.’ Sparking controversy on the web, with Trump supporters criticising it and coming up with their own versions of the picture, and people criticising Snoop’s take on the President.
This isn’t the first time Snoop throws quite a jab at President Trump or sparks controversy for it. In March, the rapper released his ‘Lavender’ video and met backlash and lot of controversy.
The video depicted a clown version of Trump, named Ronald Klump, that was pointed with a toy gun by the rapper. The president responded at the time on Twitter, writing, “Can you imagine what the outcry would be if [Snoop Dogg], failing career and all, had aimed and fired the gun at President Obama?”
Snoop’s album is just as explicit as the picture
While the picture posted by Snoop takes on Trump pretty explicitly, Snoop’s original album artwork also does, but in a less violent way. The original cover features a blue baseball cap reading ‘Make America Crip Again’ mocking Trump’s red hats with the campaign slogan ‘Make America Great Again.’
Not only the cover and the album title aim at President Trump, but the whole album.
The eight-track album features collaborations with Chris Brown, OT Genesis, among others. It also features socially charged lyrics in which Snoop addresses current issues, such as racism, police brutality, and the poor representation of African American community. The title track, Snoop directly addresses Trump’s repeated call to NFL owners to fire players who take a knee during the National Anthem to protest racism.
“As I look around, I see so many millionaires with skin like mine. Don’t pretend like I’m with that bulls— your President been tweeting. Them black boys is ballin’ out, the whole block been eating,” Snoop Dogg raps.
In an interview to Rolling Stones, Snoop explained his reference to the Crips, stating that their original purpose was not gang activity but to be “the reflection of the Black Panthers.” The Black Panthers were an African American revolutionary party founded in the 1960s in Oakland, California, to fight police brutality in a segregated America.
Snoop said his call for black players to form their own league makes a larger point that goes beyond sports: If the administration doesn’t represent the African American community, its members should band together.
“Certain people feel like we should make America ‘great again,’ but that time they’re referring to always takes me back to separation and segregation,” Snoop said.
“So I’d rather Make America Crip Again. What I mean by that is, in my lifetime, that’s when young black men in impoverished areas organized to help their communities and to take care of their own because society basically left them for dead,” Snoop Doog said.
‘Make America Crip Again’ was out on Oct. 27.
It’s not a political statement
Snoop has stated that while his ‘Make America Crip Again’ is politically charged, it’s not a political statement but rather good music.
“It’s not a statement or a political act: it’s just good music. Certain people feel like we should make America ‘great again,'” he said in a statement. “But that time they’re referring to always takes me back to separation and segregation so I’d rather Make America Crip Again.”
He went on explaining the idea behind the album’s title, explaining the often forgotten side of the Crips as an important part of the community.
“They looked after kids, provided after-school activities, fed them and stepped in as role models and father figures.”
The rapper also pointed out that his music has always had a socially conscious message in his music. “When you listen to my records, there’s always been a mix of conscious records and party records and this EP continues that trend,” he adds.
He also explained what he aims to do with his music.
“I’m taking it back to the era of being for ourselves and for everyone else. I’m for the evolution of people coming together and being one as opposed to being separate. Music is the best way to heal.”
Source: MTV UK