Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg perform on the Coachella Stage during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Fields in April 2012 in Indio. The rappers surprised the crowd when they performed with a hologram of Tupac Shakur, who died in 1996. Coachella 2012 2 (Marilyn Chung/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Snoop and Dr. Dre are right around the corner.

Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre are making their studio album return with Missionary, their new collab project dropping on December 13. Now, we have the condom-themed cover art and tracklist for the record, indicating its playful vibe and teasing the featured guests that will be on it. They are the following: BJ The Chicago Kid, Dre on the mic, Alus, Jhené Aiko, Tom Petty, Jelly Roll, K.A.A.N., Sting, Method Man, Smitty, Cocoa Sarai, 50 Cent, Eminem, Dem Jointz, Stalone, and Fat Money. As you can see, there are some expected picks, some surprises, and overall a whole lot of variety on this forthcoming LP.

Missionary comes out via the Snoop Dogg-owned Death Row Records and Dr. Dre will be responsible for the album’s production. It’s a bit of a spiritual sequel to their 1993 classic Doggystyle, and its first single – “Gorgeous” with Jhené Aiko – drops tonight at midnight (Thursday, October 31). In fact, this is all part of a pretty prolific run for Tha Doggfather these days, as he recently featured on EARTHGANG’s latest offering, Perfect Fantasy. There are a lot of reasons to be excited about his output right now.

Snoop Dogg & Dr. Dre’s Missionary: Features & Artwork

Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre recently spoke on the creative process on Stephen A. Smith’s show. “Be original,” Snoop remarked. “Right now there’s so much copycatting, mimicking, sounding alike, and imitation. Find your production, your sound, find your ear for who you are, and be original even if it ain’t hitting. Stay you.” “Find your collaborators,” Dre added. “I don’t like the fact that there are nine different producers on one album. I like the idea of one producer on an album. Continuity is everything.”

Furthermore, this discussion of chemistry and continuity made a lot of fans even more excited for Missionary, even if they might disagree with Dr. Dre’s take. Regardless, we can’t wait to hear what Snoop Dogg and company have in store on December 13. In addition, plenty of other recent reflections and statements reminded us of why this moment could be so exciting. Kendrick Lamar recently revealed that they were at fault for his first public display of tears, and their magnanimous place in hip-hop will be a treat to witness.