Snoop Dogg claims he is Bob Marley reincarnated.

The hip-hop star is reinventing himself as Snoop Lion for a new reggae album, Reincarnated, and claims he always had a natural calling to the genre: "I have always said I was Bob Marley reincarnated. I feel I have always been a Rastafarian. I just didn't have my third eye open, but it's wide open right now."

Speaking about how he was enlightened during a trip to Jamaica, he added, "I didn't know that until I went to the temple, where the High Priest asked me what my name was, and I said, 'Snoop Dogg.' And he looked me in my eyes and said, 'No more. You are the light; you are the lion.'"

The "Sweat" singer said he had no plans to make the reggae album - on which he collaborates with singer M.I.A. and producer Diplo - but did so after he was called by "the spirit." Speaking in a press conference, he added, "On this particular project, I had no planning on going to Jamaica, making a reggae record. The spirit called me. And, you know, anytime the spirit calls you, you gotta know that it's serious. I basically let them know what I want. It's not that I want to become Snoop Dogg in a reggae track. I want to bury Snoop Dogg and become Snoop Lion."