When Snoop Dogg Became an Educator Without Technically Becoming an Educator
In 2014, Snoop Dogg expanded his professional résumé once again by entering the world of academia—kind of. It began when the University of Southern California (USC) held a class titled ‘The USC School of Cinematic Arts Presents: An Afternoon With Snoop Dogg.’ The class was, in theory, a seminar for film students to hear firsthand experiences from industry figures. In practice, it was a guest lecture led almost entirely by one of hip-hop’s most iconic figures, who casually offered career advice like he was explaining a barbecue recipe.
Despite having no formal background in film studies or education, Snoop addressed topics ranging from the importance of branding to his early music video aesthetics. He emphasized the notion of ‘always being yourself,’ using as an example his decision to wear slippers and smoke a blunt in most professional settings.
The event concluded with a Q&A session, where students asked about everything from his collaboration with Martha Stewart to how many movies he had been in where he plays a character whose full-time job is ‘being Snoop Dogg.’
Despite not being on payroll, not assigning homework, and not issuing grades, Snoop became a respected figure in the informal faculty of improbable college speakers. Students took notes. Some took selfies. One student asked him to autograph a syllabus. Although no official curriculum change was made to include Snoop Dogg Studies, the influence of his surprise seminar lingered—especially in the number of students who later used the phrase ‘fo shizzle’ in academic papers with no warning or footnotes.
There are currently no plans to include Snoop in the tenure process, though nothing has been formally ruled out.