Guess what's in Snoop Lion's man cave (besides plenty of weed)? A trip to Jamaica sparked the evolution of the former gangsta rapper. He talks to Sunday Style magazine's Michele Manelis. You've had a name change, possibly even a life change, since we last spoke. How did the evolution of Snoop Lion come about? When I visited a temple in Jamaica the priest asked me what my name was. I told him it was Snoop Dogg, and he said, "No. You are no longer a dog, you are a lion. I am changing your name to Bahani. I asked him what it meant and he said, "The light." He said I had to let my light shine. It sounds like you've had a spiritual awakening. Yes, but it's more connected to the reggae music I'm making now. It brought me closer to the Rastafarians - reggae and Rastafari go very much hand in hand. It gave me the spirit of making the music, and putting it out in a righteous manner. Now I feel good about saying something that matters as opposed to making party records. Why did you call the record Reincarnated? Do you think you've been reincarnated? Yes, I always felt I was reincarnated from Bob Marley and my music is a representation of that. If Bob were still here he'd be making the kind of music I'm making now, so I feel I'm in the vein of him, I'm continuing his legacy. That's a bold statement. I can't imagine Marley's family would be thrilled to hear you're his reincarnation. The Marleys love me. Rohan Marley is my brother; Damian, Stephen, Ziggy, Rita - it's all love. Even before I started doing reggae, and before I went to Jamaica on this journey, they were my loved ones. So it brings us closer. I'm becoming a part of the music that's close to their heritage and to what they're about. You recently supported Frank Ocean in coming out, saying hip-hop is ready for a gay rapper. Is Snoop Lion more tolerant than Snoop Dogg? (Laughs) Snoop Dogg definitely would've disagreed with Snoop Lion, but you live and learn. You get older and you grow wiser and you want to be a better person. The only way is to be open to change. It's me becoming more of a man. What do you think of the state of rap now? It's so mainstream even Justin Bieber calls himself a rapper. Rap is international now. It's a young man's game but it's expanded. I'm thankful rap is one of the biggest music genres in the world. You're 41 years old. How do you stay relevant with the new generation? I'm just real. We were all young, and those kids are going through what we went through. If you're able to see eye-to-eye and treat them with love and respect, that's what they'll give you. You've got to give love in order to get it. Has this wisdom come about since turning 40? When it happened, it happened. It wasn't like I looked 40 or I felt 40, it was just a number to me. But I realised within myself that I'm now looked at as a grown man. If I say something, it will be appreciated and respected because I'm at the age now where men are supposed to speak as men. The Rastafarian lifestyle includes smoking marijuana, an activity you've always been enthusiastic about. How integral is it to your creative process? I believe my creativity doesn't only happen from stimulation by alcohol, medical marijuana, cigarettes, fruits or juices. It's also a mental state where imagination brings forth creativity from the mind of a lunatic, which is deranged by thoughts from a musical genius. Last time we spoke, you talked about your man cave. What's in it? Yeah, I have a man cave. It has three 50-inch TVs, an Xbox, music, a laptop, Pro Tools [recording software], two couches, two airplane chairs... You took out the business-class section of a plane? No, they're first-class chairs. Come on, baby! [laughs] I also have chronic [marijuana], Trippy Sticks, bongs, hemp lotion, Skittles, pistachios, Sunkist, knives, scissors and blank CDs. Who's allowed in the man cave? Only me. Really? Now that you're enlightened I thought your wife might be allowed in. Only me, baby. It's the MAN cave. You're wearing a bear-fur coat today. What inspires your style? A lot of it comes from when I was a kid. I was inspired by the pimps and the players and the athletes and the entertainers. I looked at how they got it down. I wanted to keep that look in mind, so my style comes from the "70s and "80s. Do you feel Jamaican now? Yeah, mon. Every time. Bless up. Snoop Lion's album Reincarnated (Sony) and the accompanying documentary are out April 26. Download the Sunday Style app from iTunes