Snoop Dogg shocked fans last week when he declared he was ‘giving up smoking’, which many took as giving up his love for cannabis – but it turns out it may have just been a marketing ploy.
On Monday, the hip-hop legend unveiled a new ad in which he says he’s quitting smoking — in support of Solo Stove, a smokeless fire pit brand.
The rapper never indicated whether or not he was giving up marijuana and his reps did not respond – with the hitmaker asking fans to “respect his privacy.”
However, his fans flooded his social media page, claiming to have been ‘fooled’ by the announcement, while others called it a ‘genius marketing trick’.
In a press release through the brand, Snoop said, “I love a good fire outside, but the smoke was too much. Solo Stove fixed the fire and cleared the smoke. They changed the game and now I’m excited to spread the love and stay warm with my friends and family.”
Snoop Dogg ‘quitting’ smoking appears to be a marketing ploy by the rapper to sell a smokeless FIRE PIT instead of giving up marijuana – as fans respond: ‘Genius marketing!’
The brand has confirmed Snoop as their new spokesperson and will release a collaboration on Monday at 4:20 PM EDT.
4:20 is cannabis culture jargon for the consumption of marijuana and hashish.
Fans were initially unconvinced by his quitting smoking admission, with some rightly wondering if it was just a publicity stunt last week.
“I’m quitting smoking,” the rapper mysteriously claimed in his original post, which included a more detailed statement: “After much discussion with my family, I have decided to quit smoking.”
The 52-year-old added before signing off: “Please respect my privacy at this time.”
Now fans have reacted with glee to the apparent stunt, with one saying: ‘You made people reevaluate their entire lives over a smokeless stove. Genius’
“Snoop doesn’t refuse a check,” one fan wrote, while another said, “I had to pray for you.”
Marketing trick? Snoop Dogg claimed he was quitting smoking last week – after it was once claimed the cannabis-loving rapper rolled 75-150 joints for him every 24 hours
Go up in smoke? Snoop Dogg is pictured smoking a blunt during a performance at the O2 Arena on March 21 this year in Britain
It initially came as a shock to fans of the veteran rapper due to his open appreciation for the drug, which has expanded into numerous business ventures including edibles, cannabis strains and a digital media company dedicated to marijuana-related news.
It was once claimed that the rapper – born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. – had someone roll 75-150 joints for him per day, which he would later dispute and reject.
The Piranha renegade, who claimed to be Snoop’s ‘personal blunt roller’ (PBR), said last year: ‘On average I eat about half a pound a day, which seems excessive. So that is about 75 to 150 units per day. I calculate it at over 450,000 blunts.’
However, in March this year he admitted that he had moderated his cannabis intake after becoming a grandfather.
Big business: The veteran rapper has an open appreciation for the drug, which has expanded into numerous business ventures, including edibles and a digital media company
In March, Snoop told DailyMail.com that his personal use came under scrutiny after eldest child Cordé became father to son Zion in 2015.
“Being a grandfather has changed me in many ways,” he said.
‘The main way is that I worry about how I live, how I move, what kind of people I hang out with, because I want to see my grandchildren grow old.
‘The only way I can do that is to take precautions in terms of the way I exercise, who I hang out with, where I go out, my intake, what am I taking in?
‘The end of an era’: Fans quickly reacted with shock on Twitter when they heard the news
“Do I do extracurriculars or do I just do what I have to do?”
The father of four is a parent to Cordé, 28, Cordell, 26, and Cori, 23, from his 25-year marriage to Shante Broadus, and son Julian, 25 from a former relationship with Laurie Holmond.
Snoop is no stranger to weed, revealing in a 2013 Twitter Q&A that he smokes up to 81 blunts a day, which is consistent with his personal joint roller’s estimate.
In 2015, the rap artist launched his own platform called Merry Jane, a lifestyle media site that serves as an information hub for anyone interested in weed, catering to the casual user to the daily smoker.