“If you’re an easily offended p****, don’t worry, nobody wants to f*** you up,” runs the flight attendant-style announcement at the beginning of Missionary, Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg’s first full-length album in just over 30 years. The announcement goes on to suggest that those likely to be upset by Snoop’s unrepentant “gangsta s***” should exit the album. Everybody else should recline their seats and be prepared to soak up 15 tracks of the OG, G-Funk duo on their finest form, as Dre shuffles one cool groove after another and Snoop’s smooth flow glides and curls over the deck like smoke.
The last time the pair worked together on an album was on their era-defining Doggystyle (1993). It was a record that defined the West Coast rap sound, with Dre mixing the soul of live musicians with classic samples, while piling on the tension with slick hooks. Lyrically, the album was dominated by sexist gangsta braggadocio, with Snoop spitting playfully delivered but unabashed bars about guns, cars, drugs and pimping hoes.
