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.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

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

Up Next

Black Ex-Soap Opera Star Sues CBS with Retaliation Charge

Don't Miss

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

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of September 30 – October 6, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 30 – October 6, 2026

Published

3 days ago

October 4, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Business

From Historic Memories to New Possibilities: Oakland Celebrates Coliseum 60

More than 75 people gathered at Youth UpRising in East Oakland on Friday, September 18, for Coliseum 60, an event marking six decades of sports, entertainment, employment, and community memories at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Complex. Held 60 years to the day after the Coliseum first opened, the celebration featured cultural performances and a mini-documentary highlighting its history. Speakers reflected on the venue’s significant role in the community and its future possibilities. Read more to learn about the individuals and stories honored during this special event.

Published

1 week ago

September 27, 2026

Post News Group

Quixote Atkins of VillageGIVE moderates a panel discussion at the Coliseum 60 celebration at Youth UpRising featuring Keith Brown, a member of IATSE Local 107; author, historian and former Black Panther Party member Tareka Lewis; and African American Sports and Entertainment Group President Ray Bobbitt.

By Carla Thomas

More than 75 people gathered at Youth UpRising in East Oakland on Friday, Sept. 18, for Coliseum 60, a celebration honoring six decades of sports, entertainment, employment and community memories connected to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Complex.

Held 60 years to the day after the Coliseum opened, the event carried the theme, “One Community. One Legacy. One Future. Forward Together.”

The celebration opened with the national anthem performed by sisters Anese Jade, Amina Benjamin and Zaza Benjamin. Diamano Coura West African Dance Company contributed African dance and drumming, bringing movement, rhythm and cultural expression to the program.

A mini documentary highlighted the Coliseum’s sports history and its broader role as an entertainment destination. Archival material recalled performances by Prince and Tina Turner, along with memorable games featuring the Warriors, Oakland A’s and Raiders.

“The Coliseum 60 is about much more than celebrating a building or looking back at 60 years of history,” said event organizer Quixote Atkins of VillageGIVE.

“It’s about the people who made that history possible: the families, workers, athletes, artists, community leaders, fans and generations who gathered there and created memories together.”

A panel exploring that history featured author, historian and former Black Panther Party member Tareka Lewis; stagehand and union representative Keith Brown; and Ray Bobbitt, president of the African American Sports and Entertainment Group AASEG. Lewis described her family as fourth-generation Bay Area pioneers.

“My family and Black families who arrived even earlier helped build the Bay Area, grew businesses and established culture here,” Lewis said. “This should be taught in the public schools.”

Lewis recalled Oakland’s influence on sports, music and literature, from the Raiders’ beginnings at Laney College to stars such as The Pointer Sisters and Rickey Henderson who attended Oakland public schools. She also advocated for school museums, historical timelines, entrepreneurship training and investments benefiting corridors such as Bancroft Avenue and High Street.

Keith Brown, a member of Local 107 of the International Alliance of Theater and Stage Employees (IATSE) who began working at the Coliseum in 2011, remembered the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the Ice Capades, baseball bat giveaways and Nelson Mandela’s 1990 appearance.

“The special events are amazing, but it’s the workers that make the memories real for everyone,” Brown said. “They make the magic happen at the Coliseum.”

The program recognized longtime workers, including beer-stand manager Robert Preston, who served for 40 years, and Kenyatta Gentry, who worked as a vendor for 24 years and used her earnings to purchase her first apartment. Union workers Jose Gonzales and Carmen Sandoval were also honored. Speakers emphasized that Coliseum employment provided generations of residents with union wages and benefits.

Dr. Denise Saddler, the superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) was also honored. Saddler shared her family’s history of working at the Coliseum.

District 7 Oakland City Councilmember Ken Houston discussed the complex ownership arrangements involving the city, county and private interests.

“This was the most complex deal of its kind in the country,” Houston said.

Prior to moving from the East Coast, Alameda County Supervisor and Coliseum Joint Powers Authority Chair Nate Miley recalled learning about Oakland through its three professional sports teams. As an elected official and public servant, Miley fought hard to keep the Golden State Warriors, Oakland As, and the Raiders, but he is hopeful for the future.

“The story is not over for the Coliseum,” Miley said. “We’re entering a new chapter.”

Bobbitt said the departure of three teams had once seemed unimaginable, but he maintained that Oakland’s future remains bright.

“Oakland is a cultural superpower worldwide,” Bobbitt said. “We’re going to write the future where we participate and drive the redevelopment.”

Bobbitt highlighted AASEG’s four-year partnership with Castlemont High School’s architecture program, which engages students in reimagining and creating redevelopment concepts for the Coliseum property. “The youth will always move us forward. They are the future.”

In closing, Atkins said, “September 18 is the celebration, but what we build together afterward is the legacy.”