Never mind the fact that he has the number one song on the iTunes Reggae Top 100 Chart a month after becoming a 'reggae' artiste, some local acts have welcomed Snoop Dogg, now Snoop Lion, to the reggae/dancehall industry with open arms.

At a press conference in the United States on Monday, Snoop Dogg announced that he had been transformed into 'Snoop Lion'. He claimed that he first got a blessing from Bob Marley's son, Rohan, and then made a pilgrimage to Jamaica, where he formed a bond with the Niyabinghi branch of the Rastafari movement.

He has since teamed up with Diplo and Major Lazer for La La La, which has already secured a spot on the iTunes chart since its June 24-release. This comes ahead of his upcoming reggae album, Reincarnated.

don't seem to mind

Although he has entered into their territory, some dancehall acts don't seem to mind the move.

Dancehall artistes like Elephant Man, for instance, is quite pleased with the new development, as he believes Snoop Lion has always been a supporter of the Jamaican culture.

"Him have to seh Snoop Lion cause him come a Jamaica and him see the culture and see how sweet reggae and dancehall music is. Anybody woulda waan switch over into this vibe cause it is the right vibe. Him come and get addicted to the culture," Elephant Man told THE WEEKEND STAR.

With Snoop Lion having the number one song on the iTunes Reggae Top 100 Chart, La La La, Elephant Man says it also shows "that the people dem waan hear more from we."

In the same breath, he says Jamaicans need to support their artistes as much as they support acts from overseas.

Also welcoming Snoop Lion, dancehall artiste Khago said "mi cool wid it. It just show yuh how powerful reggae music is. We only siddung inna Jamaica a fight down wi one another."

He continued, "Him a show wi seh unuh music great but a just unuh a di problem. A show him a show up reggae artistes seh dem penny wise and pound foolish and a fight out dem one another. A one month Snoop Dogg tek fi do dat. But just like when we go pon a hip-hop rhythm and try fi crossover, him just come pon a reggae beat."

Khago said more artistes who have crossed over to other markets should bring younger artistes along with them to help with the continuity of the music.

Rastafarian dancehall artiste Munga also had his bit to add.

"Snoop has always been a fan of reggae and Jamaica and our culture in general. I think reggae has always influenced his music," he said.

As it relates to La La La topping the charts, Munga says Snoop Lion already has an established fan base who would be interested in hearing his new music. But at the end of the day, he says this new development might be a plus for reggae and dancehall music.