Snoop Dogg is auctioning photos, PlayStations, autographed riders, autographed jackets and jerseys, and more. According to Variety, the Long Beach native has teamed up with memorabilia-authentication and auction company The Realest to host the auction, from today until June 2.
Producer and radio host Scott “DJ Skee” Keeney, the founder of The Realest, told Variety, “The items he is putting up are iconic. Everything from lyrics, awards — like ‘Pimp of the Year’! — unreleased tapes, outfits, sample toys, photos, scripts, concert riders, even a Snoop-authenticated smoked blunt in a crazy display case and ashtray.”
Other notable items being offered include autographed scripts from The Boondocks TV show, master recording tapes (sans the publishing rights they may represent), and even a Death Row Records chain in a custom box autographed by Snoop. As the Doggfather put it in a statement, “This is sh*t that we have, but we didn’t know it was worth something.”
As Variety notes, auctions involving hip-hop memorabilia are often quite profitable — just last year, a mic thrown by Cardi B was auctioned for charity, while the year before that, a rap book of Drake’s went up for sale — but rappers themselves are rarely the beneficiaries of their stuff being sold. Speaking of Drake, he bought one of Tupac’s rings last year, and his purchase of Pharrell’s chain was a point of contention in his battle with Kendrick Lamar.
DJ Skee sees his platform as a potential revenue stream for artists, saying, “Items like setlists, stage equipment, outfits, signage, and more are things that fans desire but can’t find. It helps to build a new revenue stream for artists.”