
A song was removed in the wake of the “Cop Killer” controversy. Sony came close to releasing The Chronic, but after that deal fell through, Death Row and Interscope secured distribution through Priority, and began building an empire.ģ. But even coming off the chart-topping success of N.W.A’s swan song EFIL4ZAGGIN, labels were shy about paying Death Row’s asking price, taking on Dre’s legal issues with Ruthless Records, or releasing a gangsta-rap album at the height of media hysteria about explicit lyrics. Dre recorded The Chronic without a distribution deal in place for the newly formed Death Row Records, and then shopped the completed album, cover art and all, to multiple major labels. Multiple major labels passed on The Chronic.ĭr. Dre and he told me that hearing The Low End Theory inspired him to make The Chronic.”Įvery Super Bowl Halftime Show, Ranked From Worst to Bestīlack Sabbath on the Making of 'Vol. “It was listening to N.W.A’s Straight Outta Compton that inspired us to make The Low End Theory,” Q-Tip said in an MTV News interview. Tribe’s jazzy sophomore album The Low End Theory directly influenced Dre’s development of The Chronic‘s rich, bass-heavy G-funk sound. But it turns out that Dre and A Tribe Called Quest shared a mutual admiration that spurred both of them to make landmark albums. Dre’s West Coast gangsta-rap movement and the East Coast’s insurgent conscious-rap collective Native Tongues may have seemed to exist in direct opposition. The Chronic‘s low end was inspired by A Tribe Called Quest. To celebrate the album’s 25th anniversary, here are some things you may not know about The Chronic.ġ. But it was Dre’s groundbreaking production and string of hit singles that made The Chronic one of rap’s most revered LPs, ranking at number 138 on Rolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The Chronic introduced the world to stars like Snoop Doggy Dogg, Nate Dogg and Lady of Rage, sold millions, and settled scores with foes like Eazy-E and Luther Campbell. gangsta rap on the map as a member of N.W.A, it was his solo debut, released in December 1992, that made the good doctor a household name and turned Death Row Records into a hit factory. The Chronic has been widely regarded as one of the most important and influential albums of the 1990s and regarded by many fans and peers to be one of the most well-produced Hip Hop albums of all time.Although Dr. Dre’s production has been noted for founding and popularizing the G-funk subgenre within gangsta rap.

Dre becoming one of the top ten best-selling American performing artists of 1993. Dr.

The album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and had been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America with sales of 5.7 million copies in the United States, which led to Dr. Upon its release, The Chronic received generally positive reviews from music critics and earned considerable commercial success. Although a solo album, it features many appearances by Snoop Dogg, who used the album as a launch pad for his own solo career. On The Chronic, he included both subtle and direct insults at Ruthless and its owner, former N.W.A member Eazy-E. and its label Ruthless Records over a financial dispute. Dre’s first solo album after he had departed from N.W.A. The album is named after a slang term for high-grade cannabis, and its cover is a homage to Zig-Zag rolling papers. Recording sessions for the album took place in June 1992 at Death Row Studios in Los Angeles and at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood.

The Chronic was released by Dr Dre’s own record label Death Row Records and distributed by Priority Records.
