The Chronic

by

Dr. Dre

Edit

The first shot fired in the G-Funk hip-hop revolution, Dr. Dre's The Chronic withstands the test of time. Originally released way back in 1992, it was the first release from Suge Knight's Deathrow Records label. Despite being recorded seven years ago, back when the hip-hop ear was very different, The Chronic seems to sound fresh and new every time it is played. The album not only was popular with hip-hop fans though, because it sold four million copies. Not only that, it launched the careers of such hip-hop stars as Snoop Doggy Dogg, Kurupt, Daz Dillinger, Lady Of Rage, Warren G (Dr. Dre's brother), RBX and the smooth-voiced Nate Dogg. Another thing that is special about the album is Dr. Dre himself. Unlike the new rappers who are coming out these days, you hear and understand every single word that is being said by every single person on this album. Unlike label cliques like Cash Money and No Limit, who have boring and repetitive beats and people who can't rap and don't annunciate the words that are being said. That ruins what hip-hop is about; not danceable beats but expression of thoughts. That is what is truly special about hip-hop. You feel all the words being said, and therefore that makes The Chronic an easy album to listen to. The reason the album always sounds fresh is because of real live instruments. Alto saxophones, flutes, keyboards, guitars, bass guitars, percussion, and even live drums are all heard on this album.

Highlights on the album include the infamous Eazy-E diss "Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')", where Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg take it at Dr. Dre's former partner for years in the famous group NWA, and other people who got in their way, such as Tim Dog and Florida rapper Luke, the exotic "Let Me Ride", which has amazing keyboard trills and a lady talking at the beginning who sounds like Rosie Perez, "The Day", which shows an amazing performance from Dr. Dre and a great beat, the classic "Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang", which features Snoop Doggy Dogg, one of the greatest hip-hop songs ever made, the beautiful "Little Ghetto Boy", a remake of the Donny Hathaway song, which has a great flute solo, "Lyrical Gangbang", which features the superb debuts of Kurupt and Lady Of Rage, the laid-back "High Powered", the swift "Stranded On Death Row", which features Kurupt, RBX, Lady Of Rage and Snoop Doggy Dogg, "The Roach(The Chronic Conclusion)", is one of the best outros I've ever heard, as it has alto saxophone, guitar, percussion and live drums for an almost blues-like song. The last track is "Bitches Ain't Shit", a juicy gossip song about women which features Kurupt, Daz Dillinger and Snoop. I really liked all of the tracks, and thought the interludes were okay, like "Doctor's Office" and "The Twenty-Dollar Sack Pyramid", yet they were a bit aimless.

To conclude my review, I think Dr. Dre's The Chronic is a hip-hop classic. You feel the words, the beats are live instruments, and the guests are great too. I would recommend this to any hip-hop fan, although any real hip-hop fan should have this or some Deathrow album.

(NOTE : 2008 Update on review) Just like Doggystyle Dual Disc, I find this Dual Disc re-release to be a complete waste of money. I feel That The DVD side was lacking when it came to the videos. I would think that the videos would have the explicit song dubbed over. And I thought that they would add some remixes album's singles. Not only that but just like Doggystyle Dual Disc, the digi pack packaging falls apart way too easily and the videos appear on the later released 15 Years on Death Row which is a better set to buy. So if you have the original, don't bother upgrading. It would so be a waste of money if you ask me. This is a cheap re-issue.