Former Amateur Pimp Snoop Dogg Is Free To Return To Britain

anthonyjmiccio | April 24, 2008 10:30 am
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Did anyone else catch Snoop leading a chant of “Na Na Na Hey Hey Hey (Snoop Dogg)” while waving a peace sign after his impressively profane Live 8 performance in London? Recently, it looked like visa issues could keep him from reprising that sterling moment, but an immigration appeals judge in England has cleared him of charges stemming from an airport lounge brawl in 2006. “It has been an appalling waste of public money to pursue this man,” said Snoop’s lawyer. “It is outrageous that the government is trying to exclude someone who is an innocent figure and has frequently spoken against gang culture and youths carrying guns.” It could be argued he’s more frequently spoken for gang culture, but hey.

The Home Office’s appeal against that earlier decision was dismissed yesterday, paving the way for the rapper to re-enter the UK.

It was not Snoop that provoked the fight, a DVD film of the incident showed. In fact, the 36-year-old had been pushed twice by a police officer but did not retaliate. At the time, Judge Warr agreed, the former pimp had been doing no more than “entertaining children”.

Judge Bird noted: “The appellant’s behaviour on the DVD showed him interacting with the public. The children were laughing and generally enjoying either dancing or singing or playing music.”

The phrase “former pimp” gets thrown at Snoop Dogg in the media a lot lately, but people forget that pimping wasn’t a pre-fame source of income for him, but a labour of love from 2003-2004, over a decade into a successful multi-million dollar career. A second vocation that he left because he “had enough. That pimping shit was cool ’cause I needed to do it — it’s in me; but I’m into the family, I’m into this now.”

From the Rolling Stone article “America’s Most Lovable Pimp”:

“I made sure my bitch would never talk shit to me. She always got all the money upfront, she never looked in another pimp’s eyes, she kept her head down. But I wasn’t a gorilla pimp where I was beatin’ the girls up. I was more finesse with it, just givin’ you a comfort zone and providing you with opportunity ’cause I know so many motherfuckers who like buyin’ it, so if you come fuck with me, it’s not as much of a risk as bein’ with a gorilla pimp. He gon’ be hard on you and rush you, as opposed to a nigga like me who’s gonna relax and let you go get it. And if you don’t go get it you just gon’ be replaced.”

“Former pimp” just doesn’t seem to capture the essence of a successful entertainer and AOL spokesperson moonlighting in this proud profession. “Former amateur pimp,” maybe? “Unrepentant scumbag?” I just feel they should announce right before we have him talk to kids about how gangs are bad.

Snoop Dogg welcome back to Britain, judge rules [Times Online] America’s Most Lovable Pimp [Rolling Stone]

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