The Long Beach rapper Snoop Dogg has several iconic traits -- a laid-back and menacing flow, evocatively violent lyrics and a deep affection for cannabis sativa among them. He'll get to keep at least one of those interests in his new incarnation as Snoop Lion, an alias gleaned from a new interest in Rastafarianism and a hard pivot to traditional reggae music.
The identity change, which he first announced last week, is suprising but not unprecedented in contemporary hip-hop (Nas recorded a collaborative album of reggae-infused tunes with Damian Marley). But it is a major re-imagining of the music and image of the man born Calvin Broadus.
A forthcoming album of straightforward reggae, "Reincarnated," is due soon on Vice Records, and features production by noted Jamaica-philes Major Lazer. A documentary film of the same title, about the trip to Jamaica that spurred Snoop's new spirituality, will debut at the Toronto Film Festival in September.
Snoop has been wearing Ethiopian-themed clothes at recent concerts, including his headlining Coachella appearance, and the documentary suggests it's the start of a real and profound new path for Snoop. In the trailer, he implies that the identity of Snoop Dogg is truly over.
In a statement, he described the change as a spiritual awakening. "I wanted to bury Snoop Dogg and become Snoop Lion, but I didn't know that until I went to the temple and received the name Snoop Lion from the Nyabingi priest,” said Snoop. “From that moment on, I started to understand why I was there and was able to create something magical in this ['Reincarnated'] project ... something I haven't done before in my career.”
View the trailer for "Reincarnated" below:
How did Snoop come up with "Lion"?
He got the idea from a Rastafarian priest. A documentary on the making of the new album — also called Reincarnated, and slated to debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in September — shows Snoop smoking marijuana with some Rastafarian priests. "I went to the temple, where the High Priest asked me what my name was, and I said, 'Snoop Dogg," he explained Monday night. "And he looked me in my eyes and said, 'No more. You are the light; you are the lion.'" (Watch the film's trailer below.)
Why reggae?
Snoop says he hadn't planned on this musical rebirth in Jamaica, but "the spirit called me. And, you know, anytime the spirit calls you, you gotta know that its serious." He added that he's "always said I was Bob Marley reincarnated," and "I feel I have always been a Rastafari. I just didn't have my third eye open, but it's wide open right now." Reggae also appeals to a broader audience than gangsta rap, giving Snoop "a chance to perform for kids and grandkids." For that to happen, he says, it isn't enough to be "Snoop Dogg on a reggae track.... I want to bury Snoop Dogg and become Snoop Lion."
How different is the new album from his past work?
It's a pretty big departure. Snoop says that reggae references are "something I always had in my music," but that he wanted this album to be "true reggae music," like something you might find on "a record out of a 1970s collection." The peace-and-love aspect of reggae is also a pretty big departure from his 11 previous records. One song, "No Guns Allowed," even pleads for a handgun ban. Gun control is "not something particularly gangsta," says James Plafke at Geekosystem, but that's the point. As a rapper, Snoop Lion notes, "I could have never made a song called 'No Guns Allowed' because I'm supposed to be a gangster and we supposed to keep one on us at all times."
Will this name-change stick?
It looks that way, says FACT Magazine. "If you thought this merely marked a half-baked side-project from a stoned, rich, and bored man in his forties, think again: Snoop Lion is, apparently, here to stay." At the risk of sounding cynical, "how long he stays a Lion will depend on sales," says Australia's News.com.au. "Expect the Dogg to make its comeback when Snoop's reggae album runs out of puff." Snoop himself says his name change isn't a "Batman and Bruce Wayne" thing. Right now, "the Lion overrules," he tells Rolling Stone. But "it's not like you won't hear me being Snoop Dogg.... This is where I feel is best for me right now, best for us, for music in general."
