For years, rapper Snoop Dogg has made no secret of his love for games. In 2003, he appeared in the popular True Crime: Streets of LA (PC, Xbox, GameCube, PlaySation 2). In 2004, he hosted the SpikeTV Video Game Awards. In 2006, he helped found the Hip-Hop Gaming League, and was supposed to star in Fear & Respect (pictured), a now-canceled Grand Theft Auto-style crime game from Midway.
Now, in 2007, Snoop and games have come together again, with less than spectacular results. The New York Post's Page Six gossip column is reporting that the oft-arrested rapper was recently paid $150,000 to appear at a benefit for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
While said fee paid is a princely sum to most, it apparently was not enough for Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Broadus. According to the Post, in addition to other accommodations for himself and his entourage, the hip-hop artist "insisted on having an Xbox in his dressing room," according to an "insider" contacted by the newspaper.
When an Xbox could not be produced, Snoop refused to take the stage, prompting an event planner to borrow one from their children. Once the Xbox was put in Snoop's dressing room, he began playing it and "smoking dope," apparently enjoying himself so much he didn't take to the UNICEF event stage until an hour after he was originally scheduled.