In “Sticky Situation,” from Snoop Dogg’s ambitious new album Missionary, his second full-length collaboration with mentor Dr. Dre, the golden-voiced star proclaims, . And 31 years after dropping his defiant diamond-selling debut, Doggystyle, he cuts to the heart of his and Dre’s atom-altering charm. The bass on “Sticky Situation” stabs the spleen, and the piano, which sounds straight out of a classic mafia movie, casts you as a zealous accomplice in a thoughtless theft. Snoop’s growl is toned down on this long-awaited LP, no wonder the gangsta guru rapper is Martha Stewart’s 50-something best friend, but the bars are decidedly tongue-in-cheek. , crisp and mean.
The intoxicating Give No Fucks flow (and the charm of the bold name) is the epitome of Doggystyle, and despite its blushing cover and lead single, it’s popular with the likes of Mickey D. there was. Back when mainstream rappers were relatively soft, like Elmo dolls. Sixty years before Snoop philosophized about Young G’s point of view, critic Walter Benjamin pointed out that all great works either dissolve genres or create genres. Doggystyle didn’t invent gangsta rap. But surprisingly, it definitely cleared it up. Suddenly, despite the dark Dre-produced songs, there were big hooks, upbeat melodies, and sing-along anthems. “Gin and Juice” was Long Beach and Compton to the core, but it felt tailor-made for the heartland’s whimsical drinkers. Far from violent, “Who I Am (What’s My Name)” is a sleazy bravado perfect for Monday night karaoke. This was back when Newsweek magazine featured the Long Beach MC on its cover, asking the question, “When is rap too violent?” There was a sadistic irony in scapegoating a huge star who turned out to not be very fond of violence.
one count of assault and murder (broadcast for generations around the time of Snoop’s emotional performance at the Video Music Awards, where he declared, “I’m innocent! I’m innocent!”) and 19 photos. After his solo LP, this project with Dre is a celebration of strength. It shows his growth while emphasizing his witty gangsta charm.
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There’s nothing more explosive on Missionary than the classic Dre-helmed confessional, “Murder Was the Case.” (Never mind that Snoop hasn’t delved that deep since his long creative hiatus from Compton OG.) At least since Blue Carpet Treatment (his mesmerizing 2006 sleeper). The atmosphere was classy and diplomatic (not formal and territorial). Suddenly, Snoop was everyone’s uncle. Dre probably knew all along that a guest appearance on a Snoop Dogg project would encourage his friend to shine while distilling a Greek chorus into a funked-out support group. Guests this time around include everyone from Eminem and 50 Cent (who features on the underwhelming “Guns N’ Smoke”) to Method Man, BJ the Chicago Kid and Sting.
To that end, he manages at least one hearty heater here, flaunting the famous rock icon. The rootsy “Last Dance with Mary Jane,” featuring wistfully rendered samples of Jelly Roll and Tom Petty classics, is a gorgeous, cozy freefall down memory lane. There’s a late-harvest glow to the guitars here, clearly offset by the roadhouse stomps that punctuate Snoop’s poignant reminiscences. Flexing the theme of ganja as a metaphor (“I was knocking over bags with her, skipping class with her”), Snoop describes how, when he was 17 and “serving the devil,” And while he was locked up, he rises up, enduring the “country blues” that Bud credits with helping him overcome. Sure, Snoop has jammed with everyone from Willie Nelson to Gorillaz to the late Quincy Jones, but he’s never sounded so pure and reflective.
“Featuring choppy bass notes and a cheeky snare, ‘Pressure’ finds Uncle Snoop kicking some hard bars, with an impeccably nimble movement from LBC via his patented Mississippi. It’s just a thrill to hear him rap for over two minutes. It maintains the same sticky crescendo found on anthems like “Hustlaz,” and similarly, everything but a guest verse is Snoop’s work. Meanwhile, the dastardly “Outta Da Blue” is once again a tandem of Snoop and Dre made to decimate the speakers. Over frenetic pipe drums lifted from Schoolly D’s 1986 anthem “Saturday Night,” the two veterans attack each other with more incitement than Ren and Stimpy. “Bottle and bitch, trust us we’re back in business,” Dre gushed, before Snoop insisted, “Sonic is still iconic and they still smell the product.” and reminded us why these two made Leaf more infamous than Adam and Eve.
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“Fire,” with its faux-ragga musings, feels like a failure, while the Sting-fueled “Another Part of Me” finds Snoop baring his soul and exploring how to live “in the land of the world.” It is a moment of true transcendence, singing. The Lost and the Scandalous. ” It will soon be playing like a stadium-filling song. The code reminds us of the sunset in the last part of the summer tour. But the aura is very emo, giving Snoop the air of a budding troubadour. And it feels refreshing considering your favorite SoundCloud rapper was releasing his 10th album the year he was born. But nothing touches the combative skin of “Hard Knocks,” with Snoop sneering over his energetic organs, “Let’s sort this shit out, I’m at the top of the totem.” It’s implied that the missionary is in the perfect position to explode.
