“Kids are definitely going to do this at school and get beat up”: Fortnite introduces Snoop Dogg as a new non-player character

Sooner or later, it had to happen. Snoop Dogg has become the latest pop star/entertainer to enter the world of Fortnite.

He’s been introduced as a non-playing character (NPC) in Fortnite: Chapter 2 Remix: the latest iteration of the immensely popular video game released earlier this month. Snoop even has his own dedicated location, The Doggpound, a mansion covered in gold dog statues.

Players must attempt to defeat Snoop in the game as a boss character, who’s backed up by Guard Doggs and Ghostly Henchmen. He’s one of a number of new characters to be introduced to the game in the coming weeks include Ice Spice and Eminem.

However, Snoop’s entry into Fortnite isn’t without a soupcon of controversy. He arrives with a new ‘emote’, or dance move, which is available to buy for 500 V-Bucks. (Yes, various aspects of the game are monetised. Keep up grandad.)

This little dance shows him shuffling his feet whilst splaying his arms at angles, elbows out. And apparently it resembles the gang-affiliated ‘Crip Walking’ dance that was created by the notorious South Central LA gang, bitter rivals to the Bloods back in the day. And you know, Fortnite is played by children – it’s not a great example to the kids, is it? Is it?

Some users have expressed concerns. “I admit, I’m actually genuinely worried for the kids who do this dance in the wrong place in front of the wrong people. While Snoop is an icon and a lot of pop culture people out of Cali crip walk, it still is a gang thing,” wrote Reddit user Coreybom. “A lot of unknowing people are going to wising up REAL quick.”

“People have been stabbed (or worse) for doing this while not being affiliated,”posted Twitter/X user adoseofbuckley. “Kids are definitely going to do this at school and get beat up.”

It should be said that yes, whilst Snoop was involved in the Rollin 20 Crips, a chapter of the gang, when he was a teenager, he’s been an established recording artist for decades now and has long since ascended to the status of cuddly cultural icon.

“As someone who grew up in California, in the ghetto, with ex-gang members as parents: The Snoop Dogg Walk emote on Fortnite is NOT anywhere near dangerous like it used to be,” wrote one Twitter/ X user kawaiimau5 “The culture surrounding it is slowly fading away. This isn’t the 90s. Let’s be fr (for real) with this.”

“No jessica your little brother is not going to get shot in the streets for doing the cripwalk from Fortnite,” posted another Twitter/X user criesofloyalty.