The group of young boys shifted uneasily, eyes fixed on the gangly figure towering over them. They were an exclusive audience about to hear Snoop Dogg do his latest rap. But they didn't feel so lucky -- they knew it was going to be a bad rap on them.
"You better go gangsta -- they can't beat us, so they're tryin' to cheat us!" snarled Snoop Dogg, tearing into the Rowland Heights Raiders, a team of 8- to 10-year-olds -- including one of his two sons -- in the Orange County Junior All-American Football League. The Raiders were taking on the Norwalk-Santa Fe Springs Saints, and though the unbeaten Raiders were ahead by a touchdown at halftime, the Saints were breaking their spirit with rough-and-tumble play and crunching tackles.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday November 21, 2004 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 35 words Type of Material: Correction
Snoop Dogg -- An article in today's Calendar section says rapper Snoop Dogg's participation at a USC football practice was taped for an MTV show. The taping was for a series on the MTVU channel.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Tuesday November 23, 2004 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 40 words Type of Material: Correction
KIIS-FM Jingle Ball -- A list accompanying an article about Snoop Dogg in Sunday's Calendar section said the KIIS-FM Jingle Ball concert would be Dec. 3 at the Universal Amphitheatre. The show will be at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday November 28, 2004 Home Edition Sunday Calendar Part E Page 2 Calendar Desk 1 inches; 36 words Type of Material: Correction
KIIS-FM Jingle Ball -- A list accompanying an article about Snoop Dogg last Sunday said the concert would be held Dec. 3 at the Universal Amphitheatre. It will be held at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim.
The eyes of a few Raiders were wet with frustration and pain. The eyes of Snoop were narrow with rage.
"You better get your minds right, or you're gonna get beat," the Raider coach growled. "I don't care about nothin' else, 'cause if you lose, I'm out! You're better than this team! You better get your focus back now, knowwhatImsayin'? Quit cryin' and do your job, get focused!" He gestured dismissively toward a cooler on the sidelines: "Now go get some oranges or something!"
As he berated the youngsters, Snoop ignored the nearby crowd of parents and fans in the stands shouting out to him. This was not show time, not the time or place for rhymes about the chronic, partyin', pimps and hos. This was serious.
For now, nothing else mattered: Not his chart-topping "Drop It Like It's Hot" single with sizzling producer Pharrell Williams that has again made him the champagne toast of the rap/pop music world. Not his just-dropped album "R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece," already a bestseller. Not his star turns this year in films such as "Starsky & Hutch" and "Soul Plane" that endeared him to a cross-section of moviegoers. Not his growing status as a pitchman for corporate America.
At this moment, he was merely Coach Snoop, desperate for another notch in the win column. He says the quest for a championship trophy with his boys is more fulfilling than acting or music, his two "girlfriends." And the tirade worked -- the Raiders trounced the Saints in the second half. Overjoyed, Snoop jumped and clowned around with the team in a victory celebration, then ran to a truck in the parking lot to award each player with a brand-new WRFF bike.
