Snoop Dogg has swapped singing about guns for a direct call to peace on his new album ‘Reincarnated’.
The rapper – who has recently rebranded himself as Snoop Lion – says his spiritual awakening to reggae music has influenced the kinds of messages he puts down in his lyrics and his new album will see him go from singing about gang warfare to promoting peace on tracks like ‘No Guns Allowed’.
The ‘Drop it Like it’s Hot’ hitmaker told MTV News: "Now you see me writing about ‘No Guns Allowed’ because..it’s about being a man and being strong and being powerful enough to try and educate and deter people from doing negative things in life."
"The world needs positivity and music that feels good. Because music is a relief. That’s what it does: It relives your pain, it relives anything that you’re going through.
"When you go to a club or go in your car and put on your music it’s for relief."
The controversial star – real name Calvin Broadus – wants to share his newfound positive attitude with fans and hopes they will be converted to the reggae lifestyle just as he was when he undertook a pilgrimage to Jamaica.
Snoop enthused: "My early memories of reggae music was always a room full a smoke and the way you dance to it, the way it was seductive and sexy.
"Underneath it all there was a message to it and you could hear the strength and the struggle. Its was a groove that was its own groove."