Snoop Dogg recently caught some flack from critics when he endorseedmalt beverage company Colt 45’s recent venture Blast, a fruit-flavored alcohol drink similar to Four Loko. Now, in a recent article in the New York Times, Colt 45 defends Snoop, saying that he is a true endorser of the drink and that “it’s part of his lifestyle.”

“That’s just him being a true partner and saying I’m not just an endorser,” said owner Daren Metropoulos. “Whether he’s putting it in his songs or having his posse drinking it, it’s part of his lifestyle.”

Alcholic beverage companies like Four Loko and Colt 45 have been criticised for producing these new fruit flavored drinks on accusations that they are trying to corner the underage market, with some detractors even calling the new beverages “cocktails on training wheels.” Colt 45’s owners also responded to these attacks, saying that they have stressed upholding the legal drinking age and user responsibility all while selling these drinks.

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“All we were doing was putting together flavors that were appealing to people that definitely are over the legal age,” said Evan Metropoulos, responding to criticism of Blast.“We’re going to do our very best to hammer home the message of responsible drinking.”

Daren Metropoulos added, “It’s not like our distributors are putting it in the soda section, and these are clearly designated as an alcoholic product. We’re not going to be showing up and selling this at schools or anything like that.”

Snoop recently signed on with the company as their brand ambassador for Blast. The drink has 12% alcohol in each 23.5 ounce can, and comes in a variety of flavors. A promotional video featuring Snoop can be seen below.