CMT Blog: Snoop Dogg

Her great figure isn’t news to anyone. But after all her hard work making hit after hit, it’s nice to see Carrie Underwood getting a little R&R.

Before there were flat irons and highlights, there was Billy Idol. And he must’ve been the inspiration for Keith Urban’s hairstyle.

It’s a match made in dreamy teen heaven. Taylor Swift was spotted at a Jonas Brothers concert in Dallas, and now some folks have her linked with Joe Jonas.

He’s walking the line, alright. And with Snoop Dogg’s cover of a Johnny Cash classic, he may have actually crossed it.

Sugarland talks openly about making Love on the Inside and their hopes that fans will be inspired after their show.

Want Miley Cyrus to have more dimension? A how-to guide will walk you through making 3-D glasses for the Hannah Montana movie.

The venerable actor and comedian Andy Griffith makes a guest appearance with Brad Paisley in one of this week’s new music videos, as viewed and evaluated by CMT’s video team. Paisley also appears in a new video by the rapper Snoop Dogg, and it sparked a fairly intense discussion. Singer-songwriter Marcel returns with a new outing. And, from Can You Duet, Kate and Kacey Coppola try to get the last word.

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Enough is enough. When I read yesterday that Rod Stewart wanted to make a country album, all I could think of was, “Get in line.”

I mean, I thought a countrified Snoop Dogg was pushing it. But there’s been a whole string of country-come-latelys, like Darius Rucker, Jewel, Jessica Simpson and Bon Jovi. Then there all those so-called collaborators — like Nelly, Jack White, Akon, Robert Plant and Nelly Furtado — who take the side door into Nashville by finding duet opportunities with country’s hottest stars.

The irony, to me, is that while so many artists from other genres are vowing to make genuine country albums, a lot of established country artists aren’t. Read more…

When the rapper Snoop Dogg came backstage at the CMT Music Awards on Monday night, one of my colleagues turned to me and asked, “What in the world is he doing here?” Here’s the answer - in the words of Snoop Dogg himself:

“I have a new single called ‘My Medicine’ and I’m going to get a lot of country artists to perform on it, because it was inspired by country music and by the late Johnny Cash. So I just wanted to try to get a couple of artists to be a part of it, and they agreed to do it, so be on the lookout for it.”

Check out this live performance from VH1 Storytellers and tell us if you think he can really make it in country music.

By the way, what is it about Johnny Cash that appeals to the rapper so much?

“His whole style. His whole persona, his whole way of making music, just being real. His music touched people like myself, which you probably didn’t know that. That’s why I’m wearing all black tonight, in dedication to my main man, JC homeboy.”

In the end, it’s all about who wore what. For some Web sites, anyway. Miley Cyrus, Carrie Underwood and Faith Hill and others get critiqued for their attire at the 2008 CMT Music Awards. But Hill’s rep says a flowing tunic topic doesn’t mean the singer is pregnant.

In more post-show news, Jason Aldean gushed over Snoop Dogg, remarking that when he calls you a pimp it’s the ultimate compliment. Seriously?

And Taylor Swift gives her play-by-play commentary of the entire night, up until the part where she is FREAKING OUT.

Determined not to be pigeon-holed as just a singer/songwriter/actor, Tim McGraw has written a children’s book due out this fall. And his latest greatest hits package is due out later this month.

Yes, Kenny Chesney is known for his stadium shows. But what if you could see him in a small room with only a few hundred people? If you live in Chicago and listen to radio station WUSN you can.

And Billy Ray Cyrus tells OK magazine he’s trying to be Miley’s BFF. Get in line, dad.