What connection could CJ Stroud and the Death Row Records possibly have? The combination of the pioneers of the West Coast hip hop and the young Texans quarterback isn’t as unlikely as it seems. In fact, there’s a heartwarming story behind this football-hollywood union. Apparently, CJ Stroud is old buddies with Snoop Dogg. Fascinating, isn’t it?

For those who don’t know, it was Snoop Dogg and “Coach Fly,” who helped Stroud make best of his teenage years and be “good students, good athletes, respecting their elders, their parents and being a great listener.” Let’s explore their story a bit further and we’ll get the idea of where Stroud’s leadership abilities come from.

The Multi-Platinum rapper always wanted to provide an outlet for “people that look like” him. So, he established the Snoop Youth Football team and gave the coaching job for the Pomona Steelers to his close friend and a former rapper on Death Row Records, Priest Brooks. Apparently, Brooks was looking for a quarterback for the team and viola, Stroud’s name came up.

Even as a kid, Stroud always strived for competition and when he wasn’t getting any, he decided to leave his youth league. Word got to Brooks that a kid from Rancho Cucamonga, CA has what Coach Fly had been looking for all along. So, he invited Stroud’s family to an unofficial practice. The QBs mother, Kimberly, was apprehensive at first, but gave Snoop’s club a chance.

“When we went to the actual practices and saw how everybody was so professional and great people,” Kimberly Stroud told ESPN. “So don’t judge a book by its cover.” It wasn’t long before Stroud, through his leadership, his command on offense and QB prowess impressed Snoop Dogg and the Pomona Steelers crew. The rapper believes that Stroud is a “gift” for aspiring athletes and the “future” of league.

“It’s special because [Stroud] is exactly what we breed kids to be,” Snoop told ESPN. “Good students, good athletes, respecting their elders, their parents and being a great listener. C.J. was a great listener. That’s why he’s translating on that football field into a great leader.”

This emotional story implores us to find out more about Stroud’s relationship with Snoop Dogg and more importantly, what prompted the rapper to develop a solid relationship with the youth around him.

How Snoop Dogg looks at CJ Stroud

Growing up, Stroud had a hard childhood. He was raised by a single mother as his father did his bidding in the Folsom State Prison. In an interview with Snoop Dogg on BSOTV with Robert Littal, it was revealed that Stroud’s mother had “live on top of a storage unit” just so she can support the family. Stroud’s formative years in Snoop Dogg’s league helped him become mature at a very young age where he was privy of ideas like “prison reform” and a “love for religion.”

Recently, Snoop Dogg produced and starred in a movie “The Underdoggs” which reflects his love for teaching the youth the right things. His recollection of Stroud’s character is somewhat similar to what the young players in the movie experience. Taking that into account, the rapper revealed something interesting about the Texans quarterback.

“CJ is like the perfect example of every kid in my league that makes it to the league. They’re usually not the best player on their team at that time, but they are the best kid on the team at that time. And they understand what’s before them and they haven’t peaked out,” Snoop Dogg revealed in the interview.

Stroud’s mother, to this day, can’t help but praise Snoop’s curriculum because it “was super instrumental in C.J. ‘s journey.” Not judging “the book by its cover” was probably the best decision that Stroud’s mother, Kimberley could have taken for her son’s development into an NFL star.