Snoop Dogg hour-long special coming to Spike TV

By: Yves Erwin Salomon

Rapper Snoop Dogg has teamed up with director Gabriel London to shoot a documentary about his early years and the harsh realities of juvenile detention facilities. The New York Post reports that Big Snoop Dogg's Youth Authority: California will air on Spike TV on January 16th at 11 p.m.

The hour long special will follow the rapper as he returns to the streets of Long Beach and the California juvenile facility called the "Youth Authority" where he spent some time during his teenage years. The rapper will also visit the location where he was jumped into the Crips. "Jumped in" is a phrase used to explain the gang initiation process in which the new member is beaten up by current gang members.

The rapper is hoping "to use the stories of kids still caught up in what Snoop once lived" to bring attention to the harsh realities of juvenile facilities.

In related news, Snoop Dogg is due in court this Thursday, January 11th, to respond to drug and weapons charges stemming from a November arrest outside of NBC's Burbank studios. After performing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Burbank police executed a search warrant and placed him under arrest. The arresting officers found marijuana, cocaine, a firearm and a false compartment in his car. The rapper was released on $60,000 bail.