Snoop Dogg and Master P have joined forces to help Malakai Roberts – a seven-year-old Kentucky boy who was permanently blinded as a result of gun violence – write and publish a children’s book about overcoming adversity.

In December of 2020, Roberts’ family home in Lexington, Kentucky was targeted with aggressive gunfire. While sleeping near his mother and younger brother, five-year-old Malakai was shot in the head. The bullet missed his brain by two centimetres, leaving him permanently blind and destroying his senses of smell and taste.

Drawing from his personal experiences, Roberts’ book, Adventures With Malakai, will be about overcoming adversity. The book was debuted at a YMCA in the child’s home state on Wednesday (October 5), where he was joined by Master P. 

In an interview with WLKY News (via Billboard), the rapper said: “This book is going to be special because Malakai is special. I mean, this kid has never given up with all the adversity he went through so this book is gonna be special. And it’s all about kids, so we’re gonna be able to teach kids and help Malakai keep his adventures going.

“It’s going to be incredible for the kids. I mean, ‘cause we want kids to know how to overcome adversity and by him losing his eyesight with the tragedies he’s been through, this has been incredible to be able to write a book with Malakai.”

A release date for Adventures With Malakai is yet to be revealed, however Master P has confirmed that it’ll be available in the early months of 2023. 

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The book comes as Snoop’s latest endeavour in the world of children’s entertainment. Back in August, he launched an animated series called Doggyland, which aims to teach kids about social and emotional skills through dance and song. In a statement shared at the time, Snoop said: “As a father, grandfather and longtime youth football coach, it’s always been important to me to build positive and educational environments for all children. 

Meanwhile, Snoop revealed earlier this month that he’s currently working on his new record – a follow-up to ‘Doggystyle’ titled ‘Missionary’ – with Dr. Dre. Earlier this year, Dre produced and headlined the Super Bowl Halftime Show, were alongside Snoop, he took to the stage with 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige and more.