SNOOP DOGG - MISSIONARY (Official Discussion)

[Sccit]

Absolutely correct! CD Quality is still the closest you can get to the studio version producer's want you to hear it. Not a big fan of the streaming era although they are making steps forward with lossless etc. Vinyl is another story; totally different, analog technology and warmer sound in general.

PS: I can also confirm that the Missionary CD (without "Thank You" of course) sounds slightly better than the YT premium high quality version.

What I loved about this album is the nostalgic feeling of getting a fully produced Dre Rap album (Last was Compton) on the day it dropped on a physical medium  So nonetheless big props to them for releasing still music in their age, that's the most impressive part to me.

To me this project sounds very like a continuation of "The Contract EP"

cd quality is far from studio quality brother

cd quality is capped at 44.1 khz/16-bit

vinyl quality >>>>

[Rubenowski]

definitely tons of unreleased vocals still dyin to be used

last couple of snoop albums had some unreleased nate vocals that tbh put most missionary to shame

Outside the Box on BODR sounded hella generic at least the beat made it sound that way. Bit of stretch if you’re referring to that track putting most on Missionary to shame.

[Sccit]

Speaking of Boss Life, is the Name Dogg version anywhere on streaming? Of not, where did you find it because I believe it was bleak and never retail right?

they had a cd single of the nate version was pressed

[Sccit]

SMH....Just bought the CD from HMV - didn't think one of the best songs 'Thank You' would not be on this??

any idea why?

the cd was pressed before they decided to add thank you

[Sccit]

Outside the Box on BODR sounded hella generic at least the beat made it sound that way. Bit of stretch if you’re referring to that track putting most on Missionary to shame.

outside the box is a dope joint, not sure what u talkin bout

[teecee]

I’ve listened to the album 8 times all the way through so I feel comfortable giving a review:

-pointless intro; album shoulda started with Snoop ripping the mic on Shangrila…which needs another verse.  Shangrila is pretty nice, but why a recycled Stakes is High De La sample? DILLA did it WAY better. Dre doesn’t wanna do HIS old shit (ie west coast) but has been HEAVY on the classic east coast samples since the Marsha album

-Outta da blue. Production has admittedly grown on me.  Most exciting rapping on the entire album.  Worst chorus  by far…just painful to the ears.  What were they thinking??

-Hard Knocks. I dig the first half but the second beat is the worst kind of Just blaze style…nothing new here.  Great performance by snoop.  Hate this chorus…hurts the ears.  Loud and abrasive. Not a huge fan of beat switch gimmicks and this one doesn’t work.

-Gorgeous is…dope as fuck minus the chorus (this is a theme with this album).  Coulda been a hit with some alterations.  Needs a heavier baseline and another verse.  THiS song shoulda had them going back on forth instead of Outta da Blue.

-Last dance is masterfully produced but not exactly my style.  Wish it had more Snoop. Jelly roll is nice on it though.  Gonna be a hit no doubt. Not innovative at all…another theme of this album. 

-Thank you is the vibe they needed more for the album.  Finally, the production matches Snoops hunger on the mic.  This is the formula. Snoop sounds in his prime god damn.  So sharp…and Dre matches him on this one (almost)…the outro could use some classic Dre touches

-Pressure.  Production, while nothing too great, allows Snoop to shine slick Rick style. Kaan doing a Pharell impression? Why?

-Another part of me is an interesting one.  Lazy and obvious sample but I like what they did with it (unorthodox structure).  Snoop so good on here once again.  Sting rips his Russ written lyrics. With a bigger chorus this could easily be a hit.


-Skyscrapers.  Again, worst kind of Just Blaze beat.  Fuck. Wastes two great verses by two of the most naturally gifted rappers of all time .  I wanna like this one.  Hope it grows on me.  So many sounds.  Was driving and thought sounds/warnings was going off in my ride

-Fire. Hate the intro.  But the beat kicks in and I feel like we got one..until the chorus . It’s not the worst but not great.  Snoop ridin this groove for real. Like the REN/villain shoutout.

-Guns and Smoke   Was worried this would be my least favourite but not the case.  Nice album cut ,surprised it wasn’t more single sounding.  Is that really 50?  Dope verse but didn’t sound like him.  Em felt unnecessary. Snoop the standout for sure. 

-Sticky Situation.  Nothing special about the beat again.  Maybe the least I liked Snoop on the album.  Wanna be Nate dogg chorus plus Suzanne Vega biting  chorus.  I don’t hate this song at all. Another beat change (if you gonna do this you gotta KILL it like on Darksude/Gone off Compton…sticking with Compton, this started sounding like Satisfiction to me and that’s not a compliment.

-Now or Never.  Snoop sounds so fresh on here.  Dre voice sounds cooked on here though. Nice deep album cut.   Snoops vocals too loud at times and hurtin my ears

-Gangsta Pose.  Why not call this track Missionary??  Snoop ridin this beat again.  Not sure what I think of the hook…actually I straight up don’t like it.  Now this beat change I can dig.  Hate the auto tune dude

-Negotiator .  Nice closer.  Kinda bland but still dope enough.


More thoughts: if they gotta bring back old beats/sound, why east coast and not west?! I guess this style is relatively new to Dre, but not to hip hop fans.

-seems most of the forum wanted 2001 Dre, but being a bit older than y’all maybe, I was fiending for early DR, and despite what anyone says, how could we not be with the album titled Missionary?.  While I loved 2001, the simplistic piano driven beats never hit with me as much as Chronic and Doggystyle did (not as much as U betta recognize or NBK style bests either)

-Snoop coulda handled  most of the chorus himself (his singing was amazing in this album.  And why not some more rapped hooks?). Missing a Nate Dogg feature or Anderson Paak.

-Gorgeous might be the most forced Snoop  sounded on the whole album ;punched in, robotic at times.  kinda like Warren’s flow after his first two albums)

-the album doesn’t offer the promised maturity or introspection. Subject  matter is just basic and lacking.  Nothing like Can’t Say goodbye or No Bacctraccin or Talkin to my Diary.   Nothing about the community.  How about a proper Nate Dogg and bad azz and big pimpin etc R.I.P. song?

-this is BY FAR the most cohesive Snoop album album since…Doggfather?!  This is the genius in the production. 

-Snoop’s rapping and singing is amazing…gives the album some  major  replay value as he’s just so fun to listen to throughout. I’m not in love with all of the music but it gives space for snoop to be the star as the beats are mostly subtle instead of taking the forefront.

-speaking of which, the beats have no bass lines/warmth, and just sound tinny

-this album makes me wanna hear THIS Snoop on some harder hitting production.

-Dre has either lost a step or just doesn’t have his finger on the pulse of this shit, but how can anyone deny that he has Snoop sounding better than he has on any album in the last 30 years?  That in itself deserves Dre major props (Snoop didn’t even sound this good on classics like Imagine, Next Episode, Lay Low, Just Dippin, Buck Wm, Chin Check, or Boss Life).  I can’t believe how tight Snoop sounds on almost every single bar on this album. 

I have a feeling this album will grow on me and be one I can play mostly all the way through, and that’s because this album gives us day one fans at least one thing we’ve all been dying for- the return of Snoop DOGGY Dogg on the mic. 

Raps 9.5/10

Beats and hooks 6/10


Overall 7.5/10

[haliaeetus albicilla]

If you cut the album in a playlist for 30 minutes (like back in the days with tapes)

1. Foreplay
2. Shangri-la
3. Hardknocks
4. Gorgeous
5. Last dance
6. Skyscrapers
7. Fire
8. Another part
9. Sticky situations
10. Now or never
11. Negotiator

a little equalizing and you have a 10/10 album.

It sounds like a 70s blaxploitation with these live Horns. Which is great.
Big difference with just blaze is that his shit is just samples which makes it stiff.
Best 30 minutes of music i have heard in 20 years or so.

[--Vance--]

cd quality is far from studio quality brother

cd quality is capped at 44.1 khz/16-bit

vinyl quality >>>>

I love vinyl but still prefer CDs.
A 16-bit WAV file on a CD sounds closer to the studio version than vinyl due to the following reasons:

1. Dynamic Range: CDs have a wider dynamic range (96 dB), capturing both quiet and loud sounds more accurately, compared to vinyl’s 60–70 dB.

2. Frequency Response: CDs consistently reproduce the full range of human hearing (20 Hz to 22 kHz), while vinyl can lose details in bass and treble due to physical limitations. Not everyone has a perfect vinyl setup.

3. Noise-Free Playback: CDs are free of surface noise and distortion, unlike vinyl, which can have crackles, pops, and wear over time.

4. Precision: Digital recordings (even when mastered in 24-bit and reduced to 16-bit for CD) ensure consistent and precise sound reproduction.

In essence, CDs provide a cleaner and more faithful reproduction of the studio recording than vinyl.

[heyyou]

Teecee - I totally agree that the main problem with the production is that it lacks any warm and bass line etc. Other than Gorgeous and Thank you, there is a real lack of a memorable hook, melody and groove.

Snoop's cadence was amazing, although I did miss that laid back effortless flow, but the beats wouldn't have match with it.

I just think Dre tried too hard and too clever to be different and experimenting on the engineering side of things, that the production lacked soul and was cold feeling.
That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the album. I can see why he compared it to Thriller with how the instruments/sounds are separated, spacious and clean.

It's a very solid cohesive project, just a different style that i'm not use to hear Snoop rapping on. If it was Kenrick rapping on this, I think people would be loving it more, but the fact it's Snoop, people are thrown off a bit and still yearn for the classic Death Row or 2001 style.

The typical westcoast sound (which I love), is now just too played out and sounds very generic to me these days. The recent Dogg Pound stuff is a perfect example of this. It's really starting to sound bland and stale.

I really hope Snoop takes on board to release less music, become more focused on projects and concentrate on the quality instead of going through the motions.
I still would love for Tha Doggfather,  'Da Game is to be sold...', and even some of Last Meal and Top Dogg to be redone and edited or remixed on some tracks, because there is some great material on there that just needs sharpening up

[Matty]

I love vinyl but still prefer CDs.
A 16-bit WAV file on a CD sounds closer to the studio version than vinyl due to the following reasons:

1. Dynamic Range: CDs have a wider dynamic range (96 dB), capturing both quiet and loud sounds more accurately, compared to vinyl’s 60–70 dB.

2. Frequency Response: CDs consistently reproduce the full range of human hearing (20 Hz to 22 kHz), while vinyl can lose details in bass and treble due to physical limitations. Not everyone has a perfect vinyl setup.

3. Noise-Free Playback: CDs are free of surface noise and distortion, unlike vinyl, which can have crackles, pops, and wear over time.

4. Precision: Digital recordings (even when mastered in 24-bit and reduced to 16-bit for CD) ensure consistent and precise sound reproduction.

In essence, CDs provide a cleaner and more faithful reproduction of the studio recording than vinyl.

24-bit FLAC is my weapon of choice these days, noticable step up from CDs. sampling rate doesn't make such a big difference but the 24-bit factor makes everything sound more realistic.

big issue with vinyl is the lack of bass detail & clarity IMO.

[Malcy]

Leftovers

1. Where I'm From (feat. Stalone & Anderson .Paak)
Produced By The Alchemist


anyone has this? where is this info from?

Comes from a picture of Missionary tracks on a laptop screen that was posted a while back.

[geezy]

I always look out for this guy’s review on YouTube


https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZzuV18S9MsI?si=281aMkS-hwUCYDbV

[Sccit]

I love vinyl but still prefer CDs.
A 16-bit WAV file on a CD sounds closer to the studio version than vinyl due to the following reasons:

1. Dynamic Range: CDs have a wider dynamic range (96 dB), capturing both quiet and loud sounds more accurately, compared to vinyl’s 60–70 dB.

2. Frequency Response: CDs consistently reproduce the full range of human hearing (20 Hz to 22 kHz), while vinyl can lose details in bass and treble due to physical limitations. Not everyone has a perfect vinyl setup.

3. Noise-Free Playback: CDs are free of surface noise and distortion, unlike vinyl, which can have crackles, pops, and wear over time.

4. Precision: Digital recordings (even when mastered in 24-bit and reduced to 16-bit for CD) ensure consistent and precise sound reproduction.

In essence, CDs provide a cleaner and more faithful reproduction of the studio recording than vinyl.

not true at all … if you have a proper vinyl setup, you will notice that vinyl gives off that rich, warm sound that replicates a studio experience much better than CDs…. even tapes > CD….. CDs are great, but the sound is thinned out compared to vinyl

true, if you have a cheap vinyl setup a CD will sound better

but any audiophile will tell you, vinyl > tape > CD >>>>>>> streaming

[Sccit]

Comes from a picture of Missionary tracks on a laptop screen that was posted a while back.

no anderson paak on this album was a huge mistake

considering that the choruses are lacking according to most reviews, anderson paak would have really fixed that issue

[Sccit]

24-bit FLAC is my weapon of choice these days, noticable step up from CDs. sampling rate doesn't make such a big difference but the 24-bit factor makes everything sound more realistic.

big issue with vinyl is the lack of bass detail & clarity IMO.

vinyl sounds more alive

think of live instrumentation…. the bass is never overpowering when u got a live band playing.. that’s what vinyl is good at replicating