To the surprise of no one, Snoop Dogg is not giving up smoking marijuana. It was all an elaborate – and effective – marketing campaign for a new product.
The 52-year-old rapper made the announcement on social media last week. “I’m giving up smoke,” Snoop wrote in an Instagram post. The attached image included a longer statement: “After much consideration & conversation with my family, I’ve decided to give up smoke. Please respect my privacy at this time.”
After spending decades touting his love for all things cannabis and molding his identity around marijuana, not to mention investing heavily in the industry, the announcement seemed like some kind of joke. Most followers were suspicious about the post, predicting that the rapper would eventually clarify his statements.
Those skeptics weren’t wrong.
On Monday, Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., announced that he’s partnering with Solo Stove, a smokeless fire pit brand.
“I love a good fire outside but the smoke was too much. Solo Stove fixed fire and took out the smoke. They changed the game and now I’m excited to spread the love and stay warm with my friends and family,” the recording artist said in a press release.
The entrepreneur is now an official “smokesman” for the brand, per Yahoo. He also posted again on Instagram about his new endorsement.
“I’m done with smoke. I’m going smokeless with [Solo Stove],” he wrote in the caption.
“I’m giving up smoke,” he says in the video. “I know what you’re thinking. Snoop! Smoke is kinda your whole thing! But I’m done with it. Done with the coughing and my clothes smelling all sticky icky. I’m going smokeless.”
He next gestures to the Solo Stove burning in front of him, saying, “They took the smoke out of it. Clever.”
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While most of Snoop’s followers weren’t fooled by his declaration last week and figured there was more to the story, the rapper did admit to cutting back on his marijuana consumption after becoming a grandfather.
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“Being a grandfather has changed me in multiple ways,” he told The Daily Mail in March.
“The main way is being concerned with how I live, how I move, the kind of people I’m associated with, because I want to see my grandkids grow old.”
Snoop continued, “The only way I can do that is to take precautionary steps as far as how I move, who I hang out with, where I go out, my intake, what am I intaking? Am I doing extra-curricular or am I just doing what I’m supposed to be doing?”