Dr Dre to star in Apple's first scripted TV series

Dr. Dre and his wife Nicole Young at the premiere of Straight Outta Compton. Photo / Getty Images

Dr Dre will star in Apple's first scripted TV series.

Vital Signs, which will also be executive produced by the rapper, has been commissioned for six 30-minute episodes and is billed as a dark drama, which reportedly features violence and sex scenes.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Vital Signs "is billed as semi-autobiographical, with each episode focusing on a different emotion and how Dre's character deals with it".

Sam Rockwell and Mo McCrae will also star while Paul Hunter will direct the show, which was conceived by Dre and pitched to Apple.

It is not yet clear on which platform Apple will choose to air the series, although Apple Music has been touted as a likely contender.

Dre - who is married to Nicole Young - has been involved with Apple previously and in 2014, he and Jimmy Iovine sold Beats Electronics to Apple for $3 billion.

Last year the rapper had huge success with Straight Outta Compton which he executive produced.

The movie is based on his time as a member of rap group N.W.A., alongside Eazy-E, Ice Cube, MC Ren and DJ Yella, and he admitted watching it gave him goosebumps.

He said: "It was goosebumps - a little bit surreal. Some guys that came from nothing that created something that's just amazing."

- Bang! Showbiz