Snoop Dogg is quite an interesting character in his own right, and if or when Hollywood decides to give him the biopic he so thoroughly deserves, it should be hugely entertaining. Unfortunately, Reincarnated is not that movie, instead focusing on Snoop's travels to Jamaica to immerse himself in the local culture, record his first ever reggae record, and smoke weed. Lots and lots of weed.
Wanting to distance himself from the violent gangster lifestyle so often associated with hip-hop, Snoop heads to Kingston so he can properly get to know more about his idols like Bob Marley, which will help him to produce his new record that will focus less on money and hos, and more on love and unity. The first half of the movie deals with Snoop travelling around the island, talking to famous reggae artists, visiting famous landmarks, and trekking through the hills to check out the marijuana fields. The second half goes a bit more autobiographical, with Snoop giving a glancing but still interesting overview of his entire career, culminating with East Side/West Side truce that he was instrumental in, following the murders of Tupac and Notorious BIG.
Most of the time, Reincarnated feels like it should be something that you'd get for free with the album that Snoop is making. This is an extended Making Of documentary that never really justifies its existence. Any Snoop fans will already know the ins and outs of his life, and as far as other famous rappers go, there are a few appearances - Dr Dre, Damien Marley, Xzibit, The Game - but these moments are more of the 'blink-and-you'll-miss-them' variety. Super producer Diplo (of Major Lazor fame) gives some interesting insight into the production side of music making, while Snoop's cousin Daz deserves a documentary all to himself, Cheech & Chong'ing his way through the entire movie, constantly and hilariously high.
Snoop Dogg's transformation into reggae artist Snoop Lion is a vaguely interesting one, helped along by the fantastically charismatic Snoop himself, but the entire endeavour feels slightly too flimsy to recommend to anyone beyond fans of the D O Double G.
