SNOOP DOGG - MISSIONARY (Official Discussion)

[.:Hercy Buggz:.]

So what would be the solution if you were in their shoes?  The album was already pressed some time ago and shipped out.  Thank You was a last minute addition to the album thanks to fan feedback.  So the options were to do it the way they are doing it now, which you say is STUPID.....or not put Thank You on the album at all (streaming or hard copy) which will make everyone mad.  OR, delay the release date, after all the hype and promotion for the 13th, recall and destroy all the existing copies of the album and repress and reship with THANK YOU on it. 

Of the possible options, this is the best they could do.

And if I may add...this is the streaming digital era!

[--Vance--]

I  wouldn't categorize Dr.Dre's sound as GFunk, as a matter of fact throughout his career, he did all he could to stay away from it.  This ideology is fan made.

Also, about the new producers...Fred wreck and Focus are all over this new album. They ain't new comers.

There is nothing trendy about this album. Nothing at all.

I am only talking about the sonics: mixing and mastering, not about musical direction. But you are right: G-Funk may be the false term for his overall sound. To me he had 3 dominant eras: NWA sound aesthetic, which evolved to the "G-Funk" sound in the 90s, then he revolutionized it again with the "2001" sound which lasted a long time, too. But since "Compton" he has a different sound, which most of the hardcore dre-fanatics don't like as much as the earlier stuff. That's just a fact...

[Soopafly DPGC]

So i hear everyone talking about how impressed they are with the mixing of the album.  Impressed with how Snoops flow and delivery is on the album.  But how are the actual songs?  Do they have any replay value or think years from now you can pick out a handful of songs and put them in a hip hop mixtape and bump them? 

It's like looking at a work of art, like a painting, and can be impressed with the brush strokes and the vision of the artist and the technique they used to create the painting, but when you step back and look at the painting hanging on the wall, it's just an ugly blob of colors. 

I get that vibe that's how most of you are describing Missionary.

[.:Hercy Buggz:.]

So i hear everyone talking about how impressed they are with the mixing of the album.  Impressed with how Snoops flow and delivery is on the album.  But how are the actual songs?  Do they have any replay value or think years from now you can pick out a handful of songs and put them in a hip hop mixtape and bump them? 

It's like looking at a work of art, like a painting, and can be impressed with the brush strokes and the vision of the artist and the technique they used to create the painting, but when you step back and look at the painting hanging on the wall, it's just an ugly blob of colors. 

I get that vibe that's how most of you are describing Missionary.

There could be a replay value on this. Most of Snoops albums I can't listen to front to back, but this album I can enjoy as a whole, alot of standout tracks, like Thank You, Last Dance with Mary Jane, the song with meth

[.:Hercy Buggz:.]

Also, Shangri-la references Bone Thugs and De La Soul

[TraceOneInfinite]

Don't know what to say about this album, obviously well produced to perfection with Dre--got the Sting joint on replay.

...but i'm just not sure at their age and at this stage in rap's decline that they can really do it anymore.  This is probably the best they can do.  So I'll try to enjoy it a bit.  When it comes to old age come backs they are possible, I think Xzibit might end up pulling it off better than Snoop when we see the final product from Xzibit. 

It seemed maybe they was trying to go too mainstream and the "icon" angle which doesn't really work in hip--hop, hip-hop is more about hunger and going for yourz

[.:Hercy Buggz:.]

Don't know what to say about this album, obviously well produced to perfection with Dre--got the Sting joint on replay.

...but i'm just not sure at their age and at this stage in rap's decline that they can really do it anymore.  This is probably the best they can do.  So I'll try to enjoy it a bit.  When it comes to old age come backs they are possible, I think Xzibit might end up pulling it off better than Snoop when we see the final product from Xzibit. 

It seemed maybe they was trying to go too mainstream and the "icon" angle which doesn't really work in hip--hop, hip-hop is more about hunger and going for yourz

The industry is also in the process of incorporating an "Alternative Hiphop" genre.

With Snoop being the rap Madonna, he will not have the same drive as someone like Xzibit, who is mainly a rap artist.

[Primo]

My brother said he cringed during the Sting song. I agree the Dre part is corny. That being said I enjoy it more than I thought I was going to. I agree also that Snoop reached a level of commercial fame that is hard to take serious. Dude is literally everywhere. Good for him and he is getting his bag but putting Death Row chains on The Voice contestants is next level corny and devalues that brand. Death Row is supposed to have a gangsta image.

[.:Hercy Buggz:.]

My brother said he cringed during the Sting song. I agree the Dre part is corny. That being said I enjoy it more than I thought I was going to. I agree also that Snoop reached a level of commercial fame that is hard to take serious. Dude is literally everywhere. Good for him and he is getting his bag but putting Death Row chains on The Voice contestants is next level corny and devalues that brand. Death Row is supposed to have a gangsta image.

Snoop said numerous times that the goal is to change the image of Death Row.

[The Predator]

Snoop Dogg – Missionary
A Dre-powered testimony to West Coast hip-hop...
ClashMusic


Snoop Dogg has never rested on his laurels, never allowed his back catalogue to supersede his current plans. The 21stcentury has brought a host of projects, musical and otherwise, with Snoop arguably transcending rap to become cherished part of American pop culture more generally. Fresh from having a ball at the Paris Olympics, ‘Missionary’ dials into his roots – the title is a self-conscious echo of almighty debut album ‘Doggystyle’, while old friend Dr. Dre comes on board as producer. An eager act of fan service, the results represent one of his most consistent records from the past 20 years.

Anyone who’s encountered Snoop Dogg before will know what to expect. This is sheer West Coast hip-hop, matching rubberfunk beats to his playful flows. There are marijuana references a-plenty, with the rapper seizing on the cartoonish aspects of his persona and claiming them as his own.

There’s plenty to absorb here. Early highlights like ‘Shangri-La’ and ‘Outta Da Blue’ snap hard, the latter with a neat ‘Paper Planes’ interpolation. Method Man guests on ‘Skyscrapers’, and it’s a neat collaboration from two all-timers. ‘Now Or Never’ has a great BJ The Chicago Kid feature, while the sombre ‘Last Dance With Mary Jane’ lifts from the Tom Petty classic to probe Snoop’s life-long infatuation with the sweet leaf.

—

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The production, too, is note-worthy. Now perhaps known as a leading music industry figure and business mogul, Dr. Dre serves up some excellent beats, with some nimble sonic moments alongside. The rugged keys on ‘Gorgeous’ for example are undiluted West Coast funk, while ‘Gangsta Pose’ oozes don’t-f*ck-with-me energy.

That said, not everything lands. ‘Gunz N Smoke’ has an incredible guest cast, but the features from 50 Cent and Eminem are forgettable; equally, the Sting sample on ‘Another Part Of Me’ doesn’t quite fit the broader sonic themes on the record.

But perhaps that’s churlish. Snoop Dogg has worked relentlessly these past decades, but it hasn’t always met his lofty standards – entertaining-if-sight diversions in reggae and gospel, albums that have often felt patchwork. Aligning with Dre across the full breadth of the record, ‘Missionary’ is one of rap’s most iconic voices doing what he does best.

7/10

[The Predator]

Snoop Dogg – ‘Missionary’ review: an underwhelming sequel to a hip-hop classic

As a follow-up to the history-making ‘Doggystyle’, ‘Missionary’ swaps out its predecessor’s hedonistic charm for some more mature nuggets of wisdom

NME

***

It’s been over 30 years since Snoop Dogg dropped the Dr Dre-produced ‘Doggystyle’ – the album that brought G-funk to the world. The duo pioneered West Coast hip-hop, making being gangster fun and pop-friendly compared to the gritty real rap of Ice-T and NWA. ‘Missionary’ doesn’t follow in the footsteps of the history-making hip-hop classic, though. Instead, Dre and Snoop wanted to “show a different level of maturity” with a motivational – yet unpolished – record to close out 2024.

Although it’s named after a sex position, nothing about ‘Missionary’ screams sensual. The closest attempt to this is ‘Gangsta Pose’, on which Snoop raps: “Don’t stop, visionary / On top, missionary / Legs up, on your belly / Then, I’m back up in the chef’s”. Despite the salacious start, it turns into another lesson from Uncle Snoop about confidence and having to “gangster lean through this life”.

The album is more so a glitzy, Hollywood-style free-for-all than full of pleasure-seeking anthems, where the likes of the late Tom Petty, Jelly Roll, 50 Cent and Eminem join Snoop on tracks to toe the line between inspirational and relatable. The results are a little hit-or-miss, especially in the features department: Petty’s droning hook on ‘Lady Mary Jane’ (an ode to the West Coast icon’s beloved marijuana) is an uncomfortable listen. Eminem’s staccato flow on ‘Gunz n Smoke’ feels dull against 50 Cent and Snoop’s entertaining laidback braggadocio as they tell tales inspired by their gritty pre-fame lifestyles.

Not everything on ‘Missionary’ flounders, most surprisingly so on ‘Another Part of Me’, where Snoop takes on psychedelic rock with Sting. Although the sound throws off the album’s overall cohesion, it’s an enchanting one-off that isn’t a tacky venture into another sound. The same can’t be said of ‘Fire’, the random and disastrous reggae song that makes you glad Snoop Dogg is Snoop Lion no more.

Occasionally, there are even moments that hark back to Snoop and Dre’s glory days. ‘Outta Da Blue’ is another classic from the pair as they go back and forth over a nostalgic, ’80s-style beat, making a beautiful nod to hip-hop’s early days. But outro track ‘The Negotiator’ is really where Dre’s expert production and Snoop’s signature chillness align the best. As the cinematic strings, hypnotic jabs of the guitar and dreamy chimes lay the foundation for Snoop to take his victory lap, he reflects on how far he’s come to have his “name on the [Hollywood] Walk of Fame right next to Lenny Kravitz”.

‘Missionary’ is an underwhelming sequel where the inspirational tone feels forced, and the sonic versatility hinders the whole project. Dre and Snoop forgot the legacy they created for the West Coast with ‘Doggystyle’ and – although there are flashes of fun – the forgettable collection barely scratches the surface of their legendary status.

[The Predator]

Short Movie released -

https://www.dubcnn.com/connect/index.php/topic,344278.0.html

[geezy]

I have listened to this album like about 7 to 8 times now, top to bottom.

The more I listen the more excited I get, it’s been a very long time an album sounds better the more I listen to it.

The songs settle more in my ears. Top quality productions and all the artists brought their A-game.

Snoop flow & delivery is best match for Dr Dre’s production, this album solidified that fact.

A lot of people will change their view about this album in few days after a couple of spins.

It’s just a solid album, some tracks making me grin like a fool, like when I was in my 20’s….Fire, Pressure, Sticcy Situation, Hard Knocks, Thank You, Gunz N Smoke are the kind of Snoop & Dre vibe I was hoping for.

Body of work wise for Snoop - top to bottom, quality wise, this looking like my 2nd favourite Snoop album. Jumping over Tha Last Meal.

When the dust settles this will go down in history as one of Snoop’s best work (My predisctiion).


Time to go and watch the Mini Movie

[Laidback Sounds]

I'm sorry but for those who say it is well mixed, i'm sitting here with professional studio speakers and it is not well mixed at all... super treebly and harsh, serious lack of basse...  i switched back to 2nd to none Up In Da club to recalibrate my ears and i was like ok it is not me being tired or my speakers, that missionary album is harsh as a mutha fuck@, don't listen on phone speakers and says it sounds superb lol ....

[astra4322]

I'm sorry but for those who say it is well mixed, i'm sitting here with professional studio speakers and it is not well mixed at all... super treebly and harsh, serious lack of basse...  i switched back to 2nd to none Up In Da club to recalibrate my ears and i was like ok it is not me being tired or my speakers, that missionary album is harsh as a mutha fuck@, don't listen on phone speakers and says it sounds superb lol ....

Yeah - the music and vocals are sometimes more one the left or right channel not perfect stero if you know what I mean.