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 rap 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 rap 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. [Chronic was also released in a "clean" edition, containing no profanities or vulgarities.] ~ Steve Huey
Recording information: Death Row Studios.
Photographer: Daniel Jordon.
Personnel: Dr. Dre (keyboards, drum programming); Emmage, Jewell , Nate Dogg, RBX, Warren G, Kurupt, Bushwick Bill (vocals); Eric Borders, Chris Clairmont (guitar); Katisse Buckingham (flute, saxophone); Colin Wolfe (keyboards, bass guitar); Justin Reinhardt (keyboards); Cheron Moore (drums).
Audio Mixers: Dr. Dre; Chris Taylor; Greg Royal.
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Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.128) - Ranked #137 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time" - "[Dr. Dre] funked up the rhymes with a smooth bass-heavy production style and the laid-back delivery of then-unknown rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg." Rolling Stone (5/13/99, p.53) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's." Rolling Stone (3/18/93, p.40) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...A hip-hop masterwork full of big beats and little surprises....THE CHRONIC drops raw realism and pays tribute to hip-hop virtuosity..." Spin (9/99, p.122) - Ranked #8 in Spin Magazine's "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s." Entertainment Weekly (1/8/93, p.54) - "...No one in the pop universe makes more visceral--or more visual--music than he does....THE CHRONIC storms with rage, strolls with confidence, and reverberates with a social realism that's often ugly and horrifying..." - Rating: A+ Q (12/99, p.76) - Included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s." Q (1/94, p.82) - Included in Q's list of `The 50 Best Albums Of 1993' - "...a mature, progressive, marvelous new record..." Q (1/94, p.85) - Included in Q's list of `The 50 Best Albums Of 1993.' Q (12/02, p.122) - "...Chock-full of impossibly thrilling basslines....Hugely influential..." Vibe (12/99, p.157) - Included in Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century Vibe (6/02, p.109) - Ranked #6 in Vibe's "Top 10 rap albums" - "...Dre's decade-defining opus introduced the world to the laid-back luxury of Californian 'G-funk'....The game would never be the same." The Source (2/93, p.55) - 4.5 Stars - Excellent Plus - "...Following the hype behind one of his hardest tracks ever, `Deep Cover,' Dre has unloaded all over this album with the same furified intensity....An innovative and progressive hip-hop package that must not be missed..." Village Voice (3/94, p.5) - Ranked #2 in the Village Voice's 1993 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll. Village Voice (3/1/94, p.5) - Ranked #6 in the Village Voice's 1993 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll.
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The CHRONIC is one of the top 10 hip hop albums of all-time. This release inspired hip hoppers across the GLOBE, forget the nation. 'Nuthin' But A G-Thang', 'Let Me Ride', 'Dre Day'....what more can I say?....a memorable release that'll stand the test of time, people will be talking about the CHRONIC 50 years from now, seriously. Submitted by Culture (Queens, NY) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
CLASSIC CLASSIC Album thats all I have 2 say Submitted by Aftermath20011 (West Covina,CA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Unbelievable! best album Submitted by jose (portland,orgen) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
true classic to rap instant classic buy it! Submitted by sean (kcmo) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 7 of 7 found this helpful. This review is for a different format.
It has all been said Everything that could possibly have been said about this album has been said for the past 13 years. It's a classic, it's perfect, it's amazing, and it needs to be in your collection. Submitted by Jason (Sunrise, FL, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo This review is for a different format.
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