Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre's brotherhood is still strong after 30 years with new album 'Missionary'

[December 13, 2024]  By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When it comes to music, there's one person in particular Snoop Dogg trusts enough to steer the ship without question: hit-making producer Dr. Dre.

Their bond, built over 30 years of brotherhood, began when Dr. Dre shaped Snoop's game-changing debut, “Doggystyle,” a cornerstone of hip-hop history. From young dreamers chasing stardom to legends cementing their legacies, the duo has always moved in sync.

Now, the dynamic pair reunites for Snoop's “Missionary,” his milestone 20th studio album, which releases Friday. In a music industry where lasting relationships are rare, their bond remains solid.

“We were just playing on our raw ability, and it worked ... But now you're dealing with professionals who are like perfectionists and skilled at what they do,” Snoop said while smoking a blunt inside his dressing room trailer. The 15-track project features several big-name guest appearances, including Eminem, 50 Cent, Sting, Method Man, Jelly Roll, Tom Petty and Jhené Aiko.

Snoop Dogg and Sting strike a chord

Before the interview, the ultra-smooth entertainer had just wrapped up rehearsals for “The Voice” with British musician Sting, delivering a performance that aired this week on NBC. Both hit the stage on the competition series to perform Snoop's album single “Another Part of Me,” which was sampled from The Police's “Message in a Bottle,” a 1979 song that Sting wrote and sang as lead singer.

Sting quickly approved the sample for “Another Part of Me,” getting to know Snoop's personality during the superstar rapper's meteoric rise at the Paris Olympics this summer, despite never meeting him in person. Snoop carried the Olympic torch, captivated audiences as NBC’s prime-time correspondent, swam with Michael Phelps, attended a U.S. women’s soccer game with Megan Rapinoe, danced with Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles and cheered on Caeleb Dressel alongside the swimmer’s wife and son.

When Sting first heard the track, he was impressed by Snoop's vocal ability but found himself contemplating how he could contribute to the song.

“He asked me to sing a verse, which is difficult," said Sting, who met Snoop for the first time on “The Voice” set. "It's a different style from the one I normally sing. It's a very, very rapid rap style, which is kind of challenging for me. But I love a challenge. I played the guitar on the track, so I feel very much a part of it. I think it's going to be a hit.”

A versatile businessman with a diverse portfolio

Like Sting, many others across the globe have witnessed Snoop ascend to new heights. Along with being a breakout star at the Paris Games, he's been seen in TV commercials and co-hosting a cooking show with Martha Stewart. He stepped in during a Wrestlemania match and even threw out the first pitch at the Reds-Brewers MLB game before giving his unique play-by-play commentary.

Snoop's daughter, Cori Broadus, has a new reality show about nuptials called “Snoop Dogg's Fatherhood: Cori and Wayne's Story,” a three-part docuseries that debuted last week on E!. Snoop and his son Cordell Broadus have a thriving ice cream brand launched in 2023.

This year, Dr. Dre and Snoop launched two alcohol brands: A canned cocktail, Gin & Juice, and the premium gin, Still G.I.N., which is a play on “Still D.R.E.,” the hit single from Dr. Dre’s multiplatinum “2001” album released in 1999.

“It's like you don't have to speak. Your work speaks for you now as opposed to you knocking on doors. Now, people are opening doors,” he said. “They understand who I am as a person and what my love vessel is and that makes them want to get next to me.”

Snoop Dogg performs a DJ set as "DJ Snoopadelic" during the "Concerts In Your Car" series Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in Ventura, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

Snoop returns to the studio with Dr. Dre

Amid Snoop's hustle and bustle, he said Dr. Dre felt it was time to head back into the studio to start recording a new album — a process that began nearly two years ago. They recorded in spurts.

“(Dr. Dre) was watching me in the entertainment world and figuring that my music hand ain't matching my entertainment hand,” Snoop said. “He wanted to put music back in the foreground with his production. leadership and guidance on the project."

While recording, Snoop said Dr. Dre musically knew him better than himself at times. He said no other producers — except for Pharrell and Battlecat — have the cachet to critique him like Dr. Dre.

“He would basically write it for me, tell me how to say it, give me the enunciation and the way I’m supposed to punctuate it,” Snoop said of Dr. Dre. “He’s like a real (expletive) producer, director. He acts for me and knows what I’m supposed to do in his body and then he makes me do it in my body. And if it’s not right, it ain’t right.”

Snoop credited Dr. Dre's influence for enhancing the track “Now or Never,” a deeply sentimental song that left him feeling emotional at times. He described it as a “tears of joy” record, dedicated to the memory of recently deceased loved ones, including his younger brother, who died earlier this year.

For Snoop, “Now or Never” was a difficult song to record, even though it was his favorite on the album.

“It’s really hard to make a track like that — especially because I’m always the life of the party," he said. "I’m always happy, fun, upbeat. So, to have a moment of reflection sometimes makes the mood damp or a little bit light. But it’s needed. It’s necessary because it happens in life. It’s good to speak on it. ... My pen is my mightiest sword. I always write where I live.

Rebuilding Death Row Records with a new vision

Snoop is determined to restore Death Row Records to its former glory. After acquiring the brand in 2022, he faced some skepticism — even from Dr. Dre and Interscope Records at first before eventually winning them over — due to the label's troubled reputation. He's on a mission to rewrite its story and steer it toward a brighter legacy — just like he's done for his career.

Snoop's new album was released in conjunction with his label, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Records and Interscope, which was co-founded by music industry entrepreneur Jimmy Iovine. Death Row has released new apparel, an animated “Doggystyle” film and entered the gaming industry with a recent collaboration with Fortnite.

“We're building Death Row into avenues that didn't exist,” he said. “We're taking it into places that it never thought it could go.”

Snoop has made tremendous strides since he broke through in the 1990s rap scene as a signed Death Row Records artist, navigating several run-ins with the law along the way. He credits his turning point to his acquittal on murder charges in 1996, a moment that marked a significant shift in his life and career.

“My mother raised me the right way, but I chose the wrong way,” he said. “I had to separate from certain people on Death Row (at the time). ... I could say that those were decisions that I’m happy I made, even though I may have ruffled feathers and made people look at me like I’m soft or weak.”

Snoop added: “Nah, I’m smart. I’m thinking. When you grow old, that’s called wisdom. And when you get old, that’s because you have wisdom.”

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