Snoop is taking fans inside the Dogg pound.
The legally challenged yet multiplatinum-selling rapper has signed on to star in a new E! reality series, which intends to depict a lifestyle that is far from simple. (E! Online is a division of E! Networks.)
The as yet untitled half-hour show, slated for a late 2007 debut, will follow Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, and his family as the Doggfather goes about his daily business, which has expanded over the past decade to include producing, acting, hosting a radio show, helming a youth football league and tacking -izzle onto the end of every other word.
On the home front, Snoop and his wife of 10 years, Shante, have two sons and a daughter.
"Snoop Dogg is, without a doubt, one of the most charismatic and intriguing personalities in pop culture today," said Ted Harbert, president and CEO of Comcast Entertainment Group, the parent company of E! Networks.
"While he has captured a legion of fans as the king of hip-hop, what makes Snoop most interesting is the side of him that people have never seen. The juggling act that Snoop faces day-in, day-out between career and family is certain to resonate with our viewers."
Add a handful of court dates to the mix and you've got one of the fullest plates around. Cameras haven't started chronicling Snoop's every move just yet, but there's a good chance that, when they do, Snoop will still be in the midst of completing the 800 hours of community service he was sentenced to in April after pleading no contest to a pair of felony weapon and drug charges stemming from separate arrests last fall.
Although Snoop has a valid certificate from the state of California allowing him to use marijuana for medicinal—but not career—purposes, he was busted in October in front of Burbank Airport for illegal transport of the drug and gun possession. The "Drop It Like It's Hot" purveyor was also arrested under similar circumstances after taping an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in November.
The oddly endearing hip-hop star was also given five years' probation for the various infractions and, per the sentencing arrangement, he is allowed to devote up to 400 hours of do-gooder time to running the Los Angeles-based Snoop Youth Football League.
Still up in the air is a felony weapon-possession charge stemming from his arrest last September at Orange County's John Wayne Airport, when he tried to board a flight with a collapsible baton in his carry-on bag. Snoop has pleaded not guilty to the charge, maintaining that he had no idea he was toting contraband and that the baton was merely going to be used as a prop in a music video.
Despite the legal hitches in his git-along, however, Snoop has been maintaining a pretty packed schedule on the musical front, as well.
His latest solo effort, Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, dropped last November and made it to number five on the Billboard 200. Snoop's ninth studio album, Ego Trippin', is poised for a late 2007 or early 2008 release. As the title implies, the artist has said that he will not be collaborating with any other guest rappers or singers this time around.
Snoop also serves as an executive producer for XM Satellite Radio's classic hip-hop channel and hosts the show Welcome to da Chuuch with Big Snoop Dogg.
And while he may not be welcome in London and Australia these days, he still got the blue-carpet treatment in Hamburg last weekend, where he co-headlined the city's Live Earth concert with Shakira, Enrique Iglesias and Chris Cornell.