‘Altar Call’ comes out on April 27, a.k.a. his late mother Beverly Tate’s birthday.
Snoop Dogg; ‘Altar Call’ album cover. Photo: Randy Holmes/Disney/Getty; Death Row Records
Snoop Dogg is releasing a gospel album — and honoring his late mother, Beverly Tate.
On Tuesday, April 15, the “Drop It Like It’s Hot” rapper announced his upcoming album Altar Call on Instagram, and it will drop via Death Row Records on April 27, a.k.a. what would’ve been Tate’s 74th birthday.
“You heard it first, a gospel album,” Snoop, 53, added of his album that will take listeners to church. “God is good.” The cover artwork features a picture of Tate in a pink hat and blouse holding flowers printed onto a fan resting on a wooden surface.
The 21-track album will feature Jamie Foxx among other artists, including the Death Row Mass Choir. The tracklist was also shared by Snoop, and the first song is “Mother I Miss You.” The first single from Altar Call will be released on April 18, per Okayplayer.
Snoop previously released a gospel album in 2018 titled Bible of Love.
“The spirit of my mother will forever live within me,” Snoop told Okayplayer about the inspiration behind Altar Call. “This album is a reflection of what she has taught me — to use my voice and my platform to spread love and heal the world.”
He added that Altar Call is “another chapter out of the Bible of Love.“
Altar Call album cover. Death Row Records
Tate died in October 2021. Snoop’s father Vernell Varnado initially announced her death, writing, “Snoops mom has passed today can all my fans pray for our family we need it more than ever Thanxs.”
The rapper also paid tribute, sharing a photo of him and Tate on Instagram. “Mama thank u for having me 🙏🏾🌹,” he captioned the Instagram post. “Thank u god for giving me an angel 🕊 for a mother 💖🙏🏽🌹💝 TWMA,” Snoop wrote underneath another picture in October 2021, which has now become the Altar Call cover art.
Beverly Tate and Snoop Dogg.Snoop Dogg/Instagram
Snoop has spoken highly of his mother — a church choir director for years — throughout his career.
Tate can be thanked for giving the rapper his moniker. “My momma gave me the name,” Snoop revealed to Esquire in 2008. “I used to love Peanuts and Charlie Brown — Snoopy was my favorite cartoon character growing up. I watched so much, I started to look like him.”