To refute rape allegations against him, Snoop Dogg went to the King Friday--Larry King.
Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, laid out his version of events that are set to play out in court over the coming months in dueling lawsuits between him and a woman who claims she was sexually assaulted by the rapper and his entourage.
On Monday, Kylie Bell, an Emmy-winning makeup artist, filed a lawsuit against Snoop, claiming the rapper and his posse, fueled by drugs and booze, raped her following a 2003 taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live, where Snoop was a guest host.
She also named ABC, Disney and Kimmel's show in her suit, claiming they all helped promote the "party atmosphere" backstage at the ABC late-night talkfest.
Bell, who was under Snoop's employ to apply and remove his makeup during his multi-day guest-hosting gig, is seeking $25 million in damages--$5 million on allegations of sexual assault, rape, negligence and emotional distress, and $20 million in punitive damages.
Snoop had fired a preemptive strike in December, launching a suit of his own accusing Bell of extortion. Snoop claimed Bell and her attorneys had demanded $5 million from him to stay quiet about the alleged assault.
Bell filed her suit after out-of-court negotiations with Snoop and ABC parent Disney broke down. Snoop and ABC had also apparently paid Bell's living expenses for a while, per reports, plus an unspecified amount of money before she went to court.
But Snoop said Friday that the payments have now stopped, and he attempted to take the sting out of Bell's version of events during his appearance on CNN's Larry King Live.
"I refuse to be another entertainer who writes a check for false allegations," the 32-year-old rapper said via satellite in Jacksonville, where he's attending Super Bowl festitivities.
"I'm innocent...I wasn't even in the building."
Snoop said he thinks Bell is simply after his money.
"That's a serious allegation [rape]," he said. "This happened two years ago...I got a lot of money, true indeed, but that doesn't mean I'm going to give it to you."
Bell's attorney, Perry Wander, was also given time on Larry King Live. In a taped segment, the lawyer fingered ABC for the charged atmosphere backstage, where Snoop and his posse allegedly, per Bell's suit, snorted cocaine, drank champagne and smoked blunts.
"ABC, Disney, The Jimmy Kimmel Live Show in my opinion, metaphorically raped my client as much as the perpetrators. They provided alcohol for the guests. They provided alcohol for the hosts. They provided alcohol, even, for the audience. They created an atmosphere of partying in order to attract a younger audience," Wander said.
But Snoop denied he drank that night. " I don't really drink alcohol--I don't get down like that"
The "Drop It Like It's Hot" rapper also noted that he has yet to be charged with any crime for the alleged incident.
"Rape is not my nature," he said. "I feel very compassionate towards any woman that has been raped. I have a mother, a daughter and a wife and rape is a serious allegation. That's why I'm here tonight with you to let you know that that is not in my nature."
The Grammy-nominated rapper said he was anxious to clear his name, even offering to take a lie detector test.
"I want to go to court," he said. "I want them to come at me the way they come at real rapists--I would rather go to court and show that she's trying to extort me," he continued. "And that's what time it is right now."