Snoop Lion, formerly known as Snoop Dogg, announced his embracement of the Rastafarian way of life following a visit to Jamaica in 2012. While there he took part in reasoning sessions with Rastafarian elders, among them The Wailers’ sole living founding member Bunny Wailer. The elders’ insights prompted Snoop to bury the Dogg and take on the lion. Leonine references are prominent in Rastafari and roots reggae lyrics because The Conquering Lion of Judah was one of the titles bestowed upon Rastafarian Deity Haile Selassie I when he ascended to the throne of Ethiopian Emperor on November 2, 1930.
Snoop, born in 1971, has declared himself the reincarnation of Bob Marley who passed away in 1981. A feature-length documentary, “Reincarnated,” detailing Snoop’s Jamaica sojourn and spiritual transformation was released in March. His reggae album of the same name, recorded mostly during his Jamaica trip, drops today (April 23), when Rastafarians in Jamaica, coincidentally, solemnly observe the 47th anniversary of Haile Selassie I’s only visit to the island, April 21-23, 1966.