--- title: "NFT Conference Allegedly Hires Snoop Dogg Impersonator to “Drum Up Excitement”" description: "NBC News reporter Kevin Collier made a rather bizarre encounter at this year's NFT NYC conference, a conference, you guessed it, dedicated to drum up excitement for the tokens. \"I'm at the NFT NYC conference again in Times Square, and Snoop walked by, flanked by security,\" Collier recounted. \"I grabbed his handler, said I'm a […]" date: "2022-06-21" modified: "2022-06-21" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/nft-conference-snoop-dogg" categories: - "Blockchain" - "Future Society" - "NFTs" tags: - "bored apes" - "celebrities" - "crypto" - "nfts" --- # NFT Conference Allegedly Hires Snoop Dogg Impersonator to “Drum Up Excitement” ![Reporter Kevin Collier had a bizarre encounter at this year's NFT NYC conference — not with rapper Calvin "Snoop Dogg" Broadus Jr, he says, but a lookalike.]() *\Image: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images\* *NBC News* reporter Kevin Collier had a bizarre encounter at this year's NFT NYC conference — not with acclaimed rapper Calvin "Snoop Dogg" Broadus Jr, he says, but a lookalike. "I'm at the NFT NYC conference again in Times Square, and Snoop walked by, flanked by security," Collier [recounted today](). "I grabbed his handler, said I'm a reporter, would love a few minutes. The guy said actually that's an impersonator, legally can't say it's him, they hired him to drum up excitement." In other words, it sounds like the NFT conference attempted to make it look like a crypto-adjacent A-lister was on site. But instead of paying a real star, in Collier's telling, they opted to save a buck and hire an impersonator instead. "Feels like a metaphor," Collier added. It's especially puzzling considering that the hip hop legend is [actually quite into NFTs](). The star has [launched]() several of his own NFT collections. Other netizens doubled down on the delicious irony. "Kevin, you just don't get it," *NBC* senior reporter Ben Collins [joked](), likening the impersonator to an NFT. "They didn't actually pay for Snoop. They paid for a receipt saying they know Snoop exists somewhere, and that they can think about him anytime they want." While the [conference's website]() shows off a seemingly unending list of "speakers," Snoop Dogg isn't among them. Yet social media is abuzz with reports of the rapper showing up on the streets of NYC. A [picture]() uploaded by blockchain CEO Rene Hennen with the caption "Snoop Dogg is there, too" appears to show the impersonator. A different [video]() also shares the purported "Snoop Dogg" taking selfies with unsuspecting fans. The star, who has been nominated for 20 Grammy Awards, does in fact have a [professional doppelganger called Eric Finch](), who has posed for pictures with his real-life counterpart on a number of occasions. But it's unclear whether it was Finch or another double on site. Meanwhile, the official Snoop Dogg Twitter account is [posting]() about a Snoop Dogg-affiliated ice cream being launched at Ape Fest, a separate event held by NFT juggernaut Bored Ape Yacht Club at Pier 17 in New York, at the same time. Is this all meant to be a joke? Or is it a meta commentary on the fact that NFTs are merely representations of a thing and not the thing itself? Or did the event's organizers think they could pull a fast one on their oh-so-clever guests? We have no idea — and Snoop has yet to respond to our request for comment. https://twitter.com/futurism/status/1539336991959048198 **More on NFTs:** *[Family Guy Actor Pays Huge Ransom for Stolen Bored Ape]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()