Snoop Dogg becomes Snoop Lion

8/1/2012
LOS ANGELES TIMES
Snoop Dog blows up an armored truck to commemorate the 10 millionth visitor to Zynga's  Mafia Wars: Las Vegas.
Snoop Dog blows up an armored truck to commemorate the 10 millionth visitor to Zynga's Mafia Wars: Las Vegas.

LOS ANGELES--The Long Beach, Calif., 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. Hell 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 surprising 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 Snoops 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 its 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 didnt 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 havent done before in my career.