South By Southwest has tapped The Doggfather himself, rapper-actor Snoop Dogg, as this year’s keynote speaker. Snoop’s conversation will be free to all Music and Platinum registrants and showcase artists, and takes place Friday, March 20 at the Austin Convention Center.
Snoop has a mile-long résumé, so expect a wide-ranging and lively talk from the hip-hop icon. His hits since emerging with 1993’s seminal album Doggystyle include “Gin & Juice,” “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang,” “Next Episode” and “Drop It Like It’s Hot.” But the Long Beach native isn’t exclusive to rap and has recently tried his hand at funk (as Snopzilla) and reggae (as Snoop Lion).
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As an actor he has appeared in numerous films (The Wash, Starsky and Hutch, Training Day) and on television (Doggy Fizzle Televizzle, Las Vegas, Monk), and he has his own YouTube series, GGN News. His nonprofit work includes founding the Snoop Youth Football League (SYFL), which boasts 30 teams and more than 1,200 players.
Previous music keynoters include Dave Grohl, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and last year’s speaker, Lady Gaga. This year’s film conference keynotes will be Ava DuVernay and RZA.
SXSW takes place March 13-22 at various venues around Austin.
