UB Spotlight: Snoop Dogg, Mike Epps + Tika Sumpter Talk ‘The Underdoggs’

Snoop Dogg stars in the new film “The Underdoggs,” only on Prime Video this Friday January 26th.

Directed by Charles Stone III and written by Danny Segal & Isaac Schamis.

Once upon a time, Jaycen “2 J’s” Jennings (Snoop Dogg) was Long Beach Polytechnic High School’s star football player. He later won the coveted award for outstanding college player in the country and was a top draft pick, too. Then, after becoming one of the world’s leading wide receivers, his inflated ego and poor sportsmanship got him tossed off the field. In short, he’s still pissed and refuses to fade away quietly.

Rather than putting in the work to repair his tarnished public image, Jaycen blames everything and everybody else. It’s only when he finds himself at the mercy of the court that he finally realizes how far he’s fallen off.

Being ordered to perform 300 hours of community service in his old neighborhood seems like the final blow, but he soon discovers that it might be a blessing in disguise.

When he stumbles upon a fledging youth football team in desperate need of a head coach, Jaycen decides to take on the challenge, but for selfish reasons. Along with the prospect of reconnecting with his past love, Cherise (Tika Sumpter), whose son is on the team, Jaycen hopes his good deed will propel him back into the spotlight.

But first, he has to get the players in shape, contend with a contentious rival coach, Chip Collins (Andrew Schulz), and keep his homeboy and self appointed assistant coach Kareem (Mike Epps) on point.

Meet Jaycen “2 J’s” Jennings (Snoop Dogg)!

Nobody is a bigger fan of Jaycen “2 J’s” Jennings than Jaycen “2 J’s” Jennings, himself. In fact, Jaycen (Snoop Dogg), who proudly donned #88, has been cheering himself on since he caught the championship-winning Hail Mary pass for Long Beach Polytechnic High School, and probably before that.

His prowess on the field, along with his good looks and signature dreads, made him a crowd favorite, too. So, it was no surprise when he won the prestigious award for the most outstanding college player in the country. Nor was it a surprise when, during the draft, he was “the pick that got picked before all the other picks.”

Making it to the pros seemed as much a dream as it was his destiny. He even had his own cereal box. But once he made it big, Jaycen’s inflated ego, poor sportsmanship and on-the-field antics began to overshadow his game and soon, his behavior became fodder for the talking heads, the fans and his teammates. Then he got traded. Then he got traded again. And again. In record time, he was off the field. His football career was a wrap and he was pissed. He still is.

It’s only when he finds himself at the mercy of the court for a traffic violation that he begins to realize just how far his star has fallen. While he’d been hoping for a slap on the wrist, what he doesn’t realize is that the presiding judge, the Honorable Judge Tara Williams, played by Kandi Burruss; who knows him and his type.

She has other plans. “Judge Tara knew Jaycen back from the old neighborhood. They actually grew up together,” states Kandi Burruss. “When he first sees her in the courtroom, he doesn’t remember who she is, but she quickly reminds him and puts him in his place.”

“The Underdoggs” is directed by Charles Stone III, with a screenplay written by Isaac Schamis and Danny Segal, and stars Snoop Dogg, Tika Sumpter, Mike Epps, Andrew Schulz, Kal Penn, Kandi Burruss and George Lopez.

Amazon MGM Studios presents a Khalabo Ink Society production, a Death Row Pictures/SMAC Productions production and A Panoramic Media Company production.

The film is produced by Kenya Barris, p.g.a., Calvin Broadus, p.g.a., Constance Schwartz-Morini, p.g.a., Mychelle Deschamps, p.g.a., and Jonathan Glickman, p.g.a., with Jeremiah Samuels and Anni Weisband serving as executive producers.

UB Spotlight: Snoop Dogg, Mike Epps + Tika Sumpter Talk “The Underdoggs!”