Snoop Dogg believes he has evolved into "America's most loveable person".

The 52-year-old rapper thinks he is a "lesson" to others because he's been able to leave his criminal background - which led to him being banned from the UK, Australia and Norway for various periods of time - behind and become a welcome face in the spotlight without changing who he is at heart.

He told People magazine: “You think about all the things that I went through and where I’m at.

“It’s a lesson: to let the world see growth, how somebody can go from being hated, banned from countries, thrown in jail [for] weed, to now America’s most lovable person. But it’s the same person.”

The 'Gin + Juice' hitmaker got involved in criminal activity in the late 1980s and 1990s and his ambition at the time was just to live to the age of 21.

He reflected: “When I was young, we used to rap about living to see 21. That was the goal. Then my homies passed away at 25. So the goal was to be 30.”

But after the death of friends such as Tupak Shakur and being found not guilty in a murder case, Snoop knew he needed to change is life.

He said: “I was stuck in a box with keeping it gangster and trying to appease the hood. [I realised] you can’t take everybody with you.

“I had to be egotistical and self-centred for a moment to establish how I get down. And I don’t apologise for it."

Snoop can next be seen as a coach on 'The Voice' and he's excited for what he can bring to the show.

He said: "My voice is like nobody else's. Fans are going to be re-energized. I'm going to coach with care and honesty."

And the singing competition has given him an unlikely friendship with fellow panellist Michael Buble.

Michael said: “I honestly had no idea what to expect when I first met Snoop.

"But our connection was immediate. It’s a beautiful thing when you meet someone, and it just clicks. Like the rest of the planet, I’ve always been a Snoop fan."