Reincarnated

"They want me to rap, but I don't wanna rap. What else can I do in the rap world?" Thus Calvin Broadus, Jr., the artist formerly known as Snoop Dogg, adopts the majestic new music-world moniker "Snoop Lion." In this close-up documentary by director Andy Capper, we follow Snoop on his month-long pilgrimage to Jamaica as he embarks on "a journey of reincarnation of self" that is equal parts career reinvention and spiritual reinvention. Intending to leave his rap career behind him, Snoop partners with wunderkind producer Diplo to make a reggae record titled Reincarnated. As the elders of the Niyabinghi community share with him the importance of peace, oneness with nature and brotherhood, these experiences are manifested in the recording studio. Delving into the legacy of Rastafari music culture, Snoop visits Trench Town, the birthplace of reggae and one-time stomping grounds of luminaries Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, and the still living Bunny Wailer. This is an extraordinary look at Snoop in transition—trading violence for peace, replacing "Murder Was The Case" with "No Guns Allowed"—Reincarnated shows the Dogg becoming the Lion he feels he was destined to be.