“Missionary” was the first Snoop Dogg album I have listened to in my life. Really, it was my first hip-hop album, but it certainly won’t be the last. Although I don’t know much about Snoop Dogg and a lot of his songs, his distinct vocals have interested me in listening to some of his music for a long time. The Superbowl LVI Halftime performance, including Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent was what really made me interested in his work and sparked a small interest in rap and hip hop itself. That performance remains my favorite to this day. From everyone I’ve talked to, nobody has heard of this album. Whenever I mention it to my friends, they all ask me what I’m talking about. After listening to this album a few times, I believe it deserves more attention from the KSC community than it has right now.
I wouldn’t have even known about the album if “Last Dance With Mary Jane” wasn’t recommended to me in my YouTube Music app. After listening to it, I immediately looked up the album it came from. The thing that surprised me the most was that it was published in December 2024 and nobody had heard about it, but as I kept looking at what the album was, I became more interested. According to YouTube Music, this is Snoop Dogg’s 20th album, lasting about 46 minutes. This is a huge collaborative album, which is what really impressed me the most. It is Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s first collaboration album since 1993 with their Doggystyle and is claimed to be the sequel of that album made over thirty years ago, according to genius.com.
It was also paired with a 12-minute short film directed by Dave Meyers. It starts as a shoot for a music video for one of the songs in “Missionary,” but then it becomes Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre as telepathic vigilantes who fight crime, mentioning 50 Cent at the end. It also had some of the songs and artists performing in this album briefly mentioned in the film, making me appreciate the film more as a peek at what the album is. For only lasting 12 minutes, it certainly told a story well for the time limit. Humor was laced through the film with some slightly graphic elements, making it memorable and an appropriate pairing for the album.
Apart from Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, there are almost a dozen other artists and rappers included, some of the most famous including Eminem, Jelly Roll and 50 Cent. Every artist on this album differentiated themselves from the other artists and their songs featured in the album, putting their own style and influence on the songs they’re a part of. I was hooked from the beginning. The first few songs, “Fore Play” with BJ the Chicago Kid, “Shangri-La” and “Outta Da Blue” featuring Alus flowed into the next like they were the same song, something I usually like hearing in albums. It really sets the mood for the rest of the album.
The introductory song “Fore Play” was a R&B sounding song that only lasted long enough to include one verse. With this in mind, the vocals were good from BJ the Chicago Kid, but its length made it good enough for an introduction rather than a full song.
While “Fore Play” got me interested in the album, it was really “Shangri-La” that caught my attention. With a quickened tempo and Snoop rapping right off the bat, it reminded me of what the album was. The music reminded me of an earlier rap essence from what few rap songs I have heard. The lyrics consist of Snoop talking about his success and fame while also mentioning his earlier struggles. Near the end of the song, it has a “warning” of sorts to those who are “easily offended,” as stated in the lyrics. Well, I call it a warning, but Snoop had some touches on the language used and how it was worded. Again, this song was short, just slightly longer than the one prior, but the beat was good, along with the message behind the lyrics. It was really the introduction for me with the title of the album in the last line rather than the song that was placed before it.
“Outta Da Blue” was the first song that seemed full-length on the album, unlike the couple of songs before it, both only a little over a minute long. Dr. Dre and Snoop performed in this song, along with Alus, an American songwriter. I hadn’t heard of her, but her vocals provided a good variety of tones against Snoop and Dr. Dre. Although this song was more explicit, I still enjoyed it. With Snoop and Dr. Dre practically bouncing back and forth for every bar instead of them each having their own verse was something I thought made the song sound better. It has a heavy bass in the back and that cowbell-sounding instrument that I always like hearing in music.
The next song, “Hard Knocks,” sounded a little similar to “Outta Da Blue,” but was different in what it was trying to say, complemented with a slower tempo. It has four verses of rap, all of which are by Snoop. Out of all of the songs, this one I believe is the most forgettable. Although it does have a beat switch amidst the song, there was nothing that made it stand out with Snoop Dogg being the only one rapping throughout the entire song. If it had another artist or something to make it more memorable, then I would probably enjoy it more, although Snoop definitely performed in this song.
Picking up the beat a little bit, Jhené Aiko joins in “Gorgeous,” bringing in another song that sounded smooth, broken up by her vocals. This was Snoop’s first lead single on this album, and rightfully so. With a more classic song structure of going back and forth between a verse and the short chorus, it appealed more to my music taste while providing lyrics about love with some small hints at narcissism, typical of Snoop’s music. It was simple yet effective, and with a beat that stood out against the rest of the album’s songs, I find myself listening to it by itself now and then.
One of my favorite songs on this album is “Last Dance With Mary Jane,” which features samples of the late Tom Petty and current artist Jelly Roll. His vocals paired with Snoop’s more low-key rapping made the song fun to listen to even though it’s one of the slower songs on the album. It is about Snoop’s and Jelly Roll’s relationship with marijuana, talking about it like it was a woman, and looking back at how long Snoop has been smoking it. Even the chorus was more calm, but it really stands out against the more vulgar and explicit lyrics used throughout the rest of the album, something I appreciated. Out of all of the songs, this one is the one I believe stands out the most, something that made it within my top two songs on this album. I would say that these are some of the best vocals featured in the album aside from the rappers featured, other than an upcoming song featuring Sting, a British musician.
After that song, I thought nothing could get up to that level in my standards, but after listening to “Thank You,” I found another favorite. This song is nothing new, the hook being known to most who hear it from the song “Thank You” made by Sly and the Family Stone in 1969. It was more upbeat and made into a g-funk (gangsta funk) classic, much faster than the song before it. The quick change of pace along with the familiar ring of the chorus promised a more fun song, but not at the expense of quality. While critiquing the newer hip-hop generation, he plays with words that make the song even better.
The next song featured K.A.A.N. Titled “Pressure,” it’s the eighth track on the album, making it the halfway point. It’s more of a funk beat with less focused and more generic lyrics, but K.A.A.N.’s performance certainly gave some variety to the song. The chorus is the most memorable part of the song, and to me, really the only memorable part of the song. It has some slower words, but the rest just blends together. Compared to the two songs prior, it almost fades to the background even with its different style of music. While I’m listening to this song, I find my head bopping to the beat, but when I think of the album as a whole, this is one I forget. The chorus has a catchy ring, but I wish it had something big in it rather than remaining one of the calmer songs, in my eyes.
Even with this slower song, “Another Part of Me” quickly picked the pace back up. It had a guitar riff featured throughout the song, which I thought was a great addition to the lyrics that focused on luxury and wealth. Sting was the artist featured in this song, another artist I had never heard of before. It was a big improvement over “Pressure” with a faster tempo and more singing rather than just continuous rapping, creating even more diversity than there already was. The vocal performance on this song made it one of the most memorable in my opinion, although it is not one of my favorites. I’d say this is a great middle of the road song in the album, keeping listeners on their toes, surprising them with a new beat or genre with almost every song.
“Skyscrapers” was up next, featuring Method Man and Smitty. I know there’s something wrong with me when I see yet another artist that I have never heard of, but again, my music taste is stuck in the 2000’s-2010’s pop dimension. Each artist takes their turn of explaining why they are the best rapper in their generation, talking about their success through their lyrics. This was another song in the middle of the road, but I would say it was a little less memorable than “Another Part of Me.” The slower beat combined with faster lyrics made it unique, but I think it’s because I haven’t heard of the artists that were featured on this song. Their vocals got me interested in listening to more of their work despite this song not being one of my favorites.
Cocoa Sarai was the artist featured in the next song, “Fire.” What startled me was the introduction of the song, which sounded like someone getting doused with gasoline and then being set on fire by a match. Typically, I don’t like when songs have something going on that doesn’t have anything to do with music, and that opinion of mine still stands even though these opening sounds make sense considering the song title, “Fire.” Sarai is another American singer-songwriter and rapper that I haven’t heard of, but her addition of a higher range was a nice touch to the song. It has a reggae vibe with a slower, more swinging beat with some hand drums occasionally in the background, which is another style of music brought to this album. It also focuses on Snoop’s wealthier life, a theme that is mentioned a lot throughout the songs in this album. It certainly stands out to me against the backdrop of some of the other songs, but Sarai’s vocals make it something I remember and can appreciate.
This next song was the one I was most excited to listen to on this album. It features two rappers that I actually know, those being 50 Cent and Eminem. I never expected these three to be on the same track, but as soon as I saw that they were, I was very intrigued. I don’t know much about 50 Cent, but I think it is hard to not have heard about him at some point, especially since he was one of the artists that performed in Superbow LVI. Eminem, however, is an artist I have been listening to for a while. From his more classic hits like “Lose Yourself” and “Without Me” to some of his more obscure ones like “Cinderella Man” and “Space Bound,” I usually enjoy his music. However, this song was not as much of a home run as I expected it to be. The song’s name is “Gunz N Smoke,” showcasing lyrics about each of the artists talking about how they violently deal with people that aren’t on their side.
There was really no chorus or transition between each rapper. It was like they were all in line to use the microphone and went one after another. However, that does not mean this was not a good song. While each artist performed individually, they all performed well. You can tell when the next rapper is up, but with similar lyrics and rhythms, it was almost hard to tell the verses apart. With all of this said, I still enjoy this song. Even with the almost similar lyrics, they were smart and they all played with words in a very creative way. 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg – both artists I am mostly unfamiliar with – almost highlighted and sampled their styles that they are known for, which is why I ended up enjoying this song because I was exposed to these two artists that I now want to listen to more of. Being a long-time Eminem fan, I am glad that he was a part of this album, and although I knew his part wasn’t going to be absolutely amazing, I thought this song was still a showcase of what three amazing rappers can do on one track.
“Sticcy Situation,” once again featuring K.A.A.N. and Cocoa Sarai, started with another memorable rhythm, one that was faster than “Gunz N Smoke.” It sort of has a beat switch a little over halfway in the song, changing the piano in the background to a more synth sounding instrument, giving the song a seemingly deeper sound. It made me more familiar with the sounds of the two featured artists while providing a faster song, something that I learned that I prefer when it comes to rap as I delved deeper into what insight of hip-hop that this album provides. Again, Sarai’s lyrics add more depth to the song along with K.A.A.N., although I do like Sarai’s previous song more than this one, considering she is heard more in the chorus.
BJ The Chicago Boy has also made another appearance in this album in the song “Now or Never,” his second appearance since the first song, “Fore Play.” Snoop starts off the song with lyrics about the downside of being famous, and BJ definitely adds onto that message with a much longer part in this song than the one he previously performed in, considering it’s double the length. It’s definitely the more memorable one of the two songs, giving him more time and freedom to show off his vocals. That’s what I liked most about this song. It makes it feel like the more typical song you would listen to, that structure being what I’m more comfortable with considering that a lot of genres use it, considering the pop I find myself listening to. In my opinion, the lyrics weren’t as harsh as some of the other songs on this album, and it almost reminded me of “Last Dance With Mary Jane,” which is probably why I took such a liking to this song.
The second to last song “Gangsta Pose” features Dem Jointz and Fat Money, both rappers, and Stalone, making it the song with the most artists featured in the album. These three artists are more that I have never heard of before, even with names that seriously stand out. It has an electric groove beat, more proof that every song on this album is different. Although the theme is once again Snoop Dogg boasting about himself, you can tell this song apart from the rest, especially with the two artists. It brings an almost modern sound with Dem Jointz and Fat Money, even so with their vocals much different than Snoop’s. It’s not one of my favorites, but this song is definitely one that I won’t skip.
Finally, the album comes to an end with a song only featuring Snoop Dogg, called “The Negotiator.” It is definitely the best song to end this album with. The beat is heavy with guitar and bass, creating a strong sound that really amplifies the meaning of the lyrics. It wouldn’t be a Snoop Dogg song if he wasn’t singing about himself, and that really fits with ending this album with a solo track talking about how he is the greatest rapper of the generation, matching the theme of a previous song, “Skyscrapers.” The sound is much different from that song, though. His rap was faster than a lot of the ones prior, showing his talent with his rapping. It has that slow fade away from the music like a lot of 2000’s songs that didn’t know how to end, but it really taps into that old style of rap. This song really shows Snoop Dogg’s style, making it a memorable way to end the album even though it is not the most exciting song on the album.
Hearing the massive collaboration and range of artists on this album allowed me to keep listening to song after song, knowing that every single one was going to be different from the last. Even though this is not my favorite album of all time, I believe that it is an amazing project that features a lot of artists. If anything, I blame my music taste for this not being something I will listen to on repeat, but for my first hip-hop album, it is definitely something I will listen to more than once throughout the rest of the semester. Although it isn’t what I would classify as studying music, it is definitely something I can play in my room to vibe along to.
There wasn’t a song on here that I hated, and every song was different from the last. If you are looking for a way to get a sample of a lot of really good hip-hop and rap artists, ‘Missionary’ is the album for that. I’m sure that these guys were more at their peak in Doggystyle, another album I will listen to soon, but for my first rap album, it certainly wasn’t a bad impression. I look forward to listening to more of Snoop Dogg’s and Dr. Dre’s older work, giving me interest in listening to more hip-hop music in general. I only have these two to thank for expanding my music taste, along with the many others I am glad I got to hear within this album.
Hayley Doda can be contacted at
hayley@kscequinox.com
