Snoop Dogg has aged quite a bit from those days of “Gin & Juice” but he says he’s about to be reincarnated.

As of today… July 31, 2012 Snoop Dogg is no longer “Snoop Dogg.” He’s done a “Diddy” and has created him a new name!

I don’t know if it’s all the weed talking, but apparently Snoop wants you to know that he’s tired of hip-hop and is claiming that he is Bob Marley reincarnated.

Now he’s taking on reggae instead of rap and has renamed himself “Snoop Lion”.

Yeah… whatever you’re thinking, I thought that too.

Snoop Dogg Lion held a news conference earlier today in NYC and says that he was “born again” during a visit to Jamaica last February.

The former gangster rapper says that now he’s giving up rap and is ready to make music that his “kids and grandparents can listen to.”

Snoop also says that he’s spiritually connected to Bob Marley and now claims to be “Bob Marley reincarnated” so now he plans to release a reggae album called “Reincarnated” in the fall.

[Sidebar: Bob Marley’s son Rohan attended the conference and gave Snoop his blessing.]

“I feel like I’ve always been Rastafarian,” Snoop said of the spiritual Jamaican movement.

While there, he said, he visited a temple, was renamed Snoop Lion and was also given the Ethiopian name Berhane, meaning “light of the world.”

Snoop didn’t explain why he was switching from “Dogg” to “Lion,” but it’s likely a reference to the Lion of Judah, a religious symbol popular in Rastafarian and Ethiopian culture. (source)

Snoop reportedly spent 35 days in Jamaica, where he says he grew closer to his wife, who also witnessed his transition. He added that he’s excited to perform music that his family and children can listen to.

“As a 40-year-old man … I’ve got to give them something,” he said.

“That’s what you do when you’re wise.”

During the press event, Snoop Dogg Lion payed a song called”No Guns Allowed” that features his daughter and includes the lyrics, “No guns allowed in here tonight, we’re going to have a free for all”.

Snoop Dogg Lion admits said he’s not completely retiring from hip-hop but is “tired” of the genre because it is no longer challenging.

“Reggae was calling … it’s a breath of fresh air,” he said. “Rap isn’t challenging; it’s not appealing.”

The album was produced by Diplo and will feature Snoop singing. It will be followed by a documentary of the same name, which will debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

Snoop Dogg Lion, who says “it feels like I’m 19 or 20 years old again,” also plans a coffee table book about his rebirth.

I guess there’s big business in “reincarnation” huh?

Anyway… with a rap legend like Snoop Dogg Lion making making comments like this about, could this be the beginning of the end of the rap genre?

FULL PHOTO GALLERY