The Tribune

By LESH

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

Top news from around the world: The Bahamas found gold in its 4x400m men’s Olympic team and Snoop Dogg changed his name to Snoop Lion.

According to international media reports, Snoop Lion informed his fans that he is tired of hip-hop music and looking to be reborn.

He now sees himself as Bob Marley reincarnated, embracing reggae instead of the culture of guns he once rapped about.

The “Drop it like it’s hot,” and “Gin and Juice” rapper said he was “born again” after a visit to Jamaica sometime in February. He said he is ready to make music that his children and grandparents can appreciate.

“The former gangster rapper is releasing a reggae album called “Reincarnated” in the fall. He said that in Jamaica, he connected with Bob Marley’s spirit and is now “Bob Marley reincarnated”.

“I feel like I’ve always been Rastafarian,” Snoop said of the spiritual Jamaican movement. While there, he said, he visited a Nyabinghi temple and was renamed Snoop Lion and was also given the Ethiopian name Berhane, meaning “light of the world.”

In Ya Ear spoke to a number of Bahamians about Snoop’s name change. Some feel Snoop is “going through a phase”; others took exception to Snoop’s comparison to Bob Marley.

“I think its retarded because when you go with one genre, I say stick with it. I mean, you are already too old to be having multiple identities.

Because last year I remember going to a concert where he was DJ Snoopadelic,” Stanton said, adding his views.

Taylor, another music lover said: “It is not that I don’t believe whatever it is he is doing, I just think he goes and lives in phases. I mean first he was gangster, then he portrayed himself to be a pimp, now he wants to go Bob Marley. I mean all of these phases were believable mind you, but I don’t think it is as serious as people are making it out to be.”

According to Megan, Snoop has simply “lost his mind.” She said the rapper can only be bored with life to actually think he can be reincarnated as Bob Marley.

“How could he even possibly think that he could actually be mentioned in the same sentence as the legend.  And his new name is Snoop Lion? At least if he wanted to cross over to reggae he should have called himself something else. I am interested in hearing this first song he releases under Snoop Lion. Then I can truly say if he has lost the little bit of sense he had,” said Megan.

With similar views, Kristy added: “First of all, there is only and will only be one Bob Marley.

Snoop Dogg is good at what he does or should I say did, in his past time. But to say you want to reincarnate Bob Marley is simply ridiculous. This is a legend we are talking about and he is no where close to that. I respect his drive into trying something new, but I think he should have started small this go around, this is just my opinion.”

Taking to blog sites and interviews, celebrities also weighed in on Snoop’s decision to transform. Rapper Wiz Khalifa said it might be new for people now, but they will eventually get it. He said: “Snoop just takes everybody on a journey with him and he’s just got the gift of inspiring so many minds to just want to dig into whatever he’s into at that time.”

Rapper 50 cent said he thinks it is interesting, Snoop’s name change. He said: “Of course, there will be some people who connect to it and there will be some people that run from it. I don’t know how his little league team’s parents will feel about his new persona. But again, it’s a persona. These are the choices he’s created for himself creatively. And, you know, I think it will work.”