On Friday, January 17, 2025, David Bailey, BTC Inc. Stand with Crypto, Anchorage Digital, Exodus and Kraken co-hosted the Crypto Ball at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. Several prominent names in the crypto sector were present, including Michael Saylor, Brian Armstrong, and President-Elect Donald Trump’s crypto currency czar, David Sacks. However, the guest list didn’t end there. Rick Ross, Soulja Boy and Snoop Dogg were present at the event, held in the nation’s capital days before Trump is set to be sworn in as the nation’s 47th President. As video of the three stars attending the event surfaced throughout the evening and the next day, criticism of the three artists, as well as Nelly who is reportedly set to perform at the Inaugural Ball on Monday, poured in.
I pray it was the edibles big dawg @SnoopDogg pic.twitter.com/C1S7lLCYQ0
— KASH BONE (@thisiskashmir) January 18, 2025
Snoop Dogg and Nelly performing at inauguration balls like Black ppl wouldn’t find out. Nah they need the same energy as Chrisette Michele
— Dear Ashley… (@asj519) January 18, 2025
I never thought I’d have Snoop Dogg being a Trump supporter on my bingo card….
But here we are.
What a fucking disappointment.
— Travis Matthew (@Matthewtravis08) January 18, 2025
Rick Ross attempted to squash some of the criticism directed his way by sharing a video of himself saying that he’s not performing at the Inauguration, but attending a “private vibe” with Snoop Dogg instead. Meanwhile, Snoop Dogg was vocal in his criticism of Trump during his first term, but has been less sharp in criticism of the President-Elect as of late. Most notably, he made a concerted effort not to publicly endorse Vice President Kamala Harris or Donald Trump during the most recent presidential election.
“I just want to say this: When all of the hoopla was going on with the voting, notice how I was nowhere to be seen?” he asked.
“I wanted it to be like that because I don’t believe in separating people. I believe in bringing us together. … If you’re picking and choosing, now I gotta make people mad at me, because I chose this or chose that. I don’t choose neither one.”
Soulja Boy, Rick Ross, Nelly and Snoop Dogg are among a growing list of celebrities expected to be spotted at events hosted by or connected to Trump in Washington, D.C. before Inauguration Day. Nelly is reportedly set to perform at the Inaugural Ball while Carrie Underwood, The Village People and Christopher Macchio are expected to perform at the Inauguration.
Furthermore, the list of celebrities publicly supporting Trump throughout his political career features several artists. In 2017, singer Chrisette Michele performed at the inauguration of Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence. More recently, Lil’ Pump and Anuel AA have appeared at rallies with the former reality show host while Kodak Black and Fivio Foreign have offered their support for the President-Elect.
