"I'm wise, or a bit wiser, like Budweiser," a clearly high Snoop Dogg states when discussing how age has effected his music and his career. At this point, the iconic rapper has gone on to loathe the kind of music he made for over two decades and wants to assume a more insightful, relaxed state with the thesis of getting along and promoting love and happiness. He is inspired by Bob Marley to become "Snoop Lion," a peaceful reggae singer who sings about "peace, love and the struggle - the reincarnation." His film, Reincarnated, named after and paired alongside the release of his twelfth album of the same name, details Snoop's trip to Jamaica where he becomes more acquainted with the reggae lifestyle and the natives of the land. This entire expedition could be viewed as a nice cultural immersion exercise for Snoop, but it is clearly more about finding motivation when you're beginning to enter that stage where what you've done really isn't what you view as admirable or impacting. Of course, Snoop's contributions to the lyricism of the rap game are irrevocable and certainly revolutionary, but he sees himself as someone who can provide something better and more substantial. He wants to adopt a life of a reggae singer to hopefully become the one to promote about such aforementioned topics of life in a new and delightful way.
I've had the pleasure of hearing some of Snoop's latest tracks and I regard them with stunning positivity. Reggae is my least favorite musical genre, for I do not smoke or indulge in anything remotely close to the Rastafarian culture. However, Snoop's music really lives up to his thesis of giving listeners an outlet to connect with that focuses on peace, love, and the struggle of life. "No Guns Allowed" has the medley and message to allow its presence in a gospel church, "Remedy" is a wonderful little tune, and "Lighters Up," a song talking about raising the lighters to the sky and unifying the different "sides" of town, is one of my favorite songs I've heard all year.
Snoop touches on past demons in his life, upon seeking out new, healthier outlets of inspiration. He talks about the conflicts he had with himself at a young age, being lured into the game of drug dealing as a teenager. When feeling some might regard him negatively for his choices, he states, "I was makin' $80 a week at my regular job and $1,500 a night on the streets. What would you do?" This quote is germane to an essay I wrote not long ago called "On the Outside Looking In: The Hunger for Acceptance in a Hopeless Place," which dealt with the struggles of those in poverty.
But I digress, Snoop's charisma and charm is enough to carry any formal documentary on the rapper-turned-reggae-artist's indelible achievements on the music game as a whole. Even when he discusses the darker side of his career and life (which dealt with not only drugs but the loss of his best friend Tupac Shakur) he maintains a disposition that appears wholly unbreakable even in times of an incredible struggle.
This is why Reincarnated is such a successful documentary. It paints its lead target as sensitive and just compassionate enough to where we not only like him and respect him, but see his true motivations and feelings as genuinely tender. I'd go as far to recommend Reincarnated to those uninterested in rap/reggae in general. Just like for its leading man, it's a divine cultural experience at the very least.
Starring: Snoop Lion. Directed by: Andy Capper.
