Thirty years on The Chronic remains an unfiltered and unflinching, albeit deeply unsettling document of its time. After leaving Ruthless Records and releasing the single Deep Cover with his protg Snoop Doggy Dogg, Dr. Bringing expletive riddled gangsta rap into the mainstream by contrasting the harsh realism and desperation of life on the streets with irresistibly deep grooves and super smooth production is no small feat. Suburban kids couldn't get enough of the diss tracks, boasts and brags, and vivid depictions of guns, sex and drugs of LA gang life, on tracks like ‘Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody’s Celebratin)’, 'Deeez Nuuuts' and 'Let Me Ride', that also unfortunately, casually espoused misogyny and homophobia as well.ĭre’s fusion of P-Funk, soul samples and live instrumentation has seen him hailed as the Quincy Jones of Hip Hop. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic. The huge hit song, and its heavily rotated video for that matter, gave notice that hip hop was no longer just an East Coast concern.
With its thumping beat, thick bass and high pitched keys, ‘Nuthin’ But A G Thang’ was nothing short of an instant classic, introducing the masses to Snoop and Dre’s refined G-Funk sound, whilst also conjuring the stifling heat and dense urban LA environs. Many didn’t count on Dr Dre having a secret weapon in his corner, a star in the making called Snoop Doggy Dogg. Dre, Hip-Hop, Gangsta Rap, Rap, Death Row Records. Though doubts circulated as to how he would fare on his own. Dre had certainly demonstrated his technical prowess on the Compton group’s releases, as well as for many other Ruthless acts. He’d just split acrimoniously with N.W.A and label, Ruthless Records. In the early 90s, times were desperate, and stakes were high for Dr Dre.