The annual and historic Derby Mayor Making ceremony this week began in somewhat bizarre fashion<\/a> when the intro of Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg\u2019s hit \u201cStill D.R.E\u201d blasted through the speakers.<\/p>\n The song is littered with swear words from the outset and touches on topics such as drug use<\/a>, \u201crepresenting gangstas\u201d and \u201cnot loving police\u201d.<\/p>\n Join us on WhatsApp to get the latest news straight to your phone<\/a><\/p>\n However, none of the lyrics were played out when councillors and officials entered the council chamber to start the civic ceremony \u2013 a long tradition in Derby \u2013 with an instrumental section played instead.<\/p>\n The song was the choice of the outgoing mayor \u2013 Councillor Ajit Atwal (Liberal Democrat)<\/a> \u2013 as he formally ended his term in office as the city mayor and handed over the reins.<\/p>\n A councillor who attended said the song choice was \u201chighly inappropriate\u201d for the occasion.<\/p>\n But in a statement, the city council said playing the short instrumental segment \u201cdoes not represent an endorsement of the full track or its lyrics\u201d.<\/p>\n The annual Derby City Council mayor making ceremony was held on Wednesday (May 20)(Image: Derbyshire Live)<\/p>\n It added allowing a choice of songs<\/a> brings a \u201cpersonal touch\u201d and a \u201cmodern twist\u201d to the formal ceremony.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Derby City Council said: \u201cThe annual Mayor Making ceremony includes a brief musical selection chosen by both the outgoing and incoming mayors.<\/p>\n \u201cThis personal touch is coordinated with the civic team in advance to bring a light-hearted element to an otherwise formal and traditional event.<\/p>\n \u201cOn this occasion, only a short instrumental segment was played during the ceremony, which does not represent an endorsement of the full track or its lyrics.<\/p>\n \u201cThe focus of the event remains on celebrating the transition of office and the outgoing mayor\u2019s dedicated service, having worked tirelessly for the community over the past year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe support our civic leaders in bringing their own personalities and a modern twist to these historic roles.\u201d<\/p>\n The shocked councillor, who wished to be anonymous, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): \u201cIt\u2019s highly inappropriate. I was a bit shocked. I thought they chose the wrong track.\u201d<\/p>\n A video clip showing the moment the song\u2019s intro was played out has been shared across social media.<\/p>\n Discussion about the incident appeared on the conversation app Reddit. A thread of the conversation was titled \u201cCannot believe this is real\u201d.<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1_Mayor-Ceremonyjfif.jpg\")
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