Snoop Dogg changes his name to Snoop Lion after a spiritual rebirth in Jamacia

[Guest Len B'stard]

Snoop Lion?

Dumbest thing I've ever heard.

Not any dumber than your fuckin' religion darlin'

[The Sandman]

Fair play to him...

[Johnny Drama]

Really wish Snoop would give it up. The perfect example of someone who keeps peddling trash when he supposed to be a legend in his field. Him and Dre should have never left each others side. Doggystyle was his best work followed by The Chronic. Every thing else has been questionable.

[Johnny Drama]

That was necessary Lenny.

[Guest Len B'stard]

That was necessary Lenny.

No it weren't, thats someones religion as well, if you're gonna get so tarty when someone has a pop at yours maybe you should be just as careful when commenting about someone elses.

It's dumb cuz a guy has a spiritual awakening, why? Perhaps it's cuz they're one fifth human or whatever that bollocks was and Rastafarianism is an afroccentric faith.

For all the stick she's gotten for being a member of a young faith that some people think is a bit kooky she should perhaps be a little more sensitive, no?

Edited August 1, 2012 by sugaraylen

[Johnny Drama]

I think she was specifically taking the piss out of the name nothing further...but really man you buying this shit? I dont got nothing against the Rastas but Snoop just seems full of it. Yeah funny how he has a spiritual awakening with the religion that advocates smoking weed. And Snoop Lion? That's just so like attention drawing. If he wants to do some reggae on the side I reckon there a million things better he could call it. Fuckin the Long Beach Lion or some shit would be better than something as half baked as Snoop Lion.

Yeah Shankar whatever groovy man.

[Guest Len B'stard]

I think she was specifically taking the piss out of the name nothing further...but really man you buying this shit? I dont got nothing against the Rastas but Snoop just seems full of it. Yeah funny how he has a spiritual awakening with the religion that advocates smoking weed. And Snoop Lion? That's just so like attention drawing. If he wants to do some reggae on the side I reckon there a million things better he could call it. Fuckin the Long Beach Lion or some shit would be better than something as half baked as Snoop Lion.

Yeah Shankar whatever groovy man.

Well even if it was, the names a religious thing also, Lion of Judah and all that. Am i buying it, y'know what, actually i am...and I'm not sure why, i probably wouldn't usually but...i dunno, something gives me the feeling that he's on the level with it, whether he'll stay that way for good is something else.

Also, a lot happened in his life, him mate Nate popping his clogs, growning up a bit, he's a father, he's crackin' 40 and he says he's bored of hip hop and i don't blame him, he's been bangin' out albums of this stuff and spelling and re-spelling and re-re-spelling his name and all that Gangsta shit and it's like...i can see how it would be getting on his tits.

Also, there was always more to him than just rap/hip hop? He's a funk kid, he's into his fuckin' Al Green/Marvin Gaye type stuff and it was starting to reflect in his albums although the funk thing is almost part of his identity, you could sorta see he was getting bored of hip hop. Jesus, there was a country song with Willie Nelson on one of his last albums so, y'know, the pointers have been there for quite a while that the guys kinda...searching for something more creatively.

And then, in these trouble times, pretty much middle aged now, i can see why someone like him, with all the riches etc might look at something like Rastafari and have his eyes opened by it. And y'know, wanting to make music that his kids and grandparents would listen to, i can see how a man entering his 40s having done what Snoops been up to so far, i can see why he might wanna do that.

And yeah you can look at the ganja angle sceptically or you can look at it like, OK, he's smoked weed all his life, the guys had an inclination to it for decades, it's got to amount something more than like...some fuckin' stoner thing for him, it's a part of his life, he recognises the value of and the positive benefit of this thing that has been with him through the majority of his life and then there's this religion espousing it as a sacrement, it'd make a lot of things make sense I imagine.

And if he'd've gone out and made some fuckin' hardcore slack Dancehall reggae i might've looked at it like, y'know, OK, ahhhh, so this is just basically like Jamaican Snoop, rapping about pussy and all that shit but he's not, the songs like a Rastafari song, not exactly your fuckin' drum bangin' Nyabinghi stuff but it's still pretty rasta-ccentric and thats a pretty drastic thing to do as a rapper, to go off into like, skankin' reggae and sing about all that stuff, it could be considered career suicide if it falls on it's face but the man doesn't seem to care, all these things mean something to me.

I have an immense amount of empathy for the Rastafarian religion i think it's very very misunderstood and maligned and considered by, frankly quite ignorant and stupid people, as some excuse for a bunch of black guys in woolly hats to smoke a lot of ganja, there is a lot more to Rastafari than just smoking gear.

It does all make a lot of sense though, how it might come about at this point in his life, y'know? And i'm not sure about the details but he was given the name Lion by a tribal elder, it's not something he woke up and decided if i'm not mistaken.

Edited August 1, 2012 by sugaraylen

[Haters Gonna Hate]

Snoop Lion?

Dumbest thing I've ever heard.

Not any dumber than your fuckin' religion darlin'

[Estranged Reality]

merged.

lenny, i don't think she was mocking the religious aspect, and probably didn't realize what the lion part of his name was a reference to, so let's not get too off-topic with a religion debate, yeah?

[Guest Len B'stard]

Isn't that what the topics about though, Snoop going Rastafari?

[Estranged Reality]

Isn't that what the topics about though, Snoop going Rastafari?

i guess there's some relevance but try not to outright call someone's religion dumb at least? that's what i was referring to when i said i don't think chloe understood the religious connotation of the lion in his name...

[Nobodys_Fault]

Really wish Snoop would give it up.

Well he sort of is... if by "it" you mean rap music. I don't know a great deal about reggae but to me the new song is basically just Snoop switching out the lyrics of

and Major Lazer cranking the knobs up in the mix a bit.

I can respect the change though. In the video it sounds like he's just sick of all the guns and hustlin' bullshit.

[Johnny Drama]

Well if that's the case, good. Because barely anyone buys his shit anymore. Hes just like an icon and that's it.

[Nobodys_Fault]

New song:

I'm liking this one a lot better than the first effort.

[izzygirl]

Don't do drugs, kids!

[sweetness]

if you're an athiest and outspoken against religion in general, what makes rastafarians any less idiotic than mormons, catholics, jews, or muslims? because they have dreadlocks and get stoned?

[Guest Len B'stard]

if you're an athiest and outspoken against religion in general, what makes rastafarians any less idiotic than mormons, catholics, jews, or muslims? because they have dreadlocks and get stoned?

Was that directed at me?

[CheapJon]

if you're an athiest and outspoken against religion in general, what makes rastafarians any less idiotic than mormons, catholics, jews, or muslims? because they have dreadlocks and get stoned?

Rastafarians hates homosexuality. Sex between two men in Jamaica can put the guys (gays) in jail for 10 years.

So yeahhh... They're pretty fucking retarded.

[Guest Len B'stard]

if you're an athiest and outspoken against religion in general, what makes rastafarians any less idiotic than mormons, catholics, jews, or muslims? because they have dreadlocks and get stoned?

Rastafarians hates homosexuality. Sex between two men in Jamaica can put the guys (gays) in jail for 10 years.

So yeahhh... They're pretty fucking retarded.

Thats if you make it to the courts, they're probably more likely to kill you in the fuckin' street. But uh, this law is a direct result of colonialism, it was bought over by the English and installed there, as well as bringing the good ol' Bible along. So yeah, whoose fault is it that that laws there? You can call em retarded all you like but hey, the west flies across the world bringing "civilisation" to the barbarians and then suddenly, 50 years down the line they change their mind and say, well, actually, thats not civilised at all well unfortunately you don't have the liberty to do that, especially when the people in question have effectively swallowed the pill that you gave em hook line and sinker.

I find it highly amusing that this side of the world thinks it has the right to dictate...and then revise morality for the rest of the world at it's own convenience, the western media slagging off that particular aspect of Jamaican culture needs to look and see where it comes from.

Why do Rastafarians hate homosexuality? Cuz they follow The Bible, how did The Bible get over there? Hmmm...quite frankly the arrogance of the west is ridiculous, it was only 40 or so years ago that it was illegal over here too, the west itself is still wrangling with the concept of homosexual union, is it legal for gays to be married all over these parts yet? Funny how we make all the fuckin' noise for them to legalise homosexuality when we ain't even properly adjusted to it in all walks of life ourselves.

You can't fly and float around the world offering whole truths in the name of divinity and then turn around a few years later and go "we'll have to revise that!", the peoples are gonna turn around and go "no, fuck you, this is the word of God!", just cuz you flip flop on your beliefs when it's convenient doesn't mean everyone else does.

Edited December 6, 2012 by sugaraylen

[The Linguini Occurrence]

In general I don't believe musicians should change their name, they should stay true to themselves. Look at Lenny Kravitz for instance, he realized "Romeo Blue" was an insult to his heritage and especially to his uncle (Leonard M. Kravitz) who was a war hero. Sure his real name isn't exactly glamorous, but it's who he is and if somebody doesn't like him as a musician or a person just because of his name then that person isn't worth caring about.

[izzygirl]

In general I don't believe musicians should change their name, they should stay true to themselves. Look at Lenny Kravitz for instance, he realized "Romeo Blue" was an insult to his heritage and especially to his uncle (Leonard M. Kravitz) who was a war hero. Sure his real name isn't exactly glamorous, but it's who he is and if somebody doesn't like him as a musician or a person just because of his name then that person isn't worth caring about.

I think Lenny Kravitz is a pretty "cool" name... who in the hell can think Romeo Blue is a better name?!

It's like "The Artist" or whatever his name is now. I mean, you're Prince, deal with it.

[sweetness]

if you're an athiest and outspoken against religion in general, what makes rastafarians any less idiotic than mormons, catholics, jews, or muslims? because they have dreadlocks and get stoned?

Was that directed at me?

not necessarily, I've seen a lot of people (its worth noting that all of them were huge potheads) from school who were anti religion but for some reason they thought rastafari was alright

But yeah, since you attacked somebody for their dumb beliefs (religion) and seem to be defending some other dumb beliefs (religion) lets say that was directed at you.

[Guest Len B'stard]

Rastafari, i dunno whether the few potheads you knew were actually really into the religious aspect of it, is a very like...militant strict rigid religion, a lot more than many modern mutations of the big three, it's not something that can just be nodded along too.

I wasn't attacking dumb beliefs and defending others, alls i said was they ain't any dumber than yours, that ain't one being defended, thats both being called equally dumb.

I guess i just find Rastafari interesting because it's just so out there, y'know? When you got reference points to things they're more easily grasped and understood and Rastafari was one of those things where, to me it was always just a cool thing but the morer i got into the music the morer i had to like, understand the religion to understand the music cuz a lot of the pure reggae is pretty much just religious music. And then to discover that it's all related back to like, the bible and stuff, it was really interesting, to see like, all these different interpretations of what was written in them. I find Christianity just as fascinating, same with Hinduism and Buddhism and Judaism, it's why i've gone about reading the texts of em at various points in my life.

But Rastafari is like...i hate the way it's considered like, a joke? And it's usually by ignorant people who don't know thing one about it other than owning Bob Marleys greatest hits or some such stupidity. It's a proper religion with strict rules about everything from personal hygiene to diet and it is derived variously from some of the most aincent texts out there...and it's all pulled in from various parts of the world. Like they believed the Emporer of Ethiopia Hallie Sellassie was the second coming of Christ, they believe in growing your hair, facial and head hair (of which there is mention in the bible as well as various aspects of Hinduism and even Islamic Sufism, the beard stuff and all that)...or like the way they only eat like pure unprocessed food...or like, a lot of em don't eat meat either? The herb, the ganja, they believe is reference to like, how in the Old Testament the prophets before they communicated to God use to burn insence to get em in like...a meditative state, they believe the state of being high is like...where you need to get to to pray.

Basically, the entire thing comes from allegorical and literal interpretations of The Old Testament, every little bit of it.

I'd be lying to you if i wasn't initially drawn to it by the image of like, local Jamaican rastas and rudeboys and how they looked/talked and acted cool but then everything we're drawn to initially is like, y'know, some kinda childish less cerebral reason....but i got a lot of respect for the religion now, have had for many years and it's not nice to see people who more that likely don't know thing one about it and worst still, people with like, some boil-in-the-bag little shred of information that scoff and take the piss out of it, whilst holding Christianity or one of the other big three or all of em or all of em and others in such high regard and look down on Rastafari when it ain't really a lot different from those others and if those others deserve respect then so does rastafari.

I think it comes from a lot of this like...western ignorance where like, it's synonymous with weed which is an illegal drug but see, the plant existed and was used and utlised by the human race before the fuckin' law making it illegal, you know what i mean? The law shouldn't define the plant in terms of peoples understanding of it and it's importance to certain cultures, do you get what i'm trying to say, i'm not explaining this well but...OK, Rastafari is kinda tainted in the eyes of not very well informed people who think it is some kind of excuse to get high which is pretty fuckin' insulting to me and i ain't even a rastafarian, in short, to put it in plainer words than most people are comfortable these days, these types of people are basically of the opinion that Rastafari is just a bunch of thick n****** looking for an excuse to get high, thats why it's scoffed at and looked at like it is...a lot of that has to do with it being quite a new religion and as such people are a little sceptical of it but something that deals with the eternal should not be tainted by bullshit man-made laws that are little more than 100 years old banning this herb from the planet, reducing it's followers to like, the level of high school morons wanting to smoke bongs or something.

And especially if you are of a religion that is considered kinda wacky as well, you should perhaps be a little more considerate, especially when you know what that shits like from the way you been treated by other people and their judgements of your shit. Thats alls i was trying to say, wasn't trying to say that one religion is smarter and the other is thick, just saying, on paper, neither one is particularly dumber than the other as far as sounding fantastical and unbelievable is concerned.

Edited December 6, 2012 by sugaraylen

[Nobodys_Fault]

The Rastafari movement to me seems to be another case of an oppressed people turning to religion and concluding that they are the 'chosen ones.' At the bedrock of every religion is that desire to be special and Rastafari isn't a great deal different. It's really another re-imagining of the Bible but with Africans as God's chosen people and heaven being a physical place on earth - Ethiopia. I don't think they really refer to themselves as a religion as such though; beliefs and customs differ from group to group and there's no real hierarchical structure.

As a sub-culture they produce some interesting tunes and luckily enough I don't have to share their beliefs to enjoy it.

[Guest Len B'stard]

Spot on, i mean, in a nutshell they think they're the real jews, don't they?