Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Eminem, and 50 Cent have come together as a four-member group for the first time on a fresh track titled “Gunz N Smoke,” which honors the legendary Notorious B.I.G.
Although they have been friends and collaborators for many years and have teamed up in various ways over the last 25 years, the rap legends have never before all appeared on the same track.
The powerful track is from Snoop and Dre’s latest album Missionary and features 50, Snoop, and Em exchanging refreshed verses over lively beats crafted by the Aftermath originator.
The G-Unit leader signals the beginning with a quick-paced verse alerting his rivals to his strength, before Tha Doggfather steps in and transitions through different styles with ease.
Biggie’s influence is evident in the first half as 50 mimics the Bad Boy MC’s flow and rhymes: “Red dot ya, I got ya / B.I.G. time, who shot ya?” — precisely as Dre introduces a deep bassline reminiscent of “Hypnotize.”
Snoop reuses Big’s lyric “you should too, if you knew” from “Notorious Thugs” in his own verse, while a sample of his “gunsmoke!” line from “Dead Wrong” echoes throughout.
Bringing the collaboration to a close, Eminem offers a characteristically complex and skillful verse where he contemplates his tumultuous childhood, former inclination towards aggression, and growth into a more composed adulthood.
Missionary was launched on Friday (December 13) and acts as the eagerly awaited (and humorously-named) follow-up to Snoop Dogg’s 1993 debut Doggystyle, which was also entirely produced by Dr. Dre.
The 16-track album features additional contributions from artists such as Method Man, Jelly Roll, Jhené Aiko, and BJ The Chicago Kid, along with rock icons Sting and Tom Petty.
Missionary has been one of Hip Hop’s most anticipated albums since Snoop first revealed it in late 2022.
While on the All the Smoke podcast earlier this year with former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, the head of Death Row Records discussed the inspiration behind the album.
“[Dre] phoned me one day approximately two years back.” He said, ‘N-gga, come here, so I can record a few tracks with you,’” Snoop mentioned.
“I head over and he says, ‘Man, let me handle your album.'” And I’m thinking, ‘Okay, let’s do this!’ We enter, crank out a few tracks. He responded: ‘I require two additional days.’ I received that call roughly around 85 times [laughs]. This guy always needs two more days.
“But when you listen to what we’ve created and the way he inspired me to rap, it feels like a matured Snoop Dogg.” He demonstrates some growth. It’s how he chooses his bars, it’s how he employs his voice. [Dr. Dre] treats me like a damn machine and I enjoy it because I love being produced. “I enjoy being challenged.”
