Diplo first spoke about Snoopâs reggae album a couple of months ago, and the first song leaked last week, but the full story behind this intriguing project has not been told until now.
Yesterday at Miss Lilyâs in New York City, the artist formerly known as Snoop Dogg appeared at a jam-packed press conferenceâalong with his manager Ted Chung, producer Diplo, VICE Media co-founder Suroosh Alvi, who produced a film about the project, and Sway Calloway of MTVâto talk about Snoopâs latest album, Reincarnated.
Produced by Major Lazer, this is the first Snoop disc to feature no rapping whatsoever. Itâs also the first to be released under the name Snoop Lion. The transformation from big dog to jungle cat is only one of many twists and turns in the story of Reincarnated, which is documented in a film by the same name that's set to debut this fall at the Toronto Film Festival.
Iâve always been Rastafari, I just didnât have my third eye open. But itâs wide open now. âSnoop Lion
Snoopâs name change was not done on a whim. He was actually baptised in a sacred Rastafarian ceremony. For Rastafarians, the Lion is a symbol of the black God incarnate, His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopiaâalso known as the Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
âRasta is not a religion itâs a way of life, itâs a âlivity,ââ Snoop explained to the media. âIâve always been Rastafari, I just didnât have my third eye open. But itâs wide open now.â
For several years now Snoop has been referring to himself as âBob Marley reincarnatedâ on various records. At first it seemed like a generic weed reference, or perhaps a touch of rebel flair. But at yesterdayâs press conference it became clear that since his recent trip to Jamaica Snoop has been taking this âReincarnatedâ project very seriously. âThe spirit called me,â he told a room packed full of journatlists. âI wanna bury Snoop Dogg and become Snoop Lion.â
Like Jay-Z and Nas, Snoop is one of the golden-era MCs whoâs now reaching the 40-year milestone, and heâs beginning to consider his artistic legacy. âIâm tired of rap,â he said during the press conference. "Iâve been making rap since 1985. Rap is not a challenge to me. Iâm Uncle Snoop in rap. I wanna be a kid again.â He also wants music that he can play for his own kids. "No Guns Allowed," one of his favorite tracks from the new album, offers a message that's 180 degrees removed from Snoop's "187 on an undercover cop" raps.
With Bobâs son Rohan Marley in attendance, Snoop explained that he felt âcalled by the spiritâ to travel to Jamaica and make a reggae album. And the music is just the tip of the iceberg. The whole trip became a voyage of discovery for Snoop, who had performed in Jamaica before but didnât spend much time amongst the people. Determined to give back as much as he benefited from his trip to Jamrock, Snoop has partnered with John Paul DeJoriaâfounder of John Paul Mitchell hair care products and Patron Spiritsâto establish âMind Gardens" in troubled Kingston neighborhoods like Tivoli Gardens and Trenchtown. These will allow local youths access to fresh fruit and juices as well as learning about agriculture and running a small business.
Following a private listening session, we caught up with Snoop talk about his move towards reggae musicâand why it's been a part of his sound all along.
Interview by Rob Kenner (@boomshots)
Hey Snoop.
How you doinâ loved one?
Iâve been blessed to hear these sounds today.
Itâs a good thing. itâs a transformation that was necessary, thatâs needed, thatâs well worked for. You know when you do so much in the industry you get to a certain point where you feel like, âWhat else can I do?â As far as rap is concerned thereâs not much I can do I ainât done already. I done records with friends, some records that will never die. Done this, that, that⌠But itâs like, I havenât done what I really want to do.
As far as rap is concerned thereâs not much I can do I ainât done already. I done records with friends, some records that will never die. Done this, that, that⌠But itâs like, I havenât done what I really want to do.
If you listen to my music I play in my dressing room whenever you hang out with me, itâs normally R&B or slow jamsâand reggae is right in that lane. I need that. I need to have something that I can project and just go that way.
Instead of me saying Iâm gonna do an R&B record and sing, I said Iâm gonna do reggae. And it pushed me in that direction. Because the spirit called me.
People been asking âHow does a Dogg change to a Lion.â But if you listen carefully, Iâve been hearing the Dogg-a-muffin style for a minute now.
Always been there.
If I go back to a record like âThe Day The Niggaz Took Over,â you say âBla-Blam, blam to them boneâŚ.â
Listen to the sounds from a nigga Doggy Dogg/Budy-bye-bye/Dr. Dre, him bust gunshots / Diggity Daz and RBX them bust gunshots / Come again now.â
Where was that coming from? We hear about G-Funk and the LBC and the Cali sound, but where were you hearing that reggae and dancehall sound?
You know what? It was a cat named Prince Ital Joe. He had a shop right next to Solar Records where we was making The Chronic at. And he was our weed guy and he was our friend and he was a reggae artist. But he was a weed man and a homie and all that.
He was about that life.
He was a gangsta. And I used to hang out with him. You know, hanging out with him, he rubbed off on me. Certain songs just made me just wanna justâyouknow Iâm sayinâreggae it out. I donât know why. I just did it. It just felt like I could do it.
So he was spitting that type of flavor too. Is that him on the Tupac record âHail Maryâ?
Yeah thatâs him. Thatâs him on a song with me and Tupac called âStreet Life.â Itâs an underground song that we never released. Itâs an R&B song.
What about Dre? Does Dre fuck with reggae too?
Remember Dre had Prince Admiral D on the N.W.A album.
Okay, so that reggae sound has been there all along.
Itâs in there.
I always knew I was a leader. I was a good leader, but I needed information to make sure that I was leading people to the light as opposed to the darkness.
Even though people act like itâs brand new.
Itâs been a part of what we do. Itâs just never been in the foreground. Itâs always been in the background.
And plus youâre not just bringing the sound now, youâre bringing the meditation behind it too.
Yeah, the whole way of life, the livity of it all. The beginning. The happiness. The struggle. You know, the whole function of the scene. Thatâs why it was important for us to go there and get it as opposed to just making a record and trying to project that vibe from L.A. or New York.
I havenât seen the documentary yetâwere you challenged by anyone down there? Cause Jamaica donât give a fuck. You could be a big star or just someone coming off the boat.
Nah, I had one half of a problem. Let me explain the problem, it wasnât even a real problem. What it was, I had went to visit some motherfuckers on this street. And one of my fans came onto the street and he had a barbershop that was maybe two houses away. He wanted me to stop what I was doing to come into his barbershop cause he got a picture of Tupac and me in there. So he like, âMotherfucker, Iâm your number one fan. Come over to my spot, blah blah blah.â I had to lightweight give him some game. âIâll see you when I see you. Iâm not here to see you. Have a seat. And take a ticket. Or matter of fact take a picture.â
Instagram that shit.
You know what we do.
But on a spiritual level, it sounds like you had some real intense conversations with the Rasta elders. What was the biggest insight that you gained from reasoning with the older dreads?
Direction. You know. Cause we always seek to find information. And where to get information and direction. When you accept the role of leader, you have to know why youâre leading and where youâre leading. And I didnât know. I always knew I was a leader. I was a good leader, but I needed information to make sure that I was leading people to the light as opposed to the darkness.
You were a leader from day one. But if you heard a song like âNo Guns Allowedâ back in those â187â days, would you have embraced that message?
Nope. Nope. Cause I had a gang of guns. Fuck that. If I didnât have none I was gonna get it poppinâ. It was like that. But that was then. You know, you canât change then from now. That made me who I am. If I didnât go through that to see the effects of having [a gun], the dangers of what it does when you got em. I understand now. I could play both sides of itâthe one with it, the one without. And Iâm telling you the one without is the one. Itâs what you put out, what you project. When I move with it, Iâm lookinâ for it. When I move without it I ainât looking for it. Itâs not even on my mindâŚ
It frees up your whole spirit.
That was my train of thought.
Youâve been calling yourself âBob Marley reincarnatedâ for a minute now. Itâs not just on this recordâgoing back to The Neptunes Present: Clonesyou have used that line. What did th m
One thing about certain writers, they write reality. Like when I was writing with Tupac for example, whatever he wrote happened.
ean to you back then? And what does it mean now?
It meant the same thing to me right now, itâs just I didnât know that it meant that. One thing about certain writers, they write reality. Like when I was writing with Tupac for example, whatever the fuck he wrote happened.
Pac was like that.
He was like that. And it was like when you write with him, then you projecting the same shit. Itâs like you start to see it happen. And you say, âHold on, I donât think Iâm gonna die in this song right here. I think my character gonna live.â You know what Iâm sayin? When you young, you ainât conscious. Youâre just writing the truth. You donât know if youâre gonna live. So you just write the worst shit. Cause you know motherfuckers can relate to the worst as opposed to a superhero. Then it comes to life.
The Rastas say âWord Sound and Power.â
Yeah mon.
The record that grabbed me was âFruit Juice.â What is that record about?
You got the people thatâs in the studio doing they thing. And you got the tasty juices and fruits and whatnot. Music come on and they clowning around and come up with it. Before you know it they got the words and they played it for me. Iâm like, âIâll lay it down. To me itâs a healthy song. Itâs about drinking fruit juices and being with my empress. Celebrating love and life and putting the right things inside of you. Despite it sounding like a banger, itâs a message in there. You listen to it.
Take it back to the essence. And now youâre also going to be planting fruits in the streets of Jamaica so the youths can get a taste of that juice.
And it wasnât even meant like that. I didnât even know. It seems like it was all scripted but it ainât.
Look like the things you write are coming true now.
Yes. See how it revolves?