FUSE TV - Snoop Lion on Recruiting Drake and Being a Family Man

Now that Snoop Dogg has (temporarily?) become reggae singer and champion of peace Snoop Lion, the musician has mellowed out and embraced an almost Zen sense of peace. With the recent release of his latest reggae-filled album Reincarnated, the singer/rapper spoke to Fuse on his transformation, getting Drake on lead single "No Guns Allowed" and the ups and downs of family life.

On Becoming Snoop Lion
I wanted to speak from the heart and deal with some of these issues that we face with. No one has ever told me what to do or how to be. I've always enlightened people with the music that I make but I've never had a message connected to my music. I couldn't rap about what I'm going through right now. I had to sing it with reggae.

On Getting Drake for "No Guns Allowed"
I told him I had a record that was positive and speaking to gun violence. I didn't want to have a party record; I know he's the king of making party records. I wanted him to speak to something real right now. He thought I was going to call him and ask him to be on a record about girls or a party 'cause that’s what I'm known for. So when I hit him with that, it's enlightenment for him. You have artists who look for a way to speak from their heart, but they can't.

On Family Life
My wife don't eat meat no more. My oldest son is like Huey P. Newton and Malcolm X with some hippie juice. I look at all of my sons and see a little bit of me in them. The good, the bad and the ugly. And I see how they maximize the good and make it better for them. It's never easy to be a father. Kids go through different things and you have to be there for him and try to be understanding.