The great Snoop Dogg has been a large part of the soundtrack to our lives. His longevity as a hip hop artist is legendary; from the early days as the most talented protégé of Dr. Dre to his current status as the king of cool, Snoop Dogg has been a successful rapper, record producer and actor. It’s understandable that Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. would seek a sassier moniker for his onstage persona, but now that Snoop has outgrown his Dogg, he is changing his name to Snoop Lion.
The change was presaged by a trip to Jamaica to film a documentary Reincarnated. The documentary follows Snoop’s spiritual journey through Jamaica and his life-changing meeting with a Nyabingi priest who told him he looked more like a lion than a dog. The lion is a strong symbol of the Rastafarian culture. “I didn’t know that until I went to the temple, where the High Priest asked me what my name was, and I said, ‘Snoop Dogg.’ And he looked me in my eyes and said, ‘No more. You are the light; you are the lion.’ I have always said I was Bob Marley reincarnated. I feel I have always been a Rastafari. I just didn’t have my third eye open, but it’s wide open right now,” said Snoop Lion.
While in Jamaica, Snoop underwent a true reincarnation from hip hop artist to reggae master. Snoop Lion will be releasing a new album (also called Reincarnation) which features only reggae tracks; “I didn’t want to be Snoop Dogg on a reggae track … 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,” the rapper said.
Snoop Lion has already released the first reggae track off the new album called “La La La”. The maturation of musical style is echoed by a change in Snoop Lion’s outlook on life. More enlightened and touting non-violence, Snoop has evolved and found a more peaceful, spiritual side that is reflected in his new album and also in his new reggae duds.
