News of a new Snoop Dogg–Dr. Dre collaborative album called “Missionary” has been dribbling out for the past couple of years, but Dr. Dre spoke revealed new information about it Wednesday in an interview with Entertainment Tonight following the pair’s appearance at the Olympics closing ceremony — including the fact that it includes a song featuring Sting.
Dre appears to have revealed the news accidentally when interviewer Nischelle Turner asked how many of the album’s tracks he raps on.
“I did a couple of songs, I’m not sure one of them is gonna make it,” he says, before being asked who else appears. “We have Sting on a song, we have…,” he pauses, “Man, it’s an amazing roster of artists on this album, I shouldn’t have even said that to be honest.”
He goes on to say more about the album than either artist has said in the past. Asked what it was like making an album with Snoop some 30 years after their smash album “Doggystyle,” Dre says, “It was much more fun, to be honest, because we were kids at that time — he was 19 and I think I’m six years older. So one’s gonna show a different level of maturity with his lyrics and my music. I feel this is some of the best music I’ve done in my career — I’m not playing! I think people are really gonna enjoy this… I have to be done and delivered by September 1 to have a November release.” He also reveals that the album will have a robust number of songs: “I wanted 14 songs, Snoop wants 16.
“It’s been 30 years, and believe it or not I’ve only [previously] produced one album with him, ‘Doggystyle’ — this is my first time producing an entire album of his,” he continued. That statement was curious because he’s credited with producing all of “Doggystyle,” although he was only credited with co-writing one song on that album, “Gin and Juice.”
Turner then asks the styles of music on the album and what kind of mood it would best suit for her. “It’s an album that women are going to enjoy,” he replies, “and like I said, it shows a massive amount of growth and maturity with the lyrics and with the music.”
Dre and Snoop have worked together many times over the years — first on Dre’s galvanizing 1992 solo album “The Chronic,” later on tracks like “Still D.R.E.” and “Forgot About Dre,” at the 2022 Super Bowl with Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, 50 Cent and Mary J. Blige, and most recently performing during the Paris Olympics closing ceremony.
