One can’t exactly be sure if Snoop Dogg ever gave a damn what you thought. His attitude in interviews, and on record, and as a guest verse, has always been one of laid-back overconfidence. His swagger and vibes didn’t question much of anything outside of his status as a great MC and a great lover- presumably.
Now Snoop Dogg is well into middle-aged. Right smack in the middle of life, 40, Snoop Dogg announces he is rebranding himself as a reggae artist akin to Damian Marley, whose recent reggae-rap collaboration with MC ‘Nas’ has garnered rave attention, and excellent songs.
Trying to kindle his own fire, Snoop Dogg is changing his name to Snoop Lion.
Now whether the name is a temporary change for a single album, or a permanent change reflecting his new carnation, is yet to be known. Snoop released a collection of electronic songs under the moniker DJ Snoopadelic that sounded like Snoop Dogg would sound if one was on acid.
Which makes me think- what IS Snoop on? Snoopadelic?
Regardless, the new carnation will become fully unveiled in Snoop Lion’s upcoming LP, “Reincarnated.” The album is expected to drop late 2012, but my bets are on a spring 2013 release.
It is worth noting that Snoop Dogg released a sequel to his famed debut album, Doggystyle, in 20122. The album was called “The Doggumentary,” and though it was a solid addition to his canon, it gathered little in fanfare and may have added to his desire to change his style uniformly.
Snoop Lion is not the first individual to change his name mid-career. Prince changed his to “(literally add a weird religious symbol here), as did rapper Mos Def to Yasiin Bey and Puff Daddy to the much less interesting P. Diddy.
None of these have worked- for anyone. Let’s hope Snoop Dogg’s reincarnation works in his favor, or else we’ll see another sequel to his debut album: Doggystyle: The Re-Reincarnation.
