Documentary Dish: Snoop Dogg Gets ‘Reincarnated’ in VICE’s Latest Film

By Katherine Fotinos March 11,2013

Here’s the scoop: Snoop Dogg has replaced his canine persona with that of a lion, become obsessed with Rastafarian culture, and most baffling of all, he claims to be done with rap. Confused yet? Having grown up with the gangster-esque, California-loving rhymes of the “Drop It Like It’s Hot” artist, we were too. His seemingly sudden change of heart, however, has more depth behind it than meets the eye. In Vice Films’ Reincarnated, global editor and director Andy Capper captures the dispositional alterations and emotional truths of Snoop Lion, formally known as Snoop Dogg, as he travels through Jamaica on a journey of change and growth. Looking to shed his violent rap past as the ‘Dogg,’ which he opens up about along the way in a series of genuine and honest moments, Snoop Lion partners with world famous producer, Diplo, to make a reggae album that pays tribute to the legacy of peace and harmony as practiced by the Rastafarian culture. Along the way he learns exactly what that means with the help of the Niyabinghi community, the fathers of reggae music, and some all natural marijuana.

Glam caught up with the man behind the film, Andy Capper, to talk about how Snoop went from hanging with rap’s finest in Long Beach to reggae’s all-stars in Kingston, and the reincarnation he underwent along the way.

Q:	How did you first connect with Snoop to make this collaboration happen?
A:	So he came to us. He was a fan of movies like The Vice Guide to Liberia which was made three years ago, and Heavy Metal in Baghdad. And when we heard we were like, really, we’d be working with Snoop? That’s great for us. So we had a meeting, like what do you guys want to do, how do you want to make this record with Diplo and what do you want this film to be about…stuff like that. And for three weeks, we started working everyday and I had the opportunity to go a bit further and make his life story to see his motivations for making this record real.
Q:	When Snoop changed his name to Snoop Lion his fans were a little confused, but this film does a great job in explaining it. What was your initial reaction to the premise of the film, though?
A:	When he said he wanted to make a reggae album I thought it was a bit weird. Then I examined what had happened to him in the last few years of his life and when I got to meet him it was plain that things had really happened to him, things like Nate Dogg, stuff with his family, death. So this was something that had been a long time coming.
Q:	Anyone you were particularly excited to meet during the journey?
A:	Definitely Bunny Wailer. And to meet the Niyabinghis. They’re the oldest sect of Rastas in the world. I was the first ever white person to be allowed into their temple. That was one of the best things I’ve ever shot, of all the crazy things I’ve shot. That five hour ceremony in the temple was crazy. I loved it.
Q:	Did you ever find it difficult to keep Snoop focused during the film? How was he as a subject?
A:	Pretty good! He’s a mega star, he’s one of the most recognized people in the world. And I’ve never worked so closely with someone with that level of fame. We discussed how deep we wanted to go into things like his motivation and his family, and he was like an open book. There were only two things he skipped that he didn’t want to do.
Q:	We loved seeing Snoop Lion on camera. Does he have any films in the future? Is he interested in directing?
A:	He wants to do a lot of stuff! There are a couple of projects we talked about working on together. Snoop just works all the time. He’s constantly working, constantly hustling. I’ve never seen him take a day off!