Bible of Love

Background

Snoop Dogg made the album official on January 24, 2018, following a year of hinting at a gospel project. He explained that the idea had been on his mind for a long time, but he kept getting sidetracked by his usual gangsta work. His late grandmother, Dorothy Tate, first introduced him to gospel music. He described the album as a way to spread love and unity during a deeply divided moment in the country, and said he felt fortunate to have so many legendary collaborators join him.

Talks with Faith Evans while they worked on the Notorious B.I.G. tribute “When We Party” also shaped the project. USA Today noted that Snoop acted more like a curator than a performer on the record, while The Grio compared its structure to Drake’s More Life mixtape. A video for the track “Words Are Few” with B.Slade helped promote the release. The album came out on his own label, All The Time Entertainment, which he started to support emerging gospel artists.

He became the first secular artist to perform at the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration, held at Bethel University. During the studio sessions, he also shared that he is a born-again Christian.

Critical reception

Critical reception to the album was mixed, with a Metacritic score of 54 out of 100 indicating mixed or average reviews. The Guardian described the two-hour-plus hip-hop gospel confection as briefly charming then heartbreakingly boring, with less edge than a child's balloon. Slant Magazine criticized it as predictable and surprisingly traditional. Allmusic noted a redemptive quality given Snoop's past legal troubles, adding heft to an otherwise head-scratching release.

USA Today found the 32 songs consistently enjoyable and moving at times, with Snoop soul-baring in his appearances. Vulture called it surprisingly great, praising its respectful melding of G-funk and gospel. The South End and The Linfield Review praised Snoop's verses but criticized his sparse presence on the album. PopMatters called it an absolutely impressive effort and better than it has any business being.

Christian publications were more positive: Relevant praised its thorough representation of God's grace and love, CCM Magazine called it surprisingly impressive, and Christian Today deemed it an impressive worship record. Snoop Dogg responded to negative reviews by stating the project is spirit-driven, not money-driven.

Commercial performance

Bible of Love debuted at number 148 on the US Billboard 200 with 5,000 album-equivalent units, becoming his lowest-charting entry until 2021's From tha Streets 2 tha Suites failed to chart. It sold 3,000 digital copies in its first week, ranking as the 20th best-selling digital album of the week. The album became Snoop's first entry on the US Gospel Albums chart, debuting at number one, and topped that chart for seven non-consecutive weeks.