**Hip-hop heavyweight tipped to light up AFL grand final stage**
The AFL’s hunt for another global show-stopper has zeroed in on one of rap’s most recognisable names, with league powerbrokers sounding out US superstar **Snoop Dogg** as the headline act for this year’s grand-final entertainment on Saturday 27 September.
Whispers of the 53-year-old icon’s involvement gained traction on Friday when *The Age* revealed league chiefs had opened discussions with the West Coast rapper’s camp. Those talks are understood to have progressed quickly once officials discovered Snoop is booked to appear in Manila on 25 September, making a two-hour hop to Melbourne logistically painless. Sources close to negotiations suggest the AFL is also exploring the possibility of Snoop’s long-time collaborator **Dr Dre** joining him, mirroring their celebrated turns at the 2022 Super Bowl and last year’s Paris Olympics closing ceremony.
Securing either star would underline the AFL’s new “go big or go home” philosophy. Since taking full control of grand-final entertainment and cutting external promoters from the process, the league has stacked each September with global names — rock legends Kiss (2023) and pop megastar Katy Perry (2024) — to complement Robbie Williams’ triumphant 2022 performance. League insiders believe hip-hop is the next logical frontier for broadening the game’s cultural reach, particularly with younger fans who flood Marvel and MCG turnstiles.
Unlike earlier bids for the Foo Fighters and Post Malone, Snoop’s candidacy ticks two crucial boxes: a clear gap in his touring diary and a brand that already resonates with Australian audiences thanks to previous headline sets at Splendour in the Grass and mega-selling collaborations with local acts. Financially, the deal would rival last year’s reported \$2.5 million outlay for Perry, though AFL executives are buoyed by record broadcast revenues and corporate demand.
Grand-final-week rehearsals would be squeezed into a single Friday run-through, but stakeholders insist the spectacle — a medley of era-defining hits from “Gin & Juice” to “Drop It Like It’s Hot” — would justify the logistical scramble. The league is keeping contingency options in reserve, yet the mood at headquarters is upbeat: after years of rock and pop, 2025 could be the year the MCG finally drops the beat.
