Snoop Dogg is set to carry the Olympic torch on its final leg through Paris, adding a touch of West Coast cool to the City of Light.
The legendary rapper, known for hits like “Gin and Juice” and “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” will join the ranks of torchbearers as the flame makes its way to the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 52-year-old, whose real name is Calvin Broadus Jr, posted a photo to social media on Tuesday (July 23) of himself standing outside the city hall Hotel de Ville alongside the caption: “U Ready? Paris 2024 Olympics ya digggg”, with gold medal and boxing glove emojis.
He added, “U gots to do it!! Will u be watchin?? #FollowTheDogg #ParisOlympics.”
Snoop will carry the torch through the streets of Saint-Denis, the northern Paris suburb that houses the Stade de France Olympic Stadium, as confirmed by the town’s mayor, Mathieu Hanotin.
It comes following the BTS star Jin also served as an Olympic torch bearer as a representative for South Korea on Sunday (July 14), which also happened to be Bastille Day.
The Doggfather’s latest roles as Olympic torch bearer and guest correspondent add to his already impressive list of side quests that have seen him dabble in everything from cooking shows with Martha Stewart to commentary on his own wildlife series, Planet Snoop.
On being an NBC correspondent for the 2024 Olympics, Snoop said: “I grew up watching the Olympics and am thrilled to see the incredible athletes bring their A-game to Paris,” he said in a statement at the time. “It’s a celebration of skill, dedication, and the pursuit of greatness.”
“We’re going to have some amazing competitions and, of course, I will be bringing that Snoop style to the mix. It’s going to be the most epic Olympics ever, so stay tuned.”
And it seems he’s taking his prestigious Olympic guest correspondent role seriously. In June, he participated in the 200m trial run in Oregon over the weekend.
Rocking a Team USA shirt honoring the late Kobe Bryant to go with his American flag-themed pants, the Doggfather laced up his Nike kicks for the race against Ato Boldon and Wallace Spearmon. Unfortunately, Snoop’s competition ended up leaving him in the dust as he finished the race in a distant third place with a time of 34.44 seconds.
For comparison, the 2020 Olympic gold medalist clocked in at 19.62 seconds.
“34.44 for a 52-year-old? Ain’t bad,” he said, clapping in approval when he saw his time.
The 2024 Olympic Games will run from Friday, July 25 to Sunday, Aug. 11.
The post “Snoop Dogg to Light Up Paris 2024 as Olympic Torch Bearer” by Jessica Lynch was published on 07/24/2024 by www.billboard.com