Consider it a task to interview two guys like Snoop Dogg and Mike Epps who may or may not be under the influence. They’ve been buddies ever since meeting at a premiere for the 2000 Ice Cube-fronted comedy, Next Friday, in which Epps had his breakout role as Cube’s sidesplitting cousin, Day-Day. These days, you can catch Snoop and Epps hawking their hip-hop comedy collabo, Imagine That, a live show within a show (Oct. 26 at the Los Angeles at Gibson Amphitheatre) that combines their comedic and music skills. VIBE hopped on the phone with the boisterous pair to discuss their union and topics like Nicki Minaj, hip-hop and strange encounters of the swinging kind.
VIBE Give us a brief rundown of Imagine That.
Mike Epps: It’s a very entertaining show put together by Snoop Dogg and myself and we’re looking to make people laugh, entertain them on the music side and not only on the music side, but we also have some theatrical things that we’re doing on the show also.
Snoop Dogg: It’s a storyline to this production that we’re doing. Imagine That is based on a production of Mike and Snoop creating a nightclub in their head, but it comes to life on stage and on screen for you to visually see what we’re imagining. The whole purpose is that you got two entertaining brothers who are basically the kings of their crafts coming together, putting their egos to the side to join forces to make one great show as opposed to an alright show with some comedians and an alright show with some rappers. We making a great show that you can bring your girl, your kids, your momma, grandma, everybody, just to have a good time ’cause that’s what we represent. We represent fun. When you think of Mike Epps and Snoop Dogg the first thing you do is start smiling.
Mike, what makes Snoop Dogg a good comedian?
Mike: He acts a fool. I think comedy and music are cousins in the entertainment business because we all are expressing ourselves, telling stories. A lot of Snoop Dogg’s album, he has some funny stuff on there, skits and all that and, you know, I talk about a lot of people in music in my comedy. I even put out a rap album one time and it went wood.
[Snoop laughs]
Mike: It didn’t sell nothing but maybe two copies, but I did it because that was just… I think both of those run hand in hand. Comedians, we use music to come up to the stage and that’s where Def Comedy Jam got its whole little luster. It was a music-based comedy show. Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Busta Rhymes—all them dudes are funny to me.
Do either of you have a crazy story of the first time you met a celebrity?
Snoop: I met this sucker, I don’t even know his name. He was in some tough ass mafia movie that I used to like. So me and Bishop Magic Juan go to this premiere for Kill Bill. Baby from Kill Bill used to be the mermaid—You remember the bitch that used to be the mermaid, huh? Hannah Daryl [Note: Daryl Hannah] or whatever, the bitch all on pimpin’ line so I’m like, “Tell the bitch, look I can’t do all this in front of cameras and all this, back up.” I go in the back in the little VIP area. So I put something in the air and this little fool that I liked from this mafia movie he slide up on me with his wife and he’s like, “Man my wife wanna take a picture with you.” I’m like, “Cool anything for you, homie.” So he bring his wife, I take a picture with his wife and he come right beside me and I’m so happy to meet this nigga ’cause I’m a fan of his and this nigga stand on the side of me and he hugged me and he grabbed me on my ass.
Mike: Man, you should’ve went and elbowed him right in the muthafuckin mouth!
Snoop: You know what I wanted to do to him but I kept it very professional and let him know, “Nigga, you playing games with the wrong nigga.” But he was insinuating me, him and his wife wanted to get down and that was just the weirdest shit that ever happened to me meeting somebody. I don’t even know this nigga name. It blew my mind.
Mike: I’ma find him now and whoop him. He need a whoopin’ right now.
Mike, do you have a crazy story?