How did Snoop Dogg become the face of the Olympics? TOM LEONARD investigates how the foul-mouthed,...

One of the most unusual attempts to make the Olympics more appealing to a younger audience was when Snoop Dogg, a famous rapper, dressed up in full equestrian gear and had a conversation about horse riding with Martha Stewart, a well-known TV personality.

Even though they were both once in prison, they were not locked up together. It's hard to understand how their friendship started, especially since they met on her cooking show in 2008. They have been promoting each other's businesses ever since.

Snoop, who goes by the name Calvin Cordozar Broadus in real life, confessed to Martha that he was afraid of horses as he cautiously gave a carrot to one of them in the Olympic paddock at Versailles.

Afterwards, the couple observed British contestant Becky Moody in action, amazed at her skill in guiding her horse, Jagerbomb, through the intricate sideways maneuver called a half-pass.

"We refer to that as swerving in the neighborhood," Snoop reflected. In the past, he had called it "Crip walking," a term that was not as suitable, as it made reference to a violent street gang called the Crips, which Snoop used to be a part of.

Rap artist Snoop Dogg dressed up in fancy horse riding attire and confessed to American TV personality Martha Stewart that he's afraid of horses at the upcoming Paris 2024 event.

The American participated in a video that was shared on social media on Sunday. In the video, the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with a number of sports celebrities, praised Team GB.

Image: Photo of Snoop Dogg taken by Los Angeles Police in 1993.

He had made that comment four years earlier when he appeared on a TV show with black comedian Kevin Hart to joke about clips from the Tokyo Olympics.

The casual and playful jokes, instead of the usual detailed analysis, has always been a key focus of the Olympics for NBC.

Snoop, 52, has been hard to miss lately, from running with the Olympic flame in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis to attempting to swim in a pool alongside former champion Michael Phelps - with less than stellar results.

The American also took part in a video that was shared on social media on Sunday. In the video, the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with several famous athletes, praised Team GB.

"Thanks a lot, Great Britain, from Snoop Dogg and the royal couple," said the person who has previously confessed to being a supporter of Norwich City and a fan of Coronation Street.

Snoop has shown immense support for the Paris Games, with one reviewer even going so far as to call him the 'Santa Claus of the Olympics', a lovable unofficial symbol adding happiness and humor to a typically serious sporting event.

However, despite fans being excited about his ability to make fun of himself and display a genuine interest in various sports, the excitement surrounding Snoop Dogg was dampened when it was revealed that his motivation may have been more about money than the Olympic spirit.

Based on multiple reports, NBC, the official broadcaster of the US Olympics, paid Snoop $500,000 a day for his work. In total, he reportedly earned $8 million during the 16-day event, not including any expenses or work done before the games. Neither NBC nor Snoop have confirmed or discussed his payment publicly.

Ignoring any money offered, it is a remarkable change for a music executive who has promoted violent acts and offensive treatment of women in his music for many years. He also bragged about actually arranging for young women to engage in sexual activities while on tour and keeping ten of them on a support bus.

Snoop will be participating in the Paris 2024 relay by carrying the Olympic torch on the day of the opening ceremony.

Check out the party with Billie Eilish and Dr. Dre at the LA28 Olympic handover celebration

Snoop Dogg putting on a show at Yankee Stadium in New York City in August of 2023.

Snoop was seen enjoying a smoke while he was on stage at the 2007 Good Vibrations Festival in Melbourne.

In all honesty, he has been trying to separate himself from his negative past for quite some time now. He is now a proud grandfather of four children and has been focusing on his role as a grandparent rather than his past as a criminal. Since 2007, he has been featured in a reality TV show that showcases his life.

Continuously ambitious and creative, he has appeared in movies, created his own brand of wine, and authored a cookbook titled From Crook To Cook.

Undoubtedly, Snoop, who has sold over 30 million records and is said to be worth $160 million, is familiar with changing his image without any shame. In 2018, he surprised many by declaring himself a born-again Christian, despite previously being associated with the Nation of Islam in 2009 and later claiming to be a reincarnation of Bob Marley as a Rastafarian just three years after.

He decided to trade in rap music for reggae and requested to be called 'Snoop Lion' out of respect for his Rastafarian beliefs.

The reggae community was unimpressed, and after two years, he quietly reverted back to his original persona for his upcoming album.

However, Snoop Dogg also had a fondness for marijuana, similar to Marley. It's been said that he smoked around 30 joints every day. This is why people often mention that you can smell him before you even see him during interviews.

He decided to put his money into the cannabis industry as more states in the US began to legalize it. He even purchased shares in a British company focused on marijuana research, which is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange.

Snoop, born in 1971, grew up in a tough area of Long Beach, California. His father abandoned his mother shortly after he was born, leaving Snoop to be raised by her. She reportedly gave him the nickname Snoop because he resembled the well-known dog from the Peanuts comic strip.

She brought him to her Baptist church where he performed in the choir and played the piano. However, their involvement in the church didn't continue for long.

When he reached 12 years old, he stopped singing gospel music on Sundays and started rapping instead. During his teenage years, he got involved with a bad group of friends and began selling illegal drugs.

He became a member of the Rolling 20 Crips, which is a division of the Crips, a well-known and dangerous African-American street gang that was established in Los Angeles in 1969.

Not long after finishing high school in 1989, he got caught trying to sell cocaine to a police officer who was pretending to be a regular person.

The rapper is sitting close to player A'ja Wilson while they watch the men's basketball quarter final game between USA and Brazil.

The rapper from the US will be putting on a show at Ahoy Rotterdam as part of his tour in the fall of 2023.

Snoop Dogg wore clothes with his name on them during his performance at the Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkson, Michigan in July 2023.

The tall criminal spent time in prison multiple times for drug and weapon crimes in the following years. It was while he was incarcerated that his fellow Crips gang members urged him to pursue a career as a rapper.

It was good advice for business. He became a huge star in the gangsta rap world, a type of music that he played a big role in making known for its aggressive image and offensive language including derogatory terms for women.

Progressive music reviewers, hesitant to come off as discriminatory, were unwilling to be overly negative about gangsta rap – especially in the case of Snoop, even when he dropped a track, Ain't No Fun (If The Homies Can't Have None), that clearly referenced gang rape. He calmly claimed it was just a romantic tune 'for the ladies'.

Snoop's fame only added to his popularity. A Newsweek article during his peak asked the question: 'Is rap too violent?'

Snoop's debut album, Doggystyle, featuring a suggestive album cover and lyrics that were criticized for being disrespectful towards women, was released in 1993. It quickly became a commercial success, selling 800,000 copies in just the first week.

The album was released on a well-known hip-hop label, Death Row (which he currently owns), that has a history of being surrounded by scandal because of its recruitment of gang members and its association with gang-related crimes like killings.

Even though Snoop Dogg often uses derogatory terms for women in his songs, he has been married to his long-time partner Shante Taylor since 1997, despite facing some difficulties in their relationship.

In 2004, they decided to get divorced, but then in 2008 they decided to renew their marriage vows on Snoop Dogg's reality TV show, Father Hood.

While Snoop's music career continued to rise in popularity, other artists shied away from the violent themes of gangsta rap. However, Snoop remained tied to criminal activity and continued to glorify it in his songs.

In 1993, he was accused of assisting in the deadly shooting of a rival gang member, who was reportedly killed by one of the celebrity's security personnel.

The lawyers claimed that Snoop was behind the wheel of the vehicle when the gun was discharged. Even though the accusation was eventually dropped, he was still permitted to travel around the United Kingdom, causing a lot of controversy. A sensational headline in a newspaper demanded that he be kicked out, calling him an evil person.

Later on, Snoop made a surprising statement, saying that the Queen herself stepped in to allow him into Britain after there were attempts to prevent him from entering. He recounted in an interview from two years ago, "The Queen declared, 'This individual has not caused any trouble in our country. He is allowed to come.'"

Snoop was seen at the Stade de France watching a sports event. Reports say that NBC, the official US Olympics broadcaster, paid Snoop $500,000 (£390,000) for each day he was involved.

Snoop Dogg carrying the Olympic flame as part of the relay on July 28th

During the interview, he mentioned that the Queen mentioned how Princes William and Harry were supporters of his music. He stated that he and the princes have been friends for a long time, mentioning in an interview with the Guardian in 2015: 'They really enjoy my music, and that's just how it is. We have a mutual love and respect for each other.'

Despite his public image and devoted followers, some people in the music industry have said that Snoop Dogg has a dark side and can be difficult to deal with if provoked.

In 2005, he was taken to court along with others for attacking a fan during a performance. It was said that he didn't do anything to stop his bodyguards from harming the fan, who ended up unconscious.

In 2006, he and some people he was with were taken into custody after they were not allowed into British Airways' high-end lounge at Heathrow. They ended up getting into a physical altercation with law enforcement, injuring seven officers, and caused damage to a store that sells tax-free goods.

The Home Office later made the decision to prohibit Snoop from entering the UK indefinitely. However, the ban was removed in 2010.

In 2007, it was revealed that some of his friends were members of the Crips gang. As a result, he received a three-year suspended sentence and was required to complete 800 hours of community service. This happened after he pleaded no contest to two felony charges related to drug and gun possession as a convicted felon.

In 2015, he had a run-in with the law in Sweden for using illegal drugs. He claimed that the police were unfairly targeting him because of his race.

Despite Snoop Dogg's troubled history, fans of the Olympics were pleasantly surprised by his charm. As he wrapped up his coverage of the Paris Olympics, he boldly stated that the upcoming LA games will be even bigger and better. This likely means we can expect to see more of the larger-than-life rapper in the future.