Ganja-loving LA rapper Calvin Broadus Jr.—aka Snoop Dogg—travels to Jamaica to study Rastafarianism and record a reggae album as Snoop Lion. This tepid documentary was made, surprisingly, by the film division of Vice, a mini media empire that’s made a name for itself as a purveyor of controversy (and whose music imprint is one of the labels releasing Snoop’s forthcoming album, coincidentally titled Reincarnated). Director Andy Capper treats his subject with kid gloves, rarely pushing Snoop to dig deep on anything; instead the rapper discusses his criminal record and history of personal loss with vague platitudes, his comments intercut with scenes from the studio and more than enough shots of him and company smoking herb. Too bad—Snoop is a fascinating figure who deserves better than this puff piece.

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Leor Galil (he/him) started writing for the Chicago Reader in 2010. He joined the staff in 2012 and became a senior staff writer in 2020.

Galil mainly covers music, with a singular focus on Chicago artists, scenes, and phenomena.

He's won a handful of journalism awards; he's won two first-place awards from the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (for music writing in 2020 and arts feature in 2022) and a Peter Lisagor award (for Best Arts Reporting and Criticism in 2022).

Galil lives in Chicago. He speaks English and can be contacted at lgalil@chicagoreader.com.