Dr. Dre revealed he hasn’t felt “inspired” by a Hip-Hop Album since 2015
Upon the release of a new record Missionary with Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre shared in an interview that he hasn’t been inspired by Hip Hop since Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly.
Lamar’s critically acclaimed album is now a decade old, and Dre himself served as an executive producer on the project.
Now, the Hip Hop heavyweight has returned with Missionary, his first record since 2015. Created in collaboration with Snoop Dogg, the album is a classic reminder of what good Hip Hop sounds like.
The album features a huge line-up of artists including, BJ The Chicago Kid, Jhene Aiko, Tom Petty, Jelly Roll, and even Sting. The biggest track is ‘Gunz N Smoke’.
The track has Snoop, Dre, Eminem and 50 Cent come together in an ode to the late Notorious B.I.G.
The four legends have never all featured on the same song, although being collaborators in various senses over the years.
It’s as though four of the biggest names in Hip Hop history are working together to “show you the ropes” on how the genre is done.
Biggie’s memory shines through the song as 50 cent adopts the MC kings cadence and spits out “Red dot ya, I got ya, B-I-G time, who shot ya?” over a 90s reminiscent bassline. Snoop Dogg also reimagines Bigs line, “you should too, if you knew” from ‘Notorious Thugs’, “you would to, if you knew what a young nigga had to do”.
The line alludes to the expertise featured on the track and positions the song as educational homage to the greats.
The 16 track record, ‘Missionary’ was released last Friday 13th December.
It’s a long-awaited bookend to Snoop Dogg’s debut album ‘Doggystyle’ that was produced by Dr. Dre in 1993.
Check it out here.
