Snoop Dogg plans to vote for the first time ever this year, after being "brainwashed" into thinking he couldn't due to his criminal record.
Snoop previously found himself in trouble with law enforcement for possession of cocaine and a gun, and in 1996 he was acquitted of murder charges for a case involving the death of an alleged gang member, who was shot by someone who was in the same car as the rapper.
Although his record has since been expunged, he has said that for "many years" he believed that citizens with a criminal record weren't able to vote in the US. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, it is common to render felons ineligible to vote, however, the policy on reinstating their right to vote can vary in different states.
In a recent conversation with Big Boy's Neighborhood on The Real 92.3, Snoop explained that because his record has now been expunged, he is able to vote, and plans to do so in order to get Donald Trump out of the White House.
"I ain’t never voted a day in my life, but this year I think I’mma get out and vote because I can’t stand to see this punk in office one more year," he said. "For many years they had me brainwashed thinking that you couldn’t vote cause you had a criminal record. I didn’t know that. My record’s been expunged, so now I can vote."
Following the death of George Floyd, Snoop has been using his social media presence to raise awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Floyd, a black man, was arrested by Minneapolis police on Monday, May 25, for reportedly using a counterfeit $20 note in a store. While being detained, ex-cop Derek Chauvin - a 19-year veteran of the force - knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Protests, both peaceful and violent, have since erupted across the US and in major cities across the world.
Saying that "we gotta make a difference," Snoop went onto highlight that he couldn't encourage other people to vote without doing so himself. "Everybody know I’m a frontliner. I ain’t gon’ tell you to do something that I didn’t do. If I tell you to do something, I did it already," he explained.
He also addressed the riots, saying that the blame for the destruction of property and looting should not solely be placed on the black community: "Let’s be real, I’ve [seen] more white faces looting, running out of stores, setting fires, throwing bricks, that’s not our forte."
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