In 2005, The Game and Snoop Dogg set out on their ‘How the West Was One’ tour. The two California rappers had a hefty number of hits under their belt, and together, the dynamic duo set out on a North American tour of over 30 cities. Kicking off in Utah, the nationwide tour ended in Vancouver. However, the tour’s penultimate date saw Snoop and The Game perform in Auburn, a small town outside Seattle where an untoward altercation occurred.
In Auburn, while Snoop was performing his iconic 1993 G-funk hit ‘Gin And Juice,’ an individual named Richard Monroe Jr jumped up on stage in an attempt to beat up Snoop Dogg. However, the Long Beach musician (real name Calvin Broadus) and his entourage ended up in a violent brawl with the perpetrator, which was caught on camera and ended up with a lawsuit being filed against Snoop Dogg.
The reason why Monroe decided to approach Snoop is unknown. However, in early 2006, he sued the rapper for $22million in damages for civil assault and battery. The lawsuit lasted a mere two weeks. However, the Death Row rapper only partially attended the trial. Still, he testified and denied that he ever laid hands on Monroe. Snoop’s lawyers highlighted how Monroe’s recollections kept on changing over time.
The evidence used in court was a fan’s video showing Broadus and his crew performing the signature songs ‘Gin and Juice.’ According to Monroe, he thought he had been invited onstage. However, the video does not show this. Although Monroe seemed amicable when he stepped towards Snoop Dogg, the footage does show him being beaten and aggressively mobbed by Broadus’ entourage.
The civil jury ultimately decided that the Doggystyle act didn’t owe Monroe anything as there was no evidence of him hitting the plaintiff. However, they did reward Monroe with $449,400 in damages to be paid by the record label, as Snoop’s entourage of friends and associates did assault, Monroe.
You can see the 2005 brawl in the video below.
