"“Snoop's enigmatic personality has not been left behind despite his shift in identity...”"

Snoop Dogg seems to have swapped 'strapping gats' and 'slappin' bitches' for love, peace and Rastafariasm, as we explore the rappers both commercial and spiritual transition from a canine to a feline, as he adopts the new name Snoop Lion, in Andy Capper's up close and personal documentary Reincarnated.

Famed for his carefree attitude, laid-back delivery and concise rhyming talent, Snoop (we'll just call him that to avoid confusion) has had a distinct change of heart, and following his disillusionment for the rap game, decides to head over to Jamaica and reinvent himself as a reggae artist under the guise “Snoop Lion”, immersing himself in Rastafarian culture. Reflecting on his career, his life and his friends gone but not forgotten, the hip hop legend bravely delves in to pastures new.

Although an ardent fan of Snoop's work, and forever in awe of the masterful and hugely influential 'Doggystyle' record, this latest venture does feel somewhat self indulgent (just don't tell him I said so). The problem is, Snoop changing his name and identity isn't something that audiences are particularly fussed about. Perhaps as a short half an hour piece of television this could have some scope to it, but a full feature length film seems to be a step too far. That said, and in Capper's defence, we do delve into various aspects of Snoop's life as the film progresses, and towards the latter stages the theme of reincarnation becomes merely secondary, as we into Snoop's turbulent past and the current state of the hip hop genre.

Although the subject matter is somewhat tedious, what does save this feature is the alluring charisma of the man himself, as Snoop's enigmatic personality has not been left behind despite his shift in identity. You can't help but admire him for his change of heart too, and the conviction to go through with it, as giving up rap music and talking succinctly yet somewhat disparagingly about the culture that exists is nothing short of brave. There is one common link between the two cultures, mind you, and that is marijuana. Giving that up was evidently a step too far – and this film is littered with various scenes of Snoop smoking cannabis with his new friends, colleagues and mentors. While in the meantime it's good fun guessing which football shirt he will be wearing in the forthcoming scene.

Ending on a rather poignant note, Reincarnated is a well-made documentary feature, and with a strong, rounded ending, it provides clarity to what came before – allowing the viewer the chance to see past the evident narcissism of it all. Although one can't help but feel this is all a rather pertinently timed promotion for Snoop Lion's new album, which is called, you guessed it, Reincarnated.