Snoop Dogg needs weed.

It doesn't matter if he is Snoop Dogg or Snoop Lion, the artist needs some marijuana and a few good looking ladies for inspiration to write lyrics.

The 'Drop it Like it's Hot' rapper - who is now re-branding himself Snoop Lion and releasing a reggae album - says he needs certain specific ingredients to get him in the mood before he can write a hit.

He said: ''To write rap I've got to smoke a lot of weed. I need some music, old music, R'n'B, hip hop, anything that's 70s, 80s, 60s, something that's inspiring, then I've got to have a couple of females around for inspiration.''

The veteran hip-hop star may need to be under the influence to write new songs, but he takes his art very seriously, comparing it to a sport.

He added: ''It's a sport to me, because it's like you're driving me to want to out-do you. Its like if I saw you doing a three sixty kick on a skateboard, I gotta do a seven twenty, just to outdo you. My style of rap, I'm going to say is tae-kwon-do.''

Snoop is one of a number of rappers who stars in new film, 'Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap' directed by Ice-T and featuring Eminem, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Q-Tip and many more. The film will be released on DVD in October.

© Bang Showbiz