The reason why Kendrick Lamar put Snoop Dogg “in his place”
Snoop Dogg has had his controversial moments, but perhaps nothing got him into the limelight for all the wrong reasons more than when he rubbed Kendrick Lamar the wrong way.
The story starts with fellow controversial rapper, Drake. Drake and Kendrick have an ongoing beef, and in 2024, Drake released ‘Taylor Made Freestyle’ – a diss track aimed at Kendrick that was crafted using artificial intelligence, raising notable questions over the artistry.
To many fans’ surprise, Snoop shared the track on social media. Why was he wading in? Kendrick was also taken aback by the actions of his fellow West Coast rapper. So much so that he included a line about Snoop in ‘Wacced Out Murals’, the opening track of his latest album GNX, firing the following: “Snoop posted ‘Taylor Made,’ I pray it was the edibles. I couldn’t believe it, it’s only right for me to let it go”.
During an interview with The Bootleg Kev podcast, Snoop offered an explanation, as well as an apology regarding the situation. He said it was simply poor judgement and that as an older artist he sometimes lacks awareness about his actions and impact. He did go so far as to say, ‘What’s a retweet’, but his explanation wasn’t far off.
Snoop went on to say that he was meant to promote his drink brand with Dr Dre, and that he hadn’t listened to the entirety of ‘Taylor Made’ when he made the post. He explained further that as soon as he heard Kendrick was upset by the post, he immediately wanted to make it right. He deleted it and tried to contact Kendrick, who was busy, so Snoop left a voicemail apologising and owning up to his mistake.
In a different radio appearance, Snoop said about being called out: “A big dawg can get checked if it’s by the right person”. He elaborated that “sometimes the younger generation can teach the old dog a new trick”.
Snoop had reached out to Kendrick before this incident. After seeing him perform in Paris, Snoop asked their mutual contact, Terrace Martin, for Kendrick’s number. Snoop would call Kendrick to ask about improving his own performances, and would regularly praise Kendrick’s skills. For Snoop, “that’s what the game is about – learning and getting information and not being too big to ask”.
Amid what has been a charged exchange of diss tracks between Drake and Kendrick, Snoop’s willingness to own up to his error is refreshing. The veteran rapper has no doubt influenced both Drake and Kendrick’s careers in some form, and so being able to swallow his pride in this instance is a lesson in hip hop etiquette.
Especially in the hip hop world, where accountability is held to a high standard, Snoop being ‘put in his place’ doesn’t take away from the respect and relevance that he still has in the game.
Instead, Snoop sees being called out as necessary, given his admiration for Kendrick. The likelihood of seeing the same demeanour from Drake is very low, but perhaps it’ll be a moment in rap time to remember that manners can make music masters.