Just about everyone made fun of Snoop Dogg when he embraced a new moniker, Snoop Lion, but following the name change and a trip to Jamaica came one of his best albums in years, Reincarnated. The journey, it turns out, was a spiritual one as much as a physical one: Snoop embraced Rastafarianism and pledged to change the content of his songs, moving away from violent lyrics and content that's disrespectful to women. Snoop knows as well as anyone that hip-hop lyrics have too often led to real-life bloodshed, and says he's seen too many of his friends and colleagues die to let it continue. Reincarnated, and the accompanying documentary of the same name, show that he's sincere in his quest to change. Who knows if he'll maintain his Snoop Lion persona, but it's clearly something that should be celebrated rather than mocked. Snoopdogg.com. —Ben Westhoff

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