Because Sometimes You Gotta Praise the Lord with a G-Funk Choir
In March 2018, Snoop Dogg—known professionally for pioneering West Coast hip-hop, and personally for his long-standing relationship with cannabis—released a 32-track gospel album entitled ‘Bible of Love.’
This was not a prank, a marketing ruse, or an elaborate performance art piece. It was a sincere foray into gospel music. The album featured appearances from gospel heavyweights like Tye Tribbett, the Clark Sisters, and Fred Hammond, all of whom contributed without visible signs of confusion. While Snoop himself is not traditionally known for his biblical scholarship, he served as curator, compiler, and occasional performer on the album, which included songs with titles such as “Come As You Are” and “You.”
Snoop’s interest in spiritual matters is not entirely new. He has publicly referenced his faith over the years and once briefly changed his name to Snoop Lion after what he described as a spiritual awakening in Jamaica. ‘Bible of Love,’ however, marked a more coordinated return to religious roots, complete with choir-driven arrangements, organ-backed instrumentation, and a promotional tour that included performances at actual churches. Not nightclubs turned into churches. Real churches.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Snoop Dogg explained his motivation in unexpectedly theological terms: “I wanted to make something that felt good, that could help people, uplift,” he said, gently glossing over the fact that this uplifting message is coming from the same man who once hosted a web series called ‘GGN: Double G News Network’ while visibly hotboxing the studio.
The album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart, proving that a global hip-hop icon can shift genres with the strategic application of sincerity, charisma, and guest vocals from gospel legends. It also held that position for more than 30 weeks. Thirty. Not three.
While reactions ranged from inspired to bewildered, the gospel community largely welcomed the album, perhaps encouraged by Snoop’s surprisingly earnest liner notes and the complete lack of tracks titled “Drop It Like It’s Holy.”
To date, ‘Bible of Love’ remains Snoop Dogg’s only spiritual opus, a 130-minute testament to the proposition that genre boundaries are a construct and that, under the right circumstances, anything can be blessed—even this.