Album Review: Snoop Lion - Reincarnated

The fact that hip hop's roots lie in Jamaica has been endlessly documented; over the years MCs have often embraced this heritage and tried their hand (with varied results) at Jamaican patois: Heavy D, KRS-1, Foxxy Brown and Pusha T to name just a few. The latest is the incorrigible Snoop Dogg, a (no doubt weed-soaked) trip to Jamaica leading to the creation of a new identity – Snoop Lion, and an entire dub reggae/dancehall-based album. Being that Snoop has long been more of a cartoon character than serious musician, he has acquired the freedom to take flights of fancy, exploring everything from commercial dance to country. As the only MC in the world who would not be laughed out of town for attempting to sing in a Jamaican accent across an entire album, he brings us Reincarnated.

Acting or not, it would be wrong to suggest that Snoop has approached this as some half-arsed joke. He has obviously studied the genre closely to learn its history and various strains; he's even had the whole damn thing produced by the kings of modern dancehall fusion, Diplo and his Major Lazer crew. For these reasons Snoop has come up with some undeniably eerie moments, including the sexy, winding first single La La La and darkly beautiful No Guns Allowed. Heading down a path of righteousness and unity where it would have been easy to slip into yardie gun-talk, Snoop Lion has made a statement with Reincarnated; and though there are a few absolute stinkers on board, he has, with the help of some heavyweight friends, rolled up a surprisingly palatable experiment.