Snoop Dogg has held the top of the popular music charts for decades (cue “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” “California Girls,” and basically every other collaboration on his resume), but there’s another kind of partnership mixed in with his music: vegan food ambassadors. The ’90s rap icon (real name Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr.) has served as the face of several Beyond Meat campaigns, attracting the attention of people who might not otherwise give Beyond Burger a chance.
Snoop Dogg & Beyond Meat
Beyond Meat has the support of many celebrities (including Kim Kardashian), but arguably, one of its most committed A-list fans is Snoop Dogg. The rapper is a longtime fan and has actively worked with Beyond Meat for over four years.
In 2018, for example, he performed at the Environmental Media Association Gala against the backdrop of the Beyond Meat logo. Then in 2019, he served a plant-based Carl’s Jr. Beyond Star Burger made with Beyond Burgers at a pre-Grammy party. And that same year, he helped the popular vegan brand celebrate its IPO by promoting the Beyond Meat Truck, which was giving away free Beyond Burgers.
Snoop Dogg’s relationship with the brand is still going strong (more on that below). But that’s not the only plant-based brand she’s worked with. She has teamed up with plant-based brands like Outstanding Foods to promote more plant-based choices.
So, is Snoop Dogg vegan?
Snoop Dogg is not vegan (yet). But that said, the promotion of vegan-friendly options is pushing its fans and consumers toward plant-based.
Here are seven Snoop stunts that will inspire even the most stubborn meat eaters to go with plant-based fare.
1
Getting family on board
Many vegans have learned the hard way that try as they might, they just can’t get their closest family or closest friends to try vegan. Sometimes, a person needs to hear it from an outside source … or you have to do a little sneaking Snoop admits he fooled his family by sneaking Beyond Meat products into their meals. He knew that once they tried it without their biases, they would realize just how meaty plant-based products can really be. It’s no surprise – Snoop was right.
out of the flesh
2 Making a tailgate dog
To kick off the 2021 NFL season, Snoop teamed up with Los Angeles Chargers’ Darwin James to hand out 600 free Beyond Meat burgers and sausages at a pop-up in LA. The two were allowed to design their own food trucks and handhelds. Snoop’s Tailgate Dog was a completely vegan sandwich with Beyond sausage, Beyond Meat chili, non-dairy cheese and crispy onions on an artisan split-top bun. James went with a double-patty Smashburger that came together with vegan cheese and spicy barbecue sauce sandwiched between two burger buns. Although Snoop will no longer be serving his signature sausage, food trucks continue to pop up at Los Angeles-area high school football games to surprise players and fans with some complimentary and delicious vegan eats.
3 Serving (vegan) food to frontline workers
During the height of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Snoop joined the Beyond Meets Feed a Million+ campaign. The goal was to feed Beyond Meat Burgers to more than one million frontline workers within 30 days. In April of the same year, the rapper donated a large amount of vegan meatballs to the Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital in Los Angeles.
Excellent food
4 Motivates college kids
Beyond Meat isn’t the only vegan company Snoop has a stake in The entertainer has teamed up with Outstanding Foods – a plant-based pork and chip company with notable celebrity endorsements. In June 2020, Snoop dropped in on a Zoom class of marketing students at Loyola Marymount University who were tasked with a project to come up with a campaign to sell this vegan food. Snoop appeared to judge the submissions and pick a winner. The winning group was given the opportunity to work with Snoop and Outstanding Foods CEO Bill Glasser to turn their pitches into a public marketing campaign, with profits benefiting essential workers during the pandemic.
5 Surprise Dunkin’s customers
Imagine walking into your local Dunkin’ to order your Medium Regular when you see Snoop Dogg at the register. The celebrity worked at a single Dunkin’ location in November 2019 to hype the chain’s new Beyond Sausage sandwich. While not vegan (it does contain animal-based eggs and cheese), any excitement around plant-based alternatives is a step up in our minds.
out of the flesh
6 Supporting vegan businesses
It’s clear Snoop likes to take control at the register, but he’s also been seen supporting independent and black-owned burger spots across the country. In 2021, he raved to Vurger Guyz about a vegan food truck in Los Angeles that serves the classic Smashburger with crispy tots and perfectly seasoned sweet potato fries. He was also an early supporter of Slutty Vegan. The infamously named restaurant has built a vegan empire in the greater Atlanta area with five locations and a bar in Ponce City Market, but when Snoop visited in 2019, it was an incredibly popular food truck.
7 Adoption promotion
Of course, take this with a grain of salt as one could argue that Snoop’s Puppy Bowl XVII appearance was financially motivated, but we choose to assign him the benefit of the doubt. The entertainer joined forces with legend Martha Stewart to host the annual Poppy Bowl in 2020. The televised event runs concurrently with the Super Bowl to showcase adoptable puppies from animal shelters. Given the popularity of certain purebreds like Frenchies and Labradoodles, America can often stand to hear “adopt, don’t shop.”
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Tanya Flink is a digital editor for VegNews as well as a writer and runner living in Orange County, CA.