Entertainment

Diddy, Snoop Dogg Hold All-Star Hip-Hop Concert in NYC

Published

12 years ago

February 13, 2015

Rappers Snoop Dogg, left, and Dr. Dre perform at HOT 97’s “The Tip Off” at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, Feb 12, 2015, in New York. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP)

MESFIN FEKADU, AP Music Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA All-Star Game is not until Sunday, but hip-hop music’s all-star team — featuring Diddy, Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, Dr. Dre, Nas and others — played in top form at a New York City concert Thursday night.

Snoop Dogg and Diddy hosted the show for radio station Hot 97 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, which also included Lil Kim, T.I., Doug E. Fresh and The Lox.

The multi-hour event kicked off with a video of Marion “Suge” Knight dissing Diddy at the 1995 Source Awards. After, Diddy emerged as the audience roared, performing the late ’90s hit, “Victory.” Knight has been charged with murder in a deadly hit-and-run last month.

“I also came here to set some (expletive) right, as y’all saw on the screen. That negative energy started right here, right on this very stage,” Diddy said. “If you about positivity, make some noise. So that’s what this is about, man. This is setting that scene straight, as if we can go back, but we can’t. But we get to celebrate on this stage.”

Instead of beef, Diddy and Dogg wanted to promote peace among East and West Coast rappers.

Diddy — still called Puff Daddy by some of his fans — went on to perform a catalog of his hits, getting assists from Busta Rhymes and Jermaine Dupri at the top of the show as West and Kim Kardashian watched from the side of the stage.

West hit the stage, too, performing “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” as his wife filmed him with her phone. The outspoken rap star even directed the camera operator filming the show, telling the person to move around more.

“More action,” he yelled. “This is hip-hop.”

The night was a mix of old and new school — but the common denominator was hit songs. Dre joined Dogg — who entered the stage in an onesie and changed three other times — to rap West Coast anthems, while former Bad Boy Records signees 112, Faith Evans and Black Rob performed alongside Diddy.

Diddy, who also changed multiple times, handed two bottles of alcohol to fans upfront, and Dogg even passed one man a joint.

Other guests at the show included younger rappers, such as Big Sean, 2 Chainz, French Montana, A$AP Ferg, O.T. Genasis of “CoCo” fame and iLoveMakonnen, whose hit “Tuesday” was nominated for a Grammy Award last weekend.

Nas was one of the highlights, performing “Hate Me Now” and “Made You Look,” while Naughty by Nature hit the stage to perform classics like “O.P.P.” and “Hip Hop Hooray.”

Rap group The Lox and Lil Kim joined Diddy onstage with back-to-back jams, including “Money, Power, Respect.” Notorious B.I.G. videos played in the background — as did one from Tupac Shakur — while the crowd and rappers danced excitedly. A choir joined Diddy, Evans and 112 for “I’ll Be Missing You,” the song dedicated to the late B.I.G.

“I do this song for him,” Diddy said, looking to the crowd. “I know you got somebody special up there.”

But the night didn’t end on a sad note — most of the performers hit the stage to celebrate with the classic, “Mo Money, Mo Problems.”

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Related Topics:diddy Doug E. Fresh dr. dre Faith Evans Hot 97 jermaine dupri lil kim Madison Square Garden Nas NBA All-Star Game Snoop Dogg T.I.The Lox

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Oakland Post: Week of August 12 – 18, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of August 12 – 18, 2026

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21 hours ago

August 15, 2026

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Art

Misty Copeland Shapes Ballet’s Tomorrow

THE POSITIVE COMMUNITY — Misty Copeland will curate the 2026 Joyce Ballet Festival, a two-week event in New York City from August 4-16. This role allows her to influence the future of ballet by showcasing a wide range of dancers, choreographers, and companies. The festival will present both established and contemporary works, blending classical traditions with new artistic expressions.

Published

7 days ago

August 9, 2026

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Misty Copeland at the 2026 Met Gala, wearing fashion in theme of "Costume Art" Date 4 May 2026, 19:39:21

This summer, Misty Copeland will step into a different kind of spotlight. Instead of taking center stage as a dancer, she will help determine what audiences see onstage as curator of the 2026 Joyce Ballet Festival. Taking place August 4 through August 16 at The Joyce Theater in New York City, the two-week celebration will bring together dancers, choreographers and companies representing a broad spectrum of ballet. The festival gives Copeland an opportunity to share not only her appreciation for ballet’s traditions, but also her vision for its future.

Copeland understands better than most how powerful a ballet stage can be. Her historic career with American Ballet Theatre changed the conversation about representation in one of the world’s most traditional performing arts. When she became the company’s first Black woman to reach the rank of principal dancer, her achievement carried significance far beyond a personal milestone. It gave young dancers of color a new image of what was possible and challenged the industry to reconsider who belonged at the center of ballet.

That history informs the perspective she brings to the festival. Copeland has spent much of her career moving between performance, mentorship, advocacy and storytelling. Her curatorial role allows her to bring those interests together by creating a program that does not treat ballet as a museum piece. Instead, the festival presents dance as an evolving language capable of carrying classical traditions into new cultural and artistic territory.

Audiences will encounter a mixture of established works and contemporary creations during the festival. Classical ballet vocabulary will share space with choreography that pushes dancers toward different physical, emotional and theatrical possibilities. The result is intended to give audiences a broader understanding of the art form while demonstrating that tradition and innovation do not have to be competing forces.

The lineup also provides an opportunity to see dancers from different artistic environments. Performers connected to organizations including American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Houston Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem and Complexions Contemporary Ballet are among those represented in the festival. Each company carries its own history and artistic identity, making their participation part of a larger conversation about the many ways ballet can be performed and interpreted.

The presence of Dance Theatre of Harlem is particularly meaningful within the larger story of Copeland’s career and the evolution of Black representation in ballet. Founded during a period when opportunities for Black dancers were severely limited, the company helped demonstrate that excellence and classical training could flourish in a Black cultural environment. Its legacy continues to influence dancers and audiences, making its connection to a festival curated by Copeland especially resonant.

The program also reaches beyond a single definition of contemporary ballet. Choreographers with different backgrounds and artistic philosophies contribute to an evening that can move from recognizable classical structures to works shaped by modern dance, theater, popular culture and new approaches to movement. That diversity reflects a generation of artists who increasingly see ballet not as a rigid vocabulary but as a foundation from which they can explore.

For New York audiences, the festival offers something that is increasingly valuable: the opportunity to experience outstanding dancers in an intimate setting. The Joyce is known for presenting dance in a theater where audiences can see movement and artistry up close. That environment can make a familiar ballet work feel newly personal while allowing experimental pieces to communicate with unusual immediacy.

Copeland’s role as curator also sends a message about the importance of artistic leadership. The people who select performers and choreography help determine which stories receive attention and which artists receive opportunities. By bringing a range of voices into the festival, Copeland is using that responsibility to broaden the conversation around ballet. Her choices can introduce audiences to artists they may not otherwise encounter while encouraging longtime ballet followers to look at the form from a different perspective.

The 2026 Joyce Ballet Festival ultimately arrives at an important moment for the art form. Ballet is carrying centuries of tradition into an era defined by changing audiences, broader representation and increasingly adventurous choreography. Copeland’s festival reflects that transition. For two weeks in August, The Joyce will become a meeting place for the familiar and the unexpected—a celebration of where ballet came from and a preview of where it may be going. And with Misty Copeland helping shape the conversation, the future of ballet promises to be as expansive as the dancers who are defining it.

Based on reporting by The Positive Community.