Snoop Dogg’s recent conversion to Rastafarianism and reggae music – under the daft moniker of Snoop Lion – has drawn fire from some sectors of the Rasta community, who accuse the erstwhile rapper of dilettantism and broken promises. But you wouldn’t know it from this slick, artist-approved documentary puff piece. It follows Snoop as he travels to Jamaica, cobbles his ersatz, skank-friendly LP together and attempts to connect with reggae’s past (well, Bob Marley’s past; he doesn’t seem interested in any other artists).
There are frequent nods to Snoop’s own violent history – filtered through the rose-tinted haze of his Selassie-inspired spiritual rebirth, of course – and extensive footage of former collaborator Nate Dogg’s 2011 funeral (scored, bizarrely, by Spiritualized’s ‘Cool Waves’), all intended to provoke sympathy for this unarguably charismatic individual. But some aspects – notably an interview with Louis Farrakhan, and Snoop’s ongoing fascination with pimping – leave a sour taste. Snoop Lion converts will gobble up ‘Reincarnated’, but fans of the old Dogg aren’t going to fall for this new trick.