Words By Thembi

Pic Property Of MTV

When I heard that tag line for Snoop’s new show Dogg After Dark I had to ask myself what could possibly be different; we already saw his life on 2007′s Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood and if I really focus I can remember Doggy Fizzle Televizzle, his sketch comedy show that was on MTV for about fifteen minutes back in 2002. It turns out that MTV’s Dogg After Dark combines the most banal aspects of the two and throws in musical performances for good measure. The comedy skits would love to be Dave Chappelle-esque but simply aren’t. The casual interviews and musical performances are kind of like being on the scene in L.A. (if you’re into celebrity worship, of course). Snoop is and always has been the same Snoop, but I can’t help but cringe as he interviews guests as disparate as Fred Williamson and Heidi and Spencer from The Hills like they’re all his closest friends;it’s kind of creepy but he definitely lives up to the tag line.

Ultimately, watching Dogg After Dark is one of those “is hip-hop dead?” moments. The worst of last night’s episode was his interaction with Paris Hilton. It was one thing that she was randomly “bartending” and that during their interaction Snoop kept calling her “Sweat Pea.” It was another thing altogether that she insisted on calling Snoop “my homeboy” and lamenting about how phony the industry can be like she keeps it oh-so-real. The final straw was a very painful, very unfortunate freestyle that I hope is the worst that Dogg After Dark will have offer.

Because really, how could it get worse?