SNOOP DOGG - SNOOP: 'THE POLICE HATE ME BECAUSE I KEEP FELONS STRAIGHT'

Rapper SNOOP DOGG is convinced he has become a target for police in California because the authorities hate the fact he helps former felons go straight. The GIN + JUICE hitmaker is fighting a handful of weapons charges following airport arrests last year (06), but insists he's completely innocent. He feels sure police authorities like to put him in his place from time to time - because they disapprove of his support for convicted gang leaders. He explains, "The people I associate with are from the gangbanging world and are looking for a way out. The police don't give them a way out. "When a n**ga get out of jail, it's designed for him to go back to jail. I'm the only system that saves felons and gets their lives on the right track. "Whether it's rapping, security, management, intern or whatever, I give these guys hope." Snoop accepts his position as a black leader of sorts puts him in the company of African-American heroes like MALCOLM X and MUHAMMAD ALI. He adds, "They all were at the pinnacle of success and then White America toned them down."