Dr Dre Dr. Dre 2001 CD

Amp - Amended Produc

Personnel: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Hittman, Kurupt, Nate Dogg, King T, Sticky Fingas, Ms. Roq, RBX, Defari, Xzibit, Knoc-Turn'al, Six-Two, Eddie Griffin, MC Ren, Kokane, Rell, Traci Nelson, Jake Steed, Time Bomb, Devin AKA The Dude, Mary J. Blige, Tray-Dee (vocals); Aaron Harris, Laylow (various instruments); Sean Cruise (guitar); Carl Breeding, Scott Stocrch, Finesse, Camara Kambon (keyboards); Mel-Man, Mike Elizondo, Colin Wolfe (bass); Taku Hirano (percussion); DJ Pen (scratches); Koka, T.Y. Nichols (background vocals).
Engineers include: Ted Reiger, Steve Macauley, Alex Sinn.
"Guilty Conscience" was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance By Duo Or Group.
"Forgot About Dre" won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group. DR. DRE 2001 was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. "The Next Episode" was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
Personnel: Dr. Dre; Sean Cruse (guitar); Scott Storch, Camara Kambon, Dinky Bingham, Carl Breeding (keyboards); Mike Elizondo, Colin Wolfe, Preston Crump, Mel-Man (bass); Taku Hirano (percussion); DJ Pen (scratches).
Engineers include: Richard "Segal" Huredia, Dave Tenhouten, Tom Gordon.
"Still D.R.E." was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group.
The Slim Shady LP announced not only Eminem's arrival, but it established that his producer Dr. Dre was anything but passé, thereby raising expectations for 2001, the long-anticipated sequel to The Chronic. It suggested that 2001 wouldn't simply be recycled Chronic, and, musically speaking, that's more or less true. He's pushed himself hard, finding new variations in the formula by adding ominous strings, soulful vocals, and reggae, resulting in fairly interesting recontextualizations. Padded out to 22 tracks, 2001 isn't as consistent or striking as Slim Shady, but the music is always brimming with character. If only the same could be said about the rappers! Why does a producer as original as Dre work with such pedestrian rappers? Perhaps it's to ensure his control over the project, or to mask his own shortcomings as an MC, but the album suffers considerably as a result. Out of all the other rappers on 2001, only Snoop and Eminem -- Dre's two great protégés -- have character and while Eminem's jokiness still is unpredictable, Snoop sounds nearly as tired as the second-rate rappers. The only difference is, there's pleasure in hearing Snoop's style, while the rest sound staid. That's the major problem with 2001: lyrically and thematically, it's nothing but gangsta clichés. Scratch that, it's über-gangsta, blown up so large that it feels like a parody. Song after song, there's a never-ending litany of violence, drugs, pussy, bitches, dope, guns, and gangsters. After a full decade of this, it takes real effort to get outraged at this stuff, so chances are, you'll shut out the words and groove along since, sonically, this is first-rate, straight-up gangsta. Still, no matter how much fun you may have, it's hard not to shake the feeling that this is cheap, not lasting, fun. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
With 2001, Dr. Dre has managed to do the seemingly impossible: resurface yet again after a five-year disappearance from the rap game, and shatter all expectations. The first two tracks lull the listener into thinking this is going to be a mellow, G-funk outing, but when the piano loop and beat commence in "Still D.R.E.," it's obvious Dre is still light years ahead of the rest. The seemingly disparate styles of guest artists MC Ren, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem are all unified by Dre's singular musical vision.
What makes this record stand out from any other gangsta rap recording before it, however, are the flashes of brutal honesty that pepper the lyrics ("What's the Difference"). Something about Dre's persona and delivery softens his often misogynistic, violent lyrical contenSpin (1/00, pp.119-20) - 7 out of 10 - "...If you like your G-funk ludicrous and lubricious, 2001 should rank high on your list of pleasures in the zero-zero....his ongoing commitment to formal excellence and sonic innovation in this art form may one day earn him a place next to George Clinton..."
Entertainment Weekly (11/19/99, pp.141-2) - "...The gangsta style that Dre pioneered is still going great guns....Dre's patented G-funk is as addictive as it was back when over 3 million record buyers got hooked on THE CHRONIC....reestablishes his mastery of the form..." - Rating: A-
Q (1/01, p.90) - Included in Q's "50 Best Albums of 2000".
Q (1/00, p.112) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...the master of high-concept hip hop....The catchy, dramatic production and guest spots from Eminem and Mary J Blige are a joy..."
Muzik (1/00, p.110) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...another highlight to his career....the Doc slides into low-slung grooves and pungent atmospheres born of someone who's been around long enough to view streetlife from a shrewd, singular perspective..."
CMJ (12/13/99, p.26) - "...harvests another potent bushel of sonic chronic....perfects beats through the use of session musicians and programmed samples....It's Dre Day now more than ever."
Vibe (1/01, p.101) - Voted as "Album of the Year" in The 2000 Vibe Of The Year Awards - "...Proved that [he] hadn't lost his Midas touch..."
The Source (1/00, pp.185-6) - 4.5 mics out of 5 - "...a sumptuous millenial appetizer....the bar is raised 10 times higher than for any rap artist/producer....no fast forward factor....makes gangsta sound so crystal clear and futuristic....[He] is still the king of this s*** here."