Don’t sell your shares in cannabis companies just yet: as it transpires, the world’s most prolific stoner, Snoop Dogg, isn’t giving up smoking weed. His alleged aboutface on marijuana has been widely reported since he put up a picture on social media on Nov. 16, implying he had quit the intoxicant he’s most widely associated with.
As last week’s Instagram post caused a stir among the internet, there was plenty of speculation about why Snoop might be giving up the green. Some guessed at health issues, whereas others were simply perplexed. Most people just made memes or jokes, while some were more serious, making hefty leaps about his personal life to try and find some justification for the huge change in attitude.
However, we now know that the post was the beginning of a pretty smart, if not slightly duplicitous, marketing campaign for Solo Stove, a smokeless fire pit brand. But how did this come about? Read on to find out about Snoop Dogg’s smokeless Solo Stove partnership, explained.
What did Snoop Dogg say?
On Thursday, the actor, musician, and friend to Martha Stewart posted an artsy black-and-white shot of himself looking sober and pensive to Instagram. The picture had some text that stated: “After much consideration & conversation with my family, I’ve decided to give up smoke. Please respect my privacy at this time.”
Snoop’s brand is so synonymous with marijuana, with the rapper known for smoking constantly throughout his live shows, that this came as a huge shock to almost everyone. People were so taken aback that many didn’t even question the strange wording of the post, which was very specific about giving up “smoke,” as opposed to any of the many other names of cannabis which would have been more specific and recognizable.
Many did, however, point to a Daily Mail interview the rapper did earlier this year in which he talked about how he was changing his life now that he was a grandfather. Some believed he was giving up smoking for his newest family member.
How did the internet react to Snoop Dogg’s claim?
Mostly with memes and jokes, if we’re honest, but that’s always to be expected, especially with news as unexpected as a man who allegedly pays a full-time blunt roller giving up weed.
With that said, plenty of people took Snoop at face value. There was an incredibly sincere Twitter post from rapper Meek Mills who spoke of his own troubles with smoking, and how he wished to follow in Snoop’s footsteps. This, of course, makes Snoop look like a bit of a jerk, seeing as it’s turned out to be a marketing campaign.
Of course, some did see straight through Snoop, although not many guessed the Solo Stove partnership. A few of his fans responded with jokes, including: “this is probably just gonna be some viral campaign where he launches his own line of vapes or edibles or something.” Another quipped that “today isn’t April Fools day Snoop.”
What is Solo Stove?
Solo Stove is a company that sells fire-based cooking set-ups that give off minimal-to-no-smoke. Their offerings include fire pits, pizza ovens, grills, and all the accessories you could want for a BBQ.
How does it work? As per a Good Housekeeping review:
“As the wood burns, Solo Stove explains that air is pulled out of the unit through the exterior holes and pushed back into the unit through the interior holes to create what they call a secondary burn that’s hotter and essentially smokeless.”
Snoop put out a press release on Nov. 20, in which he confirmed his post was part of a partnership with Solo Smoke. The release also stated:
“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.”
As part of the partnership, Snoop will officially be called a “brand smokesman,” and will even be releasing a collaboration at 4.20 on Nov. 20, as if he needed to further online that he’s still all about the green.