Derby City Council blasted for playing Dr Dre at Mayor ceremony (yes, really)
Derby’s annual Mayor Making ceremony took a slightly unexpected turn this week – and people are very divided about it.
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Instead of the usual formal vibes, councillors walked into the chamber on May 20 to the unmistakable intro of Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg’s ‘Still D.R.E.’ Yep, that one.
If you know the song, you’ll know it’s not exactly what you’d expect at a traditional civic ceremony. It’s full of swearing and references to drugs, gang culture and anti-police lyrics – although, to be fair, only the instrumental intro was actually played on the day.
Still, not everyone was impressed.
The track was chosen by outgoing mayor Councillor Ajit Atwal as part of a tradition where mayors pick music to mark the handover. The idea is to add a bit of personality to what’s usually quite a formal (and let’s be honest, slightly dry) event.
But one councillor who was there called the choice “highly inappropriate”, saying they were “a bit shocked” and thought the wrong song had been picked.
Derby City Council has since defended the moment, saying people are missing the point.
In a statement, a spokesperson said the music choice is meant to bring a “light-hearted” and “modern twist” to the ceremony, and stressed that only a short instrumental clip was played – not the full song or its lyrics.
They added it’s all about celebrating the outgoing mayor’s work and giving the role a bit of personality.
Meanwhile, the internet has, unsurprisingly, had a field day.
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A clip of the moment has been doing the rounds on social media, with one Reddit thread titled: “Cannot believe this is real” (which honestly says it all).
Facebook reactions have been all over the place. Some people were fuming, saying officials should have “more common sense” and calling the moment embarrassing.
Others, though? Absolutely loved it.
Comments ranged from “Absolute banger, fair play” to people basically saying: who actually cares what song they walked into?
And honestly, they might have a point.
Whether it was inappropriate or iconic, one thing’s clear: it’s definitely made this year’s Mayor ceremony a lot more memorable than usual.
By Nigel Slater (Local Democracy Reporter) and Laura Wilde
