Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Broadus Jr., made quite a stir in Hollywood when he said he was a “born-again” Christian. He just put out his first gospel record, “Bible of Love.”
Other gospel artists like Fred Hammond, The Clark Sisters, Pastor John P. Kee, and Marvin Sapp are also on the record.
He first told Beats 1 Radio that he was working on a gospel album when he said, “I’m working on a gospel record. I have to do it right away.”
He also said, “I’ve always cared about it. I just never got around to it because I was always doing gangster stuff and other things. But I feel like I’ve been thinking about it for too long.”
Many people have been very harsh on him for becoming religious and putting out a gospel record. In 2009, he said he had joined the Nation of Islam. In 2012, he changed his religion and became a Rastafarian. Now, he says he is a Christian who was born again.
Snoop has talked about Christianity before, so this isn’t the first time. In 2016, he shared a video on his Instagram account of him singing along to the gospel song “I’d Rather Have Jesus.”
His friends were very happy to hear him say that he believed in God. “Think about how many people you will reach with the Good News of Salvation with the platform you have! Now, come on! “Snoop, use your rap skills to honour our heavenly Father,” a fan wrote.
At the 33rd Annual Stellar Awards, which took place in Las Vegas, Snoop Dogg talked about his haters and people who didn’t believe he had changed. He said, “The devil is a liar,” after he sang at the church music event. I thought rebels were supposed to be welcome in the church.”
“It wouldn’t be right if the church was full of saints. So, if you see someone trying to find their way back home, the normal thing to do is to be friendly, open your arms, and say, “Brother, we accept you for who you are and what you’re going through.” Just be yourself. We know you’ve been doing wrong and that you want to change, and we want to help you change.”
“We’re not going to throw stones at you if you’re trying to change and are walking back to church. People are leaving the church because of this right now.”
The rapper says, “The only time I hear something bad is when I’m asked a question. I’ve never been in a fight with anyone in the gospel world.”
Snoop says, “What about you?” at the end of the conversation. Have you seen what’s going on? You’re going to heaven, right? Why do you think I’m bad? “What have you done for the Lord?”
When you listen to the record more closely, you can find a lot of Christian theology in his lyrics that show his journey through the faith. The whole record is a beautiful story about how Snoop came to know God’s love in his own life.
Mai Perkins, a writer who is well-known in her field, looked more closely at his record and wrote, “He’s not selling prosperity Gospel. He doesn’t judge people for where they’ve been because he’s been so crazy and out of control himself. (And he was OUT there!) … He’s just talking about his experiences as a character with a lot of flaws who loves God very much. At the same time, he creates a place where others can feel safe enough to do the same.”
Religion has changed everything about Snoop’s life, from how he feels about gangsters to how he feels about guns. Snoop has even said that faith has changed the way he thinks about women. Before, he didn’t think twice about putting women down in his songs.
“Because I was making music for myself and talking about things from my point of view,” he said. “That’s what my music was about until I wanted to show love and appreciation for the woman,” he said.
Snoop also made the song “No Guns Allowed” with his daughter Cori B.
“We keep hearing about shootings in schools, events, and public places, and we have to do something about it. Who better than me to do it, since I come from a thug background and carry a gun every day of the week?” he said.
I used to respond to hatred with more hatred. If you hate me, I hate you even more. But now I respond to hate with love,” he told The Guardian.
