Snoop Dogg concert

Shad Green

September 13, 2011

Snoop Dogg Concert

Word Count: 531

Once Oxford, Mississippi feels the “funk,” it will never be the same again.

The Lyric has announced that hip-hop legend, Snoop Dogg, will be performing live on Oct 28.

Snoop Dogg is best known for combining ‘90s west coast “gangsta” rap with ‘70s soul music to create his own style called “G-funk.” He is also known as one of Dr. Dre’s most notable protégés. His most successful album to date is his classic debut album, “Doggystyle”, spawning the hits “Gin and Juice” and “Who Am I (What’s My Name)?” Praised by the critics alike for his ultra-smooth, laidback delivery and flavor-filled, melodic rhyming oozing of simple lyrics and realism, Snoop easily attracts the masses.

This is the primary reason why The Lyric wanted to pursue him as a future act.

Bradley Bishop, owner/booking manager of The Lyric, said he was excited to score such a big gig.

“Snoop is the epitome of true hip-hop,” he said. “He appeals to a lot of people, bringing a diverse crowd together. Therefore, he will sell tickets.”

However, landing this performance was not an easy task for The Lyric to take on. Snoop, who recently released his 11^th studio album, was gearing up to hit the road in promotion of the album with a 30- city tour across the country. The cities and dates handled by his manager, Jeff Kwatinetz, had already been established and set when Bishop reached out to book Snoop, so there were no agreements being made yet.

“We would e-mail and call Snoop’s management every single day to see if there had been any changes in the scheduling of the tour,” Bishop said.”We thought we were out of luck.”

Things turned around two weeks ago when Kwatinetz emailed Bishop and told him that he had conversed with Snoop on the potential gig and that he had expressed great interest in coming to Oxford. Both parties agreed on a date to accommodate Snoop’s already lengthy schedule.

To prepare for a concert of Snoop’s celebrity magnitude, all responsibility has been placed in the hands of Tim Burkhead, head of production at The Lyric.

“Producing a show for a rapper, compared to a band is very easy,” Burkhead said.” All you need are lights, a turntable, and a banging sound system. It’s all about the energy in the room and Snoop will most definitely bring it all.”

According to Burkhead, tickets for the concert went on sale last Friday for $32 each. That Friday, The Lyric had already sold 25 percent of 1,300 tickets since 10 a.m. when they were made available to the public. At the rate sales are going, the concert may be the sold out event of the semester and possibly the largest crowd The Lyric has seen yet, according to Burkhead.

The Lyric is known for its diverse acts and enjoy their audiences’ feedback.

“Keep an eye out for not only Snoop, but for anyone else you would like to see,” Burkhead said. “All suggestions are taken in consideration.”