A rare Olympic pin is “viraling” its way around the internet, fast becoming one of the more talked about and desirable objects on Earth—playfully featuring the Olympic rings as smoke clouds puffed from the mouth of the world’s most famous proudly weed-smoking rapper and beloved NBC commentator for the Paris Olympics: Snoop Dogg.

The irony, of course, is that it’s safely assumed to be smoke from a substance banned at the Olympics. But, because it’s Snoop, it’s all good—there’s no moral fuss (nor should there be!) because everyone is too busy wondering why the Olympics and Snoop Dogg are a brand-match made in heaven … and why he’s become one of the most sought-after brand ambassadors of all time for all manner of brands.

Why Snoop plays well with others

Snoop has endorsed a staggering 43 brands since his first ’90s collaboration with Stüssy. Add in the seven brands he owns and promotes, and that brings the count to 50. The range and caliber of brands Snoop “fits” with—Dunkin’, Corona, Klarna, Gucci—defy the laws of marketing gravity. Teach us, Doggfather!

He’s always known success. In 1993, Snoop’s Dr. Dre-produced album Doggystyle became the best-selling global album in its first week. Its hit single got an entire generation to throw their hands in the air and wave them like they just don’t care, and millennials never stopped. When I was a teen in LA, no matter the zip code of your house party or prom, you heard Snoop and followed suit—he was viral way before it was a quotidian verb.

But don’t be fooled that nostalgia alone is driving Snoop’s latest swell; Snoop has always known his worth as a unifying icon. According to Death Row Records (which he bought in 2022): he was “a perfect blend of street, cool and fun, a combination that appeals to a universal audience. He wasn’t viewed as menacing or anti-white like other gangster rappers … Snoop Dogg was just cool.” Universally cool.

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