With its stylish, sonically detailed production, Dr. Dre's 1992 solo debut, The Chronic, transformed the entire sound of West Coast rap. Here Dre established his patented G-funk sound: fat, blunted Parliament-Funkadelic beats, soulful backing vocals, and live instruments in the rolling basslines and whiny synths. What's impressive is that Dre crafts tighter singles than his inspiration, George Clinton -- he's just as effortlessly funky, and he has a better feel for a hook, a knack that improbably landed gangsta rap on the pop charts. But none of The Chronic's legions of imitators were as rich in personality, and that's due in large part to Dre's monumental discovery, Snoop Doggy Dogg. Snoop livens up every track he touches, sometimes just by joining in the chorus -- and if The Chronic has a flaw, it's that his relative absence from the second half slows the momentum. There was nothing in ap quite like Snoop's singsong, lazy drawl (as it's invariably described), and since Dre's true forte is the producer's chair, Snoop is the signature voice. He sounds utterly unaffected by anything, no matter how extreme, which sets the tone for the album's misogyny, homophobia, and violence. The Rodney King riots are unequivocally celebrated, but the war wasn't just on the streets; Dre enlists his numerous guests in feuds with rivals and ex-bandmates. Yet The Chronic is first and foremost a party album, rooted not only in '70s funk and soul, but also that era's blue party comedy, particularly Dolemite. Its comic song intros and skits became prerequisites for ap albums seeking to duplicate its cinematic flow; plus, Snoop and Dre's terrific chemistry ensures that even their foulest insults are cleverly turned. That framework makes The Chronic both unreal and all too real, a cartoon and a snapshot. No matter how controversial, it remains one of the greatest and most influential hip-hop albums of all time.
Oh shit! This one's crazy...I fuckin' love this beat. Here's what OnSmash has to say about this one:While Dr. Dre’s The Chronic album has gotten infinite amount of play since it first dropped back in 1992, this album established the West Coast and more importantly, Death Row Records. It also introduced us to a young Calvin Broadus who gave us Doggystyle on the solo tip and further extended the
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Inspired by Dre's (real or perceived?) betrayal by his former NWA band mate Easy E. Add to that a few choice shots at the talentless Luke of 2 Live Crew. The anger is visceral and palpable. Some "gansta" hip-hop seems like commerically inspired posing, but the threat of violence in this song is authentic and chilling. This song finds it's way into my mind more often than I really want to admit....
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In the coming posts, my interest in all things pop will move into the focus of my blog entries. As my listening habits show, my actual music tastes are veer towards r&b, rock, and, yes, pop. I am always interested in what is popular, what sells records, and what that tells us about the culture we live in.
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Hip hop jewelry isn't the only accessory getting bigger & more ridiculous over the years, rappers' rides have too. Countless songs have been dedicated to the ultimate bling - from spinning rims & gold chain steering wheels to hopping hydraulics and bumpin trunks. And, like the music, things get dropped, chopped, screwed & remixed until the crowd goes wild! Rides get pimped, tires get smoked, ...
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Ya know, I started writing this long post explaining why this is Troy Powers' song of the day, but fuck it, I'll keep it short. I've been accused of being a bad boyfriend on quite a few occasions. And, honestly, I can't deny it. I've been told that I'm selfish, and it's true. As far as I'm concerned if people spent more time making themselves happy instead of trying to please other people o...
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Here's an hour-long interview taken from the recent The Chronic: Re-Lit And From The Vault re-release on Death Row; its from 1997, and has Dr. Dre breaking down his work as a producer and such:
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So following on from my previous post.... http://mog.com/RobinH/blog/185484I must confess to never really getting big into Gangsta Rap, G-Funk, or Rap, for that matter. Sure, I got interested in Hip-Hop around the time of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's, 'The Message' and again around Salt'n Pepper's, Push It. But, of course, it's a million miles away from Dr Dre's, 'The Chronic', and ...
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Dr. Dre recently filed a lawsuit to obtain documentation from Death Row Records that relate to his music. The issue deals mostly with the royalties owed to Dre for his album The Chronic which was released at a time when he owned half of Death Row Records. When Dre gave up ownership of his half of the label, he retained his royalty rights, which Dre alleges hasn't been paid. The suit also poi...
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Oh shit! This one's crazy...I fuckin' love this beat. Here's what OnSmash has to say about this one:While Dr. Dre’s The Chronic album has gotten infinite amount of play since it first dropped back in 1992, this album established the West Coast and more importantly, Death Row Records. It also introduced us to a young Calvin Broadus who gave us Doggystyle on the solo tip and further extended the
More >
In the coming posts, my interest in all things pop will move into the focus of my blog entries. As my listening habits show, my actual music tastes are veer towards r&b, rock, and, yes, pop. I am always interested in what is popular, what sells records, and what that tells us about the culture we live in.
More >
Info (via OnSmash) and download link below:Dr. Dre Ft. Snoop Dogg - Poor Young DaveWhile Dr. Dre’s The Chronic album has gotten infinite amount of play since it first dropped back in 1992, this album established the West Coast and more importantly.. Death Row Records. It also introduced us to a young Calvin Broadus who [...]
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Yeah you read that crazy title right, it was really weird typing it out. Whatever, we finally get a very brief preview of Detox thanks to him teaming up with Dr. Pepper.The L.A.-based hip-hop producer appears in the last installment of an ad campaign entitled “Trust Me, I’m A Doctor,” and teases music from the [...]
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Inspired by Dre's (real or perceived?) betrayal by his former NWA band mate Easy E. Add to that a few choice shots at the talentless Luke of 2 Live Crew. The anger is visceral and palpable. Some "gansta" hip-hop seems like commerically inspired posing, but the threat of violence in this song is authentic and chilling. This song finds it's way into my mind more often than I really want to admit....
More >
... READ MORE >>This article is from our RSS feed - read the full version at: Dr Dre - The Chronic: anti-censored (swear words only)Grooveeffect - Urban Style, Streetwear, and Culture
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 "The Chronic")
