Snoop Lion

The end of this month will mark a year since Snoop Dogg was rechristened Snoop Lion by a rastafarian priest in Jamaica. After spending a lovely weekend relaxing to the tunes of Bob Marley, I began to wonder, has Snoop Lion ever been told about the rastafari Babylon (how it is the modern western world)?  If I were to guess, I would guess that he might be the first rasta to ever really like Babylon...

I appreciate artists who keep their work fresh and have the drive to continue to create original music after a long and successful career. I also appreciate irony... especially when religious dogma is involved. Sadly, the combination of these two appreciations might just be a bit too much for me to handle. Snoop Lion's new 'Reincarnated' documentary and CD have been largely marketed, distributed and received by Babylon. While Bob Marley's records sold to the masses in the modern western world, his message and intentions were always true. When Snoop Lion released his new single featuring Miley Cirus, I began to question Snoop Lion's message and intentions.

Trailer for 'Reincarnated':

Snoop Lion's 'Ashtrays and Heartbreaks (featuring Miley Cyrus)':

I am impressed with Snoop Lion's song 'No Guns Allowed'. Snoop Lion used his new name and old fame to make a statement about gun violence. It is a profound statement when considering his previous persona as Snoop Dogg. And for that statement, kudos Snoop Lion!  The faux Jamaican accent however is odd... perhaps he hasn't learned yet that you can still be a rasta without it. I wonder if he's vegan...

A little trip down the name memory lane... 

Snoop Doggy Dogg's  'Who Am I (What's My Name)':

Snoop Dogg's 'Snoop Dogg (What's My Name Part 2)':

There is one thing I do know to be true: Bob Marley wrote GOOD music. He wrote music in the spirit of love, humanity, and civil rights. His beliefs were strong, and unquestionably well intended. As an inspirational rastafarian once said, "You can fool some people sometimes, but you can't fool all the people all the time."