After 30 years of collaboration, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre are proving they still have what it takes. On Friday (Dec. 13), the pair unveiled Missionary.
The 16-song offering fittingly opened with “Fore Play” featuring BJ the Chicago Kid, who also lent his vocals to “Now Or Never” later in the 46-minute release. “Good mornin', it's Mr. Broadus/ The moment finally upon us,” Snoop declared on “Shangri-La,” followed by the album transitioning into August’s “Outta Da Blue.”
Elsewhere, listeners get treated to Jhené Aiko’s honey-hued harmonies on “Gorgeous,” Tom Petty and Jelly Roll on “Last Dance With Mary Jane,” and Method Man — who interestingly named the rapper-producer duo as his dream collaborators at 2024’s REVOLT WORLD — on “Skyscrapers.” Toward the latter half of the album, Snoop and Dre reunite with frequent collaborators Eminem and 50 Cent on “Gunz N Smoke,” in which they paid homage to The Notorious B.I.G.
“Red dot ya, I got ya, B-I-G time, who shot ya?/ I dropped ya, who popped ya? S**t lit,” 50 Cent spat on the “Dead Wrong”-sampling cut. Snoop then made a nod to Tupac, with Eminem referencing his 2022 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Reflecting on their first full-length collaborative effort, 1993’s Doggystyle, and how Missionary sets itself apart, Dre told “Entertainment Tonight” host Nischelle Turner, “It was much more fun, to be honest, because we were kids at that time ... Snoop may have been like 18 or 19 years old, and I think I’m six years older than him ... This one is gonna show a different level of maturity with his lyrics and my music. I feel this is some of the best music I’ve done in my career.”
Though one hasn’t been announced just yet, Snoop previously hinted at going on a “final big stadium tour.” In the meantime, he and Dre are releasing a film to accompany Missionary at 12 p.m. ET.