“If you’re an easily offended p****, don’t worry, nobody wants to f*** you up,” runs the flight attendant-style announcement at the beginning of Missionary, Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg’s first full-length album in just over 30 years. The announcement goes on to suggest that those likely to be upset by Snoop’s unrepentant “gangsta s***” should exit the album. Everybody else should recline their seats and be prepared to soak up 15 tracks of the OG, G-Funk duo on their finest form, as Dre shuffles one cool groove after another and Snoop’s smooth flow glides and curls over the deck like smoke.
The last time the pair worked together on an album was on their era-defining Doggystyle (1993). It was a record that defined the West Coast rap sound, with Dre mixing the soul of live musicians with classic samples, while piling on the tension with slick hooks. Lyrically, the album was dominated by sexist gangsta braggadocio, with Snoop spitting playfully delivered but unabashed bars about guns, cars, drugs and pimping hoes.
When he was interviewed by The Guardian in 2011, Snoop said he didn’t regret the misogyny of his lyrics, even when challenged with the 2004 line, “You got to put that bitch in her place / Even if it’s slapping her in the face.” Married to his childhood sweetheart for decades, he did admit that having a daughter had altered his attitude to women, who he conceded were becoming more “empowered”.
Missionary still finds Snoop (now 53) referring to women (but probably also men) as “b****es” and rapping about murders and marijuana. He sounds more energised than he has in years, and there’s a compelling spring in the vocal step with which he prowls through Dre’s delectably crafted sonic cityscapes, giving props to the producer who’s “got the melodies for the felonies”.
Snoop has said that while other producers (including Pharrell) tend to bow to his star power, Dre pushes him for perfection – Dre keeps the textures shifting with a casino dealer’s dexterity. The guest list is fun too, with everyone from Jelly Roll to Sting, Eminem and 50 Cent popping in for some mic-time. “Outta Da Blue” is driven by a raw piano hook and a cowbell (look out for samples of Lisa Stansfield and The Clash). “Hard Knocks” is pure Dre drama, building from an organ riff and low-rise beat to tell a murky tale of a cold case with rhyming clues: “Alleyway/ Saturday/ DA / Matinee/ Watch me smoke a bag a day.”
“Another Part of Me” bounces from the sloshing hook of The Police’s “Message in a Bottle” with the additional falsetto scratch of Sting’s backing vocal. “Sticcy Situation” finds Cocoa Sarai sing-rapping to the tune of Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner”. There’s a wicked harmonica breezing over an acoustic guitar on “Last Dance with Mary Jane” (on which Snoop assures us he’s never giving up his weed); tangy Middle Eastern strings on “Pressure”; parping brass and swooping soul strings on “The Negotiator”. It’s relentlessly interesting – a cleverly crafted new noise around every corner.
