Snoop Dogg Gushes About Nia Long During Heartfelt Walk of Fame Speech: ‘You Been Hollywood Royalty’

With roles spanning more than three decades, from Boyz N the Hood to Friday and Michael, Nia Long has been Hollywood royalty for a generation.

The actress received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Wednesday (Sept. 16), and Snoop Dogg spoke at the ceremony, giving Long her well-deserved flowers.

“Nia been a star. Y’all just now putting it on the sidewalk? You see, we’ve been knowing,” he said. “Boyz n the Hood, Friday, Love Jones, Soul Food, The Best Man. Come on now, Nia wasn’t just in the culture. Nia is the culture.”

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Snoop quipped: “For about 30 years, Nia Long had every Black man in America thinking he had a chance. You didn’t. But she let you dream, and we appreciate you for that, Nia, real talk.”

The West Coast rapper even rocked a custom Nia Long jacket, featuring photos from different roles and eras of the actress’ decorated career.

“What I love and respect about this woman is that she did it her way. Hollywood has a way of trying to change you, trying to tell you how to look, tell you how to talk, tell you who you’re supposed to be, and sometimes even tell you when your time is up,” he continued. “But Nia, she said, ‘Nah, I’ma be Nia.’ And that’s why we still standing here celebrating her after all of these years. She’s beautiful, talented, strong, authentic and always classy. That’s longevity. That’s Black excellence, and that’s a queen.”

She returned the favor when it was her turn at the podium, joking that she’s gonna need to take Snoop’s jacket home with her.

“Now you know that jacket took me out. I may need to borrow it,” she said. “I’ve known you for over 25 years; you are my brother for life. You always check in on me and the boys when it matters most. Thank you for showing up for me in the way that you do. Thank you for the decades of music that tell our stories and remind me to keep it gangsta as needed. I love you, brotha.”

Long and Snoop have been longtime friends, and the West Coast rapper had the actress star in his “California Roll” video in 2015, which featured Stevie Wonder.

The actress has continued to be synonymous with hip-hop, as rappers such as J. Cole, Ye, Phife Dawg, FERG, Juicy J, Webbie, Chingy, Lil Wayne and Ghostface Killah have name-dropped her in lyrics over the years.

Some of Nia Long’s other prominent roles include The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Big Momma’s House, The Best Man, Boiler Room, Premonition and In Too Deep. She’s made appearances in music videos including Ye’s “Touch the Sky” and Tyler, The Creator’s “Darling, I.”