Numerous elements conspired to make this gig a more intriguing event than might otherwise have been the case. Thanks to Snoop Dogg being denied a visa to enter the UK, it was the final night of The Diddy & Dogg show. It was also being filmed for future release, and coincided with the birthday of Diddy’s young son, Christian (who joined his father onstage toward the end, and was presented with a cake and balloons at the finale).
While the pre-show warm-up music was impeccable, the visuals, frankly, defied parody. An advert for Diddy’s “fragrance for men”, Unforgivable, played on a continuous loop, which, in a major surprise, consisted of the Didster cavorting with an array of scantily-clad young models.
Diddy undeniably has a few decent grooves in his repertoire, but he’s nowhere near the peerless musical and entrepreneurial genius he is in his own head. His stage gimmicks (leading the crowd in an “Olé, Olé” chant, having a lackey stationed stage-left holding a tricolour, gushing on about his “Irish roots”) are seriously hammy and contrived.
Much more interesting is the perennially controversial Snoop Dogg. Earlier in the week, Bootsy Collins’ nephew proved to be somewhat unconvincing in his pleas for leniency from the British Home Office. Snoop – who has been arrested five times in the last 12 months alone – protested that he could encourage “the kids” to “stop the violence and killings that have been happening in the UK”.
Nonetheless, suspect reasoning aside, Snoop is a far superior performer to Diddy, for the two very simple reasons that he has better songs and a functioning sense of humour. ‘Snoop’s Upside Your Head’, ‘P.I.M.P.’, ‘Fuck Tha Police’, and other tracks unlikely to receive an airing on Father Brian D’Arcy’s weekly radio programme, are delivered with impressive verve and attitude.
A funny moment happens during the first encore (which features both performers), when Diddy encourages fans to “take all their clothes off”. Inevitably, this results in several garments being aimed in the two rappers’ general direction. “Hey!” harrumphs Snoop. “We just asked you to take ’em off, not throw the muthafuckas up on stage!”
Later (after Snoop has tried his hand at a few words as Gaeilge, asking the crowd “Cad is muthafuckin’ ainm dom?”), Diddy finishes with an especially mawkish version of ‘I’ll Be Missing You’, which, of course, samples ‘Every Breath You Take’. Aesthetic deficiencies aside, the song can be interpreted as a brave act of artistic solidarity on Diddy’s behalf – it demonstrates that he’s not the only performer here tonight with a Police record.