Snoop Lion & Gyptian free-styling on Witty's remake of King Jammy's Magic Moment Riddim called "Kuff". The session took place LIVE on Randy's Reggae Radio - the official online radio station of VP Records. Snoop Lion was at VP Records Retail Store promoting the release of his new album, Reincarnated.
The “Lighters Up” singer opened up about his love for reggae music long before venturing in the genre from Jamaica.
“It was always something that I love that I never got enough of,” Snoop Lion said. “You know like you can love something that you can’t get enough of because the neighbourhood would drown it out with rap music and R&B, but then you hear a few people playing it and you be like ‘what is that, that sound good.’”
When Bunny Wailer and Snoop Dogg-Lion met in Jamaica last year, Wailer said he would be more than happy to appear on Snoop’s first reggae album, as long as his conversion to Rastafarianism wasn’t being “commercialized.” In a recent interview with TMZ, he indicated in no uncertain terms that he felt Snoop had let him down. Via Rolling Stone:
Recently, however, Wailer came out against Snoop in a TMZ interview, decrying the Long Beach, California MC’s “outright fraudulent use of the Rastafari community’s personalities and symbolism” and his failure to meet “contractual, moral and verbal commitments.” Wailer’s contribution to the album was ultimately cut. Last week, Rolling Stone met with Snoop Lion in Los Angeles for an upcoming profile. During the discussion, he elaborated on his side of the fallout with Wailer.
Snoop responded in a new interview with Rolling Stone.
He’s speaking and the album isn’t out. That gave me fair warning to get this motherfucker off my shit. I have no insight what turned him. The people I visited at the Nyabinghi Temple aren’t speaking negative on me. They’re real Rastas. I went in there and filmed them, showed their whole get-down. Nobody did that before. If anyone, they should have complained – “He exploited us!” Why aren’t they saying that? To me, they have the most gripe to make. How did I exploit Bunny? I gave you a chance to be in my movie. My movie gonna be the shit with or without you. I’m gonna be the shit with or without you. I’m Snoop Dogg. Relevant right now.
It’s like, people take my kindness for weakness. In the Nineties, he could have never tried that because I’d have slapped the dog shit out of his old ass. How dare you? After all I’ve done for you? How dare you? You wasn’t the shit in the Wailers. You was just one of them: Bob, Peter Tosh, then you. They dead mean more than you do alive. You get the energy? When it should have been, 'Hey, this brother is putting me back in the light; I could possibly get on the road with him, be on his album, eat again. Let me get in line. This is Snoop Dogg; he’s already a star.’ It should have been, play along with me as opposed to stick me up. I’m gonna give you what you worth, but you not gonna stick me up.
Last month Snoop Lion, formerly Snoop Dogg, told NME that he may never do another reggae album in Jamaica due to issues with Bunny Wailer and members of the Rastafarian Millennium Council, who accused the rap icon of exploiting Rastafarian culture for profits.
It turns out that there is a deeper underlining reason why Snoop is turning his back on Jamaica, the island that changed his life forever.
An inside source at the Rastafarian Millennium Council exclusively told Urban Islandz that some unknown Rastafarians have been sending death threats to the rapper.
“Am not surprise Snoop don’t want to come back to Jamaica because I heard from good source that he has been getting death threats from rastas,” the source said, requesting anonymity.
“Rastafarian is about peace, love and unity, so these Rastas who are sending these threats are not members of the council,” the source added.
“Yes there were some issues with Snoop and the Council but we don’t address issues with violence, we love Snoop and we welcome him with open arms,” the source continues.
Snoop Lion was in Jamaica in February to shoot the video for “Lighters Up,” a collaborative single featuring Mavado and Popcaan that will appear on his upcoming album Reincarnated, due in stores on April 23.
The West Coast rap legend, turn reggae star, has not returned to Jamaica since and may never return.
Despite his issues with Bunny Wailer and the Rastafarian Millennium Council, Snoop Lion says he will continue to spread the Rastafarian message of peace and love.
His latest single is titled “No Guns Allowed” and features appearances from Drake and his daughter Cori B.
Since his 'reincarnation' Snoop has struggled to convince the Rastafari and Reggae community that he is sincere about his profession of, and transition to the faith, principles and beliefs of Rastafari. Most doubtful of them all is Bunny Wailer the only living member of the original Wailers
Wailer has always had his doubts about Snoop Lion's intent and now his scepticism has taken an even stronger stance, that of excommunication. Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it. Some groups use the term disfellowship instead.
The news was broken via Wailer's Facebook early Sunday (April 7) morning outlining what exactly excommunication entails:
"The word excommunication means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group. Excommunication may involve banishment, shunning, and shaming, depending on the religion, the offense that caused excommunication, or the rules or norms of the religious community."
Wailer told TMZ earlier in the year that his scepticism spawned from the docu-film "Reincarnated" ... which documented Snoop's immersion in the Rasta culture as he recorded his first reggae album in Jamaica last year.
Wailer claimed Snoop had engaged in "outright fraudulent use of Rastafari Community's personalities and symbolism" -- and has failed to meet "contractual, moral and verbal commitments." Leaders of the Ethio-Africa Diaspora Union Millennium Council also known as the Rastafari Millennium Council echoed Wailer's thoughts firing off a 7-page demand letter to Snoop criticizing his Rastafarian transformation.
They are asking Snoop to drop the "Lion" moniker and revert back to Dogg, as well as, issue an apology to the Rastafarian Community.
Failing to do so would result in a lawsuit against the rap icon…but it eventually led to excommunication.
Since news broke a few persons took to Facebook to express their thoughts on the situation. One person gushed "Rasta is the way of life for all black people not a religion, no one should tell anyone [what] you can't and can do. I don't agree with my elder Bunny, mind control need to be stopped and let Snoop choose his ancestors path without stopping him. If you need to be none or make headline write song not making headline like you are the one who will decide who will be rasta or not."
Another shared that "I love my Reggae music and as far as I am concern Snoop produces beautiful reggae style and lyrics. But as far as Rastafarian belief goes all I can say is that surely there must be other Rastafarian not only in Jamaica but in the world who have done worse. I know some people who have grown their crown, wear rasta clothes, and they are huge fans of Bob Marley but they do not praise or give thanks to H.I.M. They know nothing about his majesty emperor Haile Selassie I the first."
In a recent March-released NME article Snoop is quoted as having doubts with his Reggae career since being plagued with criticisms.
"That (the transformation) was a priceless moment. I definitely feel like I'm gonna make more music, but I don't know if I'm gonna go to Jamaica, I may wanna go somewhere else," he expressed further stating that "I may wanna venture into another part of the world. Some things you let them be what they are"
This "something different" could be anything from a location change to a genre jump.
"I'm just saying I don't know if I want to repeat the same process as far as going to Jamaica and making a reggae album," he says. "I may wanna go to another country and make a reggae album. I may wanna make a rap album. I don't know," he continued.
Snoop's Reincarnated album is set to be released April 23.
Rapper Snoop Lion has spoken out in favour of equality as the US Supreme Court debates California's ban on same-sex weddings, adding people should be free to do "as they please".
He told the Huffington Post: "People can do what they want and as they please ... Satisfy yourself accordingly. I have no issues with nobody, I live for me and I live my life doing what I do, so you should have the right to do whatever you want to do."
The 41-year-old musician - who embraced Rastafarianism and changed his name from Snoop Dogg last year - is one of a number of celebrities opposing the ban and hoping for it to be overturned.
Seth MacFarlane wrote to his Twitter followers on Tuesday (26.03.13): "Supreme Court, stop acting like cowards. Now IS the time for a broad ruling to make the leap into the 20th century. Sincerely, the 21st."
Snoop also spoke of his new culture, revealing he was "never nervous" about his time in Jamaica.
He added: "I'm never nervous. Always ready. Stay ready so I don't have to get ready. 'Nervous' has never been one of my traits. I like to be prepared and go do what I have to do. I love meeting pressure with performance."
Snoop Lion, aka Snoop Dogg, opens up about Tupac's legendary work ethic, revealing that he would record three songs in an hour, without listening to a single playback. Snoop believes that Tupac's voracious work ethic was due to the fact that Pac predicted his death, and knew that he was going to die close to the time he was shot.
They are based in California, United States, the ebony and ivory Reggae duo, Black Judah; Known by many Jamaicans for a number of singles but more notably a single featuring one of the genre’s popular artiste Warrior King, called Mercy Please. The song became a staple in Jamaica after receiving extensive airplay on several radio stations including the leading Reggae station, Irie FM. Thereafter it spent several weeks at number one on the Jamaica Music Countdown charts and peaked in the top five of several music and video charts locally.
Now Black Judah has returned with their long awaited collaboration with hip-hop mogul Snoop Dogg on a single produced by Atomic Record Label entitled, California Green. According to Dylan Judah, the song “is a real world story. It speaks about California lifestyle, the medicinal uses of the cannabis and its healing powers. ” However, explained Dylan, though legalized, “there is somewhat still a risk involved for those who bring the medicine to the people.”
Dylan is off the island but Sugar Black a native and son of the Jamaican soil is. Naturally, Sugar Black will make good of his trip making some one stops at his favourite spots or simply enjoy the sun, sea and sand but much focus is placed on promoting the new single. California Green somewhat connect California and Kingston in just about the same manner Black Judah is connected (they have something in common). The single, is a hardcore Reggae/Hip-Hop ballad that almost immediately intoxicate the listener with its viral content and rhythmic overtone. It’s the kind of song you keep hearing even when the music stops playing. The cool, smooth flow of Snoop Doog on the track also compliments the jam.
California Green is currently receiving a lot of airplay in Hawaii and is a crowd favourite at the festivals in California. The song is currently the most added on the College Music Journal and debut among the Top 20 Reggae songs on Itunes ranking a highest number 10. Plans to shoot a video for the single in August are well underway, and will definitely feature Snoop. Director Matt Alonzo has enjoyed multiple successes for videos he created that went number one on MTV. He has directed videos for international Hip-Hop/RnB artistes GAME, Soulja Boy and many more. Further to that Black Judah is currently in dialogue with rap artist E-40 for an upcoming collaboration. Throughout the '90s and into the decade, E-40 led a generation of Cali Bay Area rappers and attracted a large cult following of listeners that spread from the West Coast to the South. Known to coin a plethora of slang terms and experimented overdubbed vocals. E-40 longevity and sincerity has earned him many alliances, first among his Bay Area colleagues, then with Jive Records and numerous Dirty South camps, among them No Limit and Cash Money Records.
