14 DAY TRIAL // In what has been called the “end of an era,” once-controversial rapper Snoop Dogg has just announced that he will be trading in the bong to advocate peace by joining the Nation of Islam. Speaking at the group’s Saviors’ Day convention in Chicago, the rapper revealed that he had long thought about joining the religious community, while also praising Louis Farrakhan, supreme minister and national representative of the Nation of Islam.
While Snoop, real name Calvin Broadus, was relatively secretive about his involvement in the group, he did say that time had come to make a change by turning over a new leaf in his life. At the same time, Snoop said that he would be more than happy to use his celebrity status and the extended media coverage he got to draw attention to several issues that were of main interest.
“I’m an advocate for peace. I’ve been in the peace movement ever since I’ve been making music. My whole thing is not about really trying to push my thing on you. It’s just about the way I live, and I live how I’m supposed to live as far as doing what’s right and representing what’s right. That’s why I was here today.” Snoop stated, as he made the surprise announcement. On the same occasion, the rapper also donated $1,000 of his own money to the religious group.
Speaking of himself as a “leader of the hip-hop community,” Snoop stressed that making a change was vital, adding that there were many things that could use mending. His celebrity status would be, in this sense, essential for this. “It’s about seeing yourself and what you can do to better the situation. We’re doing a lot of wrongs among ourselves that need correcting.” Snoop told, while hinting that his affiliation with the Nation of Islam was not new, but something that had preoccupied him for a long time.
On a more professional note, just recently, Snoop Dogg signed a deal with MTV, a first of its kind, which will see the rapper release a new album and reality show with the help of the music network.