Snoop Dog Lost 500,000 Followers After Crypto Ball Performance

Musicians may not always expect to expand their fan base by playing “corporate” gigs, but few would anticipate losing more than half a million of their social media followers after such a performance. Yet, that was the case for rap artist Snoop Dog who has been under scrutiny for performing at the Crypto Ball on January 17.

At issue was that it was among the many events celebrating President Donald Trump’s return to the White House this month. As a result of his appearance on stage, Snoop lost more than 571,000 followers on Instagram while 20,000 “unfollowed” him on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Drop In The Bucket – But Still Significant

It should be noted that Snoop has more than 20 million followers on X and over 88 million followers on Instagram – so the numbers are just a fraction of his base. Yet, in addition to those who have ceased following him, he’s also been targeted by critics on social media.

Snoop has since fired back, stating in a video on Instagram, “Y’all can’t hate enough on me for me, I love too much. Get your life right, stop worrying about mine. I’m cool, I’m together. Still a Black man. Still a hundred percent Black. I ain’t going nowhere, cuh! I’m right here.”

The rapper may not be going anywhere, but depending on what he does next, his fans could, warned social media pundit and brand marketing expert Scott Steinberg.

“The wrong publicity can result in a dent in any celebrity’s pocketbook. For rappers and hip-hop artists, money often talks. Their supporters can be very loyal, but only to a point,” explained Steinberg. “It might seem like he hasn’t lost too many fans, but anytime you see half a million followers suddenly leaving that can’t be seen as good. Some of those fans will return, yet others will not. The issue is whether those are the fans buying the music, and if that is the case, that’s a problem. But Snoop will likely bounce back.”

The Issue Of Street Cred

At 53 years old, Snoop Dog is still hugely popular and may even have broader appeal than ever. It was just last summer that he was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars per day to just hang out at the Olympics. By some accounts, he was paid $8 million for his 16 days as a special correspondent for NBC and cheerleader for Team USA during the Olympics.

But in doing so, he already risked being branded a sell-out by some of his supporters.

“He was still a hit with others,” said Scott Talan, assistant professor of Public Relations & Strategic Communication at American University. “He does care about his image, and it has gone from ‘incarcerated several times’ to a singer who was part of inaugural balls.”

Celebrities And Followers

In the social media era, celebrities are in the spotlight more than ever. Even an off-the-cuff comment can blow up and result in a major backlash. Playing the gig was an action that resulted in a greater reaction. By unfollowing Snoop, the fans are reacting to how they feel, providing a real-time response that wasn’t previously available to celebrities and their handlers.

“Half a million followers is nothing to sneeze at on Instagram,” added Talan. “This is clear that fans can show their disapproval of a celebrity’s actions. And if a celebrity keeps doing things that the fans don’t like, that’s how they may respond.”

Snoop clearly will weather this storm, but it should serve as a warning to up-and-comers that they may need to tread a line of cautious neutrality.

“We live in a polarized world and that creates challenges if you are a public figure,” suggested Steinberg. “You can’t make everyone happy all the time, but we need to remember that people are tribal, and you need to be careful how you express your opinion online and possibly even the career decisions you make.”

This is especially true when it comes to record deals, roles in movies, and endorsements. Losing half a million fans could be enough to make a record label, director or brand think otherwise.

“This is giving voting power to fans like never before,” warned Steinberg. “Welcome to a brave new world.”