Holiday-themed videos are piling up fast on YouTube, but anything starring Snoop Dogg as a biblical patriarch deserves a bit of attention.
In a new song, the pot-loving rapper performs as Moses, facing off against Santa Claus in the latest production for comedy website Epic Rap Battles of History. Launched in 2010, the site puts together the sorts of verbal battles showcased in “8 Mile,” but imagines them as face-offs between figures of cultural significance. (Previous installments have pitted Justin Bieber against Beethoven and — stretching the limits of good taste — Darth Vader against Hitler.)
In the Snoop Dogg number, the 41-year-old wears a Charlton Heston-style get-up as Moses, singing the praises of Judaism while belittling his overweight rival. The rapper’s lyrics bring new meaning to the idea of being “high” on Mt. Sinai, and rename each of the 10 Commandments, according to his trademark slang, as a “commandizzle.” (Ancient Israel, in his words, is the “Land of Milk and Honies.”)
Aided by elves, meanwhile, Santa mocks his rival’s poor navigation skills, noting his own ability to circumnavigate the globe rather than getting lost in the desert for 40 years.
Nevertheless, he admits a certain grudging respect for Moses’ faith, noting, “You got a strict religion — no bacon, but mandatory circumcision.”
