Snoop Dogg reminded the world this Friday that he is more than just an ubiquitous celebrity. mainstream of the United States. After being a kind of mascot for his country’s Olympic team at the Paris Games during the summer, the rapper has finally launched Missionarythe long-awaited album that reunites him with Dr. Dre for the first time in 31 years. The duo is preceded by the success achieved in 1993 with Doggystylethe album that catapulted him to fame. A place that has not left since then.
Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus, no longer occupies the throne of West Coast hip hop. He himself acknowledges that that place is now held by Kendrick Lamar, who has released a recent surprise album, GNX. Snoop, 53, and Dre, 59, are part of the royal court of the genre, as they proved with their appearance on the show. The idea of collaborating together again had been floating around since then, but the album took a while to materialize. Dre finished mixing the 16 songs in September for a release originally planned for November.
The secret has been lifted this morning. The duo had previewed a couple of singles, including, Gorgeouswith Angelina R&B singer Jhené Aiko and Skyscrapersalongside Method Man, one of the original members of WuTang Clan, and Smitty, a Florida rapper who has several credits writing rhymes for others. The songs confirmed that Snoop was returning to the sounds of the nineties, to sing about sex and lust and to return to the theme of gangster rap, a controversial genre that marked American music of that decade.
Missionary It refers to the sexual position (the album art is a condom wrapper), and the role both have played in paving the way for rap from California to the rest of the world. It is also a clear example of the power that artists have in the industry today. Last Dance With Mary Jane contains the sampleo whose usage rights must cost a small fortune. In the hands of the rappers, the song highlights the use of marijuana, a substance they have celebrated since the years of The Chronicthe album that Dre released in 1992.
The producer has described the album in the press as a work of maturity and a project that excites him. Snoop admits that his audience base is much larger now. It is no longer just made up of fans of gangster rap from the 90s, when it was a marginal genre in the industry and has since grown to occupy a prominent piece of the market. The need to reach other audiences explains some of the collaborations of Missionary. In Another Part of Me They repeat Petty’s recipe with the help of Sting. They use Message in a bottle, which The Police recorded in 1979. The song debuted on the charts this Friday at number ten and gave the British musician his first appearance on the rap charts. Sting, who didn’t know Snoop, was invited to rap for the collaboration, but was a little intimidated by his lyrical partner’s speed, so he stuck to playing guitar for the base of the song.
Neither Snoop nor Dre are what they were in the late eighties, talents who sought to make a name for themselves with sound chronicles of the young soldiers of the gangs of Los Angeles. Today they are consolidated businessmen with deep pockets. Snoop charges about $250,000 to write 16 verses for anyone who wants to collaborate with him. The list of those who have paid this fee is very long and.
Snoop already sports gray hair in his dreadlocks and has become the friendly face that sells the American consumer a wide catalog of products ranging from portable stoves, insurance, alcoholic beverages, cell phones and edible marijuana products. Dre’s (Andre Young) fortune is around $500 million, making him one of the richest rappers behind P Diddy and Jay-Z.
If the couple has shown anything, it is that they do not think twice before capitalizing on past successes. Dre and Snoop Dogg launched a gin brand and a cocktail of this alcohol with fruit juice this year. The gin, called Still GIN, is a nod to one of the most famous songs of Doggystylethe album of sexually explicit lyrics accompanied by bass- and funk-laden beats made by Dre. The producer used to bring the mixture to the studio to drink directly from a gallon milk bottle. The advertisement, on the other hand, is full of luxury and elegance. Dre and Snoop arrive at a party, where they catch the attention of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., generated by artificial intelligence. The members of the Rat Pack, dazzled by the rappers’ style, sit at the table to share drinks. It is a confirmation that the four characters live up to and are part of American culture.
