Snoop Dogg's Death Row Records is Dropping a Gospel Album This Month

More than 34 years removed from defining gangsta rap as we know it, Death Row Records is taking us to church. Today, Snoop Dogg, who acquired the label he helped popularize, in 2022, taps in with Okayplayer to announce Altar Call, a new gospel album dedicated to the memory of his late mother. Its first single drops this Friday.

The new album, which Death Row says will blend gospel with R&B and hip-hop, is all set to drop on April 27. While the move might seem random, folks who’ve paid attention know Uncle Snoop’s always had an ear for gospel. In 2018, he unloaded his own solo gospel album, Bible of Love. Now, Death Row is releasing what’s essentially a sequel — a collaborative effort derived from the spirit of the good book. And Snoop’s late mother, Beverly, who passed away in October 2021. It’s an imprint that’s there thematically, symbolically, and literally; her face adorns the cover of the album.