One could argue its a friendship with little common ground, but Snoop Dogg says his unlikely bond with ‘born winner’ David Beckham dates back more than thirty years.
The weed-smoking veteran rapper was supported by former Manchester United footballer Beckham as his I Wanna Thank Me tour ticked off its latest UK show at London’s O2 Arena on Tuesday evening.
But Snoop, 51, says their ‘natural attraction’ dates back to his own notorious Death Row Records heyday and 47-year old Beckham’s career beginnings as one of England’s brightest footballing prospects.
Speaking to MailOnline at the Berlin launch of his new collaboration with online crypto casino Roobet, he said: ‘We’ve been friends since the early nineties. We love the same things. We love to win. We love to work hard. We’re family men, and people love us.
‘We’re naturally attracted to each other. We built the friendship years and years ago. He created a family, and I created a family.’
So close is their friendship that in 2007 Snoop even welcomed Beckham – at the time a new signing for Los Angeles Galaxy – as a special guest on his former reality show Father Hood, during which the unlikely pair unsuccessfully attempted to introduce soccer to the rapper’s children.
And he admits the episode was a reminder of how far reaching their friendship is after the former sportsman – himself a father-of-four – included sons Romeo, 20, and Cruz, 18, in their backstage reunion on Tuesday evening.
‘When I had my show Father Hood on the E! Channel he came on and did some things with my kids about his football,’ he recalled.
‘His babies were real little babies then, but when he come to see me the other day he brings his babies with him and they’re grown now.
‘We’ve just grown as a friendship, as a brotherhood and as a family.’
The reunion gave Snoop an opportunity to offer Cruz, an aspiring singer and musician who turned 18 on February 20, a belated birthday gift – and some equally valuable tips on how to succeed in the music industry.
‘I gave him some real good advice,’ he added. ‘Then I gave him a Death Row chain and told him to own it.’
