Snoop Dogg review, Missionary: The rapper has momentum in this relentlessly interesting collaboration with Dr. Dr

Snoop Dogg review, Missionary: The rapper has momentum in this relentlessly interesting collaboration with Dr. Dr

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“If you’re an easily offended guy, don’t worry, no one’s trying to screw you over,” the flight attendant-style announcement says at the beginning Missionary, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s first full-length album in just over 30 years. The announcement goes on to say that those who might be upset by Snoop’s unrepentant “gangsta shit” should leave the album. Everyone else should sit back in their seats and prepare to soak up 15 tracks of the OG G-Funk duo at their best as Dre mixes one cool groove after another and Snoop’s smooth flow slides and curls across the deck like smoke.

The last time the two worked on an album together was for their defining era Doggy style (1993). It was a record that defined the West Coast rap sound. Dre mixed the soul of live musicians with classic samples and increased the tension with sophisticated hooks. Lyrically, the album was dominated by sexist gangsta swagger, with Snoop spitting out playful but blatant bars about guns, cars, drugs and pimp hoes.

When he was interviewed by The Guardian In 2011, Snoop said he didn’t regret the misogyny of his lyrics, even when he was challenged in 2004 with the line “You gotta put that bitch in her place / Even if she punches her in the face.” He was married to his childhood sweetheart for decades and admitted that having a daughter had changed his attitude towards women, who he admitted had become “more confident”.

missionary Snoop (now 53) still calls women (but probably men too) “bitches” and raps about murders and marijuana. He sounds more energetic than he has in years, and the vocal pace with which he roams through Dre’s deliciously crafted sonic cityscapes, lending support to the producer who “has the melodies for the crimes,” is infectiously springy.

Snoop has said that while other producers (including Pharrell) tend to bow to his star power, Dre pushes him to perfection – Dre makes the textures change with the skill of a casino dealer. The guest list is also entertaining: everyone from Jelly Roll to Sting to Eminem and 50 Cent come by to have some time for the microphone. “Outta Da Blue” is driven by a raw piano hook and a cowbell (look out for samples from Lisa Stansfield and The Clash). “Hard Knocks” is pure Dre drama, building from an organ riff and a low-rise beat to tell a dark tale of an unsolved case with rhyming clues: “Alleyway/ Saturday/ DA / Matinee/ Watch me Smoke a bag a day.”

Dr. Dre (left) performs with Mary J Blige, Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent at the 2022 Super Bowl

Dr. Dre (left) performs with Mary J Blige, Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent at the 2022 Super Bowl (AP)

“Another Part of Me” is based on the sloshing hook of The Police’s “Message in a Bottle” and the added falsetto scratch of Sting’s background vocals. In “Sticcy Situation,” Cocoa Sarai sings to the tune of Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner.” “Last Dance with Mary Jane” (during which Snoop assures us he’ll never give up his weed) features a wicked harmonica over an acoustic guitar. spicy Middle Eastern strings on “Pressure”; parp brass and sweeping soul strings on “The Negotiator”. It’s relentlessly interesting – a cleverly designed new sound around every corner.

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