Missionary (Snoop Dogg album)

Missionary
Studio album by Snoop Dogg
Released	December 13, 2024
Recorded	July – November 2022 April – September 2024
Label	Death Row Aftermath Interscope
Producer	Dr. Dre Snoop Dogg Dem Jointz BoogzDaBeast FnZ Erik "Blu2th" Griggs Preach Bal4 Fredwreck
Snoop Dogg chronology
Snoop Cube 40 $hort (2022) Missionary (2024)
Singles from Missionary
"Gorgeous" Released: November 1, 2024 "Outta da Blue" Released: November 21, 2024

Missionary is the upcoming twentieth studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It is set to be released on December 13, 2024, by Death Row Records, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records.^[1] Production will be handled by Dr. Dre and Snoop himself.^[2] It will feature Eminem, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Sting, Method Man, Jelly Roll, Tom Petty, BJ the Chicago Kid, Jhené Aiko, Alus, K.A.A.N., Smitty, Dem Jointz, Cocoa Sarai, Stalone, and Fat Money. It will follow both of his albums that were released in 2022; his nineteenth studio album, BODR and Snoop Cube 40 $hort, which he was a member of the West Coast hip supergroup, Mount Westmore.

The album began to be mentioned by Snoop on social media in the last months of 2022.^[2] Snoop Dogg confirmed that Missionary was in the works last year during an appearance on Stephen A. Smith's podcast, Know Mercy. "I'ma tell you this, you're the first one to hear this: me and Dr. Dre have been working on an album for the past two months," he revealed. He went on to claim "it'll be done in November." Snoop continued, explaining, "It's produced by Dr. Dre, it's our 30th anniversary to Doggystyle. And the name of the album is Missionary." When asked to share why they chose the name, Snoop simply told the host, "The first album was Doggystyle."^[3]

During an interview with From The Desk Of Lo published on August 27, 2023, the rapper The D.O.C. revealed that the album sounds like the perfect balance between the old and new Death Row: "It sounds like what Snoop's next record would've been like on Death Row, that's what it sounds like."^[4]

In January 2024, Snoop gives some update about the "masterful" new album: "When you hear what we have and how he got me rapping, it's like a grown Snoop Dogg. There's some growth to him. It's the way he selects his bars, it's the way he uses his voice. [Dr. Dre] uses me like a fucking robot and I love it because I love to be produced. I love to be challenged." He also praised Dre for using his voice "like an instrument."^[5][6]

In February 2024, rapper and producer Erick Sermon says he has a "crazy" song on the album.^[7]

On March 20, 2024, Snoop announced on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that Dr. Dre will begin mixing the album in mid-April. 50 Cent revealed he will be featured on the album.^[8]

On August 13, 2024, during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Dre mentioned that he is almost done mixing the album and it would either have 14 or 16 tracks, he is on track 11 as far as mixing goes and he mentioned that he has to have it done and delivered by September 1st to have a November release date. He added that he would be featured on one track vocally on the finished album. He also revealed that Sting will be one of the features on the album alongside “an amazing roster of artists”.^[9] In an interview with Complex, Snoop and Dre confirmed the album is “definitely“ going to be released “later this year before Christmas“.^[10] In a live interview with Drink Champs, Method Man revealed that he will be making an appearance on the album.^[11]

During an interview at the Bloomberg Screentime conference in Los Angeles, Snoop Dogg continued to tease the project’s star-studded supporting cast: “I got a feature from Jelly Roll and Sting. I’m so happy that me and Sting got a record that’s so good.”^[12]

The album will be produced by Dr. Dre, who launched Snoop's career on the single "Deep Cover", in 1992, and produced the rapper's debut album, Doggystyle, in 1993.^[13] The album will be a return to the sound of the rapper's first albums, released in the early-mid 1990s.^[2]

During an interview with Entertainment Tonight on August 13, 2024, Dre said “This one is going to show a different level of maturity with my music. I feel like this is some of the best music I’ve done in my career”. ^[14]

Sample credits

• "Outta da Blue" contains samples of "Watermelon Fantasy", written by Mandy Priddice, Cedrick Letshou, Tina Bruins, Jack Daley and Oliver Price, as performed by Daylight Studio; "Paper Planes", written by Maya Arulpragasam, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon, Joe Strummer and Wesley Pentz, as performed by M.I.A.; "Saturday Night" as written and performed by Schoolly D; and "Scratchin", written by Clayton Ivey and Terry Woodford, as performed by Magic Disco Machine, and an interpolation from "All Around the World", written by Lisa Stansfield, Ian Devaney and Andy Morris, as performed by Lisa Stansfield.

• Cocoa Sarai – background vocals (track 3, 5)
• The-Dream – background vocals (track 5)
• K.A.A.N. – background vocals (track 5)
• Focus... – keyboard (track 5)
• Dem Jointz – drums (track 5)
• Chris Lowery – trumpet (track 5)
• Chris Johnson – trombone (track 5)
• Jerry "Jay Flat" Williams – saxophone (track 5)

• Dr. Dre – mixing (track 3, 5)
• Focus... – mixing (track 3, 5)
• Quentin "Q" Gilkey – recording engineer (track 3, 5)
• Brandon Harding – recording engineer (track 5)
• Jeffrey "Champ" Massey – assistant recording engineer (track 3, 5)
• Victor "Vic" Luevanos – assistant recording engineer (track 5)
• Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – mastering (track 3, 5)

• Death Row Records