The Chronic
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The Chronic is the highly influential debut album from American rap producer Dr. Dre. It was named after the slang term of expensive, high-quality cannabis sold on the streets. The album cover itself is a homage to Zig-Zag rolling papers.
Contents
Overview
Having split from N.W.A. and Eazy-E, Dre's first solo album established him as one of the biggest rap stars of his era. The Chronic brought the genre now known as G-funk to the mainstream — a genre defined by slow bass beats and melodic synthesizers, topped by P-Funk samples, female vocals, and a slurring lyrical delivery referred to as a "lazy drawl." The Chronic featured both subliminal and direct disses to Ruthless Records and its owner, Dre's former N.W.A. bandmate Eazy-E.The album is also credited with launching the careers of several prominent West Coast hip-hop artists, including Snoop Doggy Dogg, Dat Nigga Daz, Kurupt, Nate Dogg, and Warren G — all of whom went on to pursue successful commercial careers. The Chronic is widely regarded as the album that redefined West Coast rap [All Music Guide], demonstrated gangsta rap's commercial potential as a multi-platinum commodity, and established G-funk as the most popular sound in hip hop music for several years after its release, with Dre himself producing several major albums that drew heavily on his production style.[CNET MP3.com][Digital Dream Door] Furthermore, the album's success established Death Row Records as a dominant force in mid-1990s hip-hop.[link]
Accolades
The Chronic was included in Vibe's "100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century Vibe", ranked #137 in Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and was also listed in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's." Furthermore, the album ranked #8 in Spin Magazine's "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s, and was even ranked #6 in Vibe's "Top 10 rap albums of all time". On the Billboard Music Charts (North America) album lists, The Chronic hit #1 R&B/Hip hop and #3 Pop. Also, some critics claim that The Chronic is the best produced hip hop album of all time.Track listing
| # | Title | Length | Featuring | Producer(s) | Samples/Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Chronic (Intro)" | 1:57 | Snoop Doggy Dogg | Dr. Dre | Samples "Get Out of My Life, Woman" by Solomon Burke & "Funky Worm" by Ohio Players. |
| 2 | "Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')" | 4:52 | Jewell, RBX, Snoop Doggy Dogg | Dr. Dre | Samples "(Not Just) Knee Deep by Funkadelic & "Funkentelechy", "The Big Bang Theory" and "Aquaboogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)" by Parliament. |
| 3 | "Let Me Ride" | 4:21 | Jewell, RBX | Dr. Dre | Samples "Mothership Connection" and "Swing Down, Sweet Chariot (Live)" by Parliament, "Kissin' My Love" by Bill Withers & "Funky Drummer" by James Brown. |
| 4 | "The Day the Niggaz Took Over" | 4:33 | Dat Nigga Daz, RBX, Snoop Doggy Dogg | Dr. Dre | |
| 5 | "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" | 3:58 | Snoop Doggy Dogg | Dr. Dre | Samples "I Wanna Do Something Freaky To You" by Leon Haywood |
| 6 | "Deeez Nuuuts" | 5:06 | Dat Nigga Daz, Nate Dogg, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Warren G | Dr. Dre | |
| 7 | "Lil' Ghetto Boy" | 5:29 | Dat Nigga Daz, Snoop Doggy Dogg | Dr. Dre | Samples "Little Ghetto Boy" by Donny Hathaway |
| 8 | "A Nigga Witta Gun" | 3:52 | Dr. Dre | Samples "Master Plan" by Kool G & The Gang, "Big Sir Sweet" by J. Hammond, "Who's The Man (With The Master Plan" by the Kay Gees & "Friends" by Whodini. | |
| 9 | "Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat" | 3:48 | RBX, Snoop Doggy Dogg | Dr. Dre | Samples "Vegetable Wagon" by Donny Hathaway, "Brothers Gonna Work It Out" by Willie Hutch & "Pot Belly" by Lou Donaldson. |
| 10 | "The Sack Pyramid" (Skit) | 2:53 | Big Tittie Nickie, The D.O.C., Samara, Snoop Doggy Dogg | Dr. Dre | Samples "Papa Was Too" (Live) by Joe Tex. |
| 11 | "Lyrical Gangbang" | 4:04 | Kurupt, Lady of Rage, RBX | Dr. Dre | Samples "Valdez in the Country" by The Nite Lighters & "When The Levee Breaks" by Led Zeppelin. |
| 12 | "High Powered" | 2:44 | Dat Nigga Daz, Lady of Rage, RBX | Dr. Dre | Samples "Big Sir Sweet" by J. Hammond. |
| 13 | "The Doctor's Office" (Skit) | 1:04 | Jewell, Lady of Rage | Dr. Dre | |
| 14 | "Stranded on Death Row" | 4:47 | Bushwick Bill, Kurupt, Lady of Rage, RBX, Snoop Doggy Dogg | Dr. Dre | Samples "Do Your Thing (Live)" by Isaac Hayes & "If It Don't Turn You On (You Outta Leave It Alone)" by B. T. Express. |
| 15 | "The Roach (Outro)" | 4:36 | Dat Nigga Daz, Emmage, Jewell, Lady of Rage, RBX | Dr. Dre | Samples "P-Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up)" by Parliament. |
| 16 | "Bitches Ain't Shit" | 4:48 | Dat Nigga Daz, Kurupt, Snoop Doggy Dogg | Dr. Dre | Samples "Adolescent Funk" by Funkadelic |
Credits
- Dr. Dre - Keyboards, Producer, Drum Programming, Mixing
- Lady of Rage - Vocals
- Bushwick Bill - Vocals
- Snoop Dogg - Performer
- Warren G - Vocals
- The D.O.C. - Cowriter
- RBX - Vocals
- Nate Dogg - Vocals
- Dat Nigga Daz - Performer, Drum Programming
- Kurupt - Vocals
- Katisse Buckingham - Flute, Saxophone
- Emmage - Vocals
- Bernie Grundman - Mastering
- Greg Royal - Mixing
- Colin Wolfe - Guitar (Bass), Keyboards, Keyboard Bass
- Daniel Jordan - Photography
- Cheron Moore - Drums
- Eric Borders - Guitar
- Chris Clairmont - Guitar
- Justin Reinhardt - Keyboards
- Chris "The Glove" Taylor - Mixing, Mixing Assistant
- Suge Knight - Executive Producer
- Willie Will - Mixing, Mixing Assistant
- Kimberly Holt - Artwork, Art Direction, Design
- Kimberly Brown - Project Coordinator
- BJ "Tha Mocking Bird" - Performer
- Matthew McDaniels - Provided L.A Riot scenes
- John McClain - A&R Director
- Noor - Vocals
Chart and singles history
Chart positions from Billboard magazine (North America).Album
| Year | Chart | Peak position ( # ) |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The Billboard Hot 100 | 8 |
Singles
| Name | Chart (1993) | Peak position ( # ) |
|---|---|---|
| "Dre Day" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 8 |
| U.S. Hot Rap Singles | 13 | |
| U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 1 | |
| U.S. Rhythmic Top 40 | 6 | |
| U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play | 29 | |
| U.S. Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | 1 | |
| "Let Me Ride" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 34 |
| U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 34 | |
| U.S. Rhythmic Top 40 | 21 | |
| U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play | 45 | |
| U.S. Hot Rap Singles | 3 | |
| "Nuthin' But A "G" Thang" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| U.S. Hot Rap Singles | 1 | |
| U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 1 | |
| U.S. Rhythmic Top 40 | 2 | |
| U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play | 22 | |
| U.S. Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles | 3 | |
Music sample
- [Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang (sample)] ([file info])
- *
- * Problems listening to the file? See [Media helpmedia help].
References
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