The Grammy-winning rapper and marijuana aficionado caught his his 83 million Instagram fans' attention before going on to promote a fire pit

Noted marijuana smoker Snoop Dogg's announcement last week that he was "giving up smoke" was actually a carefully worded marketing ploy for a smokeless fire pit, the rapper revealed on Monday.

"I know what you're thinking: Snoop! Smoke is kind of your whole thing! But I'm done with it. I'm going smokeless," the rapper, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, said in a video ad posted to X (formerly Twitter), before delivering the tagline: "Solo Stove fixed fire. They take out the smoke."

The ad showcases the Snoop Stove, a limited-edition smokeless fire pit "hot enough to make the Doggfather go smokeless." To encourage fans to drop $349.99 like it's hot so they can "blaze like Snoop this holiday season," the company has thrown in a carrying case, a bucket hat, and four stickers.

Snoop's music is thickly interwoven with cannabis consumption. The promotion, which appeared to announce he was quitting his drug of choice, had led to feverish speculation among his fans.

"After much consideration & conversation with my family, I've decided to give up smoke," he wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday, asking followers to "please respect my privacy at this time." The text was accompanied by a solemn-looking black-and-white photo of the performer.

The general consensus among fans posting on social media seemed to be that after decades of conspicuous blunt-smoking, Snoop was "giving his lungs a break" by switching to cannabis edibles, which have become ubiquitous in many US states where the drug has been legalized.

In a 2013 interview with GQ, Snoop made the dubious claim that he often smoked as many as 80 marijuana joints a day. In another interview, he admitted to having an employee whose sole job was to roll blunts for him. Even his YouTube podcast features the rapper and his guests lighting up together.

The Grammy-winning rapper, who has 19 albums under his belt, is no stranger to lending his name and image to popular brands. Last month, he starred in a marketing campaign for food delivery app GrubHub, complete with a music video and an original tune.

He also teamed up with interior design icon turned convicted felon Martha Stewart to release a line of wines called 21 Crimes and, more recently, a limited edition bag-and-lighter set called Best Buds Bags - the perfect compliment to his cannabis brand, Leafs by Snoop.

(RT.com)