Hollywood Boulevard finally has Nia Long’s name in its concrete. After more than three decades across film and television, the actress received the 2,857th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Wednesday, surrounded by family, friends, and admirers who have watched her become one of Black Hollywood’s most familiar faces.
According to KTLA, Snoop Dogg came dressed for the occasion in a jacket covered with Long’s face. When it was time to speak, he wasted little time explaining what she has meant to audiences beyond her résumé.
“Nia wasn’t just in the culture; Nia is the culture,” Snoop said. He then got one of the ceremony’s biggest laughs by addressing the generations of men who grew up crushing on her. “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 that, Nia.”
There was some history behind Snoop standing beside her Wednesday. Long attended his own Walk of Fame ceremony in 2018, when Dr. Dre, Quincy Jones and Jimmy Kimmel helped honor the Long Beach rapper. Eight years later, he returned the support as one of the official guest speakers for her ceremony. The Hollywood Walk of Fame also tapped Michael producer Graham King to speak, with Variety correspondent Angelique Jackson serving as emcee.
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Nia Long’s Hollywood Star Brings Her Back To Childhood Memories
Long’s connection to Hollywood Boulevard began long before she worked in movies. She recently told Variety that her mother drove a city bus through Hollywood when she was young, giving Long plenty of chances to stare down at the stars and ask about the famous names underneath her feet.
“We used to walk down the block and look at all the stars,” she recalled. Now that one belongs to her. Long said the honor was as much for her mother as it was for herself because her mother was the person who brought the family to Los Angeles.
The star has built a career that spans several eras of Black film and television. Boyz n the Hood, Friday, Love Jones, and The Best Man remain among her most revisited films, while The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air made her familiar to another generation of viewers. Long most recently portrayed Katherine Jackson in Michael, which became a major box-office success earlier this year.
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There is more on the way. Long recently wrapped Netflix’s Don’t Ever Wonder, which reunites her with Love Jones co-star Larenz Tate and draws inspiration from Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite. She also confirmed that Ice Cube is preparing another script that could reunite the pair after their Are We There Yet? films.
For all of the credits attached to Wednesday’s honor, Snoop found the simpler way to put it. Long didn't just appear in movies that became part of Black culture. For plenty of people who grew up watching them, she became part of the culture herself.
