The Chronic turns 20: Big Boi reflects on Dr Dre’s Masterpiece

by Carl Williott

It’s impossible to describe the particular sound of Outkast (or Big Boi on his two solo albums) without somehow employing the word “funk.” Hip-hop’s use of bouncy beats is a given at this point, but it was Dr. Dre who first married gritty rhymes and such glossy production, with the G-funk of his 1992 classic The Chronic. Dre’s solo debut proved gangsta rap could be fun, that rappers could make party songs without losing street cred — and the genre never looked back.

That influence is certainly heard on Sir Lucious Left Foot’s latest effort Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumors. So we asked Big Boi how The Chronic impacted him, ahead of that album’s 20th anniversary tomorrow (December 15). Watch it up top.




Source - http://idolator.com/7329362/the-chronic-20th-anniversary-big-boi-interview

The Chronic - Two Decades Later

Dr. Dre's iconic album forever altered hip-hop production and turned him into a kingmaker.

By: Oliver Wang

 (The Root) -- When 1992 began, Dr. Dre's reputation was anything but secure. It may be hard to recall a point at which Dre wasn't seen as godly. But at that point, releasing his first solo album, The Chronic, seemed risky, especially with its roster of newcomer rappers, including Daz, The Lady of Rage and a lanky, drawling emcee from Long Beach, Calif., comically named Snoop Doggy Dogg.

Pre-Chronic Dr. Dre was still inextricably tied to his former group N.W.A., but in jumping ship to the then-unknown Death Row Records, more than a few thought Dre might be committing career suicide. At the very least, the snarks among us kept joking about how Dre went from proclaiming, on N.W.A.'s 1988 "Express Yourself," "I don't smoke weed or cess," to naming his solo debut after the sticky icky.

Moreover, when Dre dropped "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thing" in that '92 summer, the ashes of April's rebellion/riots in Los Angeles had barely cooled. That made Dre's former N.W.A. partner, Ice Cube, the man of the moment, having so prophetically given voice to the anger and frustrations that eventually roiled the Southland beginning April 29 of that year. Cube had metaphorically laid waste to Dre and his ex-bandmates just a year before with his legendary diss track, "No Vaseline"; surely '92 would be Cube's victory lap. Yet, in the aftermath of the rebellion came a new set of sensibilities, which allowed The Chronic, released 20 years ago on Dec. 15, 1992, to bloom in ways few may have predicted.

The oft-forgotten detail that helped pave this path wasn't the riots but what preceded them by several weeks: the gang truce between the Crips and Bloods. For all the violence wrought during the uprising, what followed could be described as a kind of cathartic afterglow, sustained by the (temporary) cessation of hostilities between two of L.A.'s fiercest factions. Just as the early 1970s gang truce in the South Bronx, N.Y., helped create the conditions in which the proto-hip-hop party scene there could flourish, in Los Angeles, the post-riots, truce environment was also ripe for elation. Could there have been a more perfect summer soundtrack for that moment than "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thing"?

Twenty years later and the song, like much of The Chronic, remains a pristine example of pop production. It opens with that distinctive rattle, the downstroke of the bass line, the anchoring keyboard riff borrowed from Leon Haywood and, perhaps most memorable, the sinuous synthesizers that slink in after two bars. With their piercing whine, the synths gave the song and album a particular sonic signature, one that evokes giants of the 1970s funk era such as the Ohio Players and Isley Brothers. Combined with Snoop's languid flow, both song and album are laid-back yet also subtly sinister, presenting Dre's take on the endless summer.

On the surface, it's all good vibrations -- Dre and his crew surfing concrete boulevards in drop-top Impalas, coasting between swap meets and backyard BBQs in search of weed and women. However, as shiny and polished as the album's hit singles are -- " 'G' Thing," "Let Me Ride," "F--k Wit Dre Day" -- The Chronic never strays far from the edge of darkness. "The Day the Niggaz Took Over" offers a claustrophobic, paranoid take on the riots, "A Nigga Witta Gun" revels in firearm diplomacy, and "B---hes Ain't S--t" handily wears its misogyny on its sleeve. It's not hard to imagine why The Chronic appealed so intensely to suburban youth who bought up the album by the millions: It offers up a seductively lurid lifestyle portrait of sunshine and noir, South Central style. (As an aside, it's interesting to compare The Chronic with the other major L.A. album of that year, Bizarre Ride 2: The Pharcyde, which revels in the insecure, awkward underbelly to the unflappable bravado of albums like The Chronic.)

The most immediate impact of The Chronic could be heard in hip-hop production in the years to follow, as seemingly and suddenly, everyone wanted to work snaking synthesizers into their songs, too. The ubiquity of the "G-funk sound" -- however shamelessly or ineptly copied -- was just one reason the album sparked a backlash among hip-hop fans aligned with a more "East Coast" aesthetic. The Chronic wasn't even that inflammatory toward the East, though Snoop does bark back on Bronx rapper Tim Dog for his "F--k Compton" single from the previous year. Mostly, its contribution to the overbaked coastal rivalry was in how it swayed labels and radio stations out West, thus symbolically challenging the East's presumed claim to define all things hip-hop (by decade's end, it was really the South that proved most insurgent in any case).

A longer term impact was how The Chronic elevated Dr. Dre from producer to kingmaker, especially once he supervised even more successful Death Row albums for Snoop and Tupac. Dre's imprimatur is arguably unique in hip-hop; no one's co-sign is seen as more influential, and the names of Eminem, 50 Cent, The Game and, most recently, Kendrick Lamar, are always offered up as evidence. Of course, that conveniently overlooks the many failures connected to Dre's Aftermath imprint, including projects from King Tee, Busta Rhymes, Rakim and Eve that all fell apart, not to mention Dre's Detox album, for which "long-awaited" seems too tame a term.

None of this particularly matters. The Chronic was an album first steeped in fantasy that ascended into mythology, empowering Dre to craft a self-image that's almost unassailable. It didn't matter that most of his verses on the album were clearly ghostwritten for him, nor that many uncredited co-producers and musicians went into crafting that signature sound. That's the power of an album like The Chronic: It provides a gravity so irresistible as to bend reality around it, and even 20 years later, its pull still remains potent.

Oliver Wang is an associate professor of sociology at CSU-Long Beach. He contributes to NPR, the Los Angeles Times and KCET's ArtBound and writes the audioblog Soul-Sides.com.

source - http://www.theroot.com/views/chronic-two-decades-later

Game gets Dr Dre’s stamp of approval for Jesus Piece

Dr. Dre and Game’s relationship hasn’t always been perfect. But the Doc is giving his protégé props for his new album Jesus Piece. The super-producer sent Game a text message congratulating him on the release and calling the album “dope.”


“The song with the D’Angelo sample ["All That (Lady)"] is fuckin Crazy. Great job,” he told him via iMessage.

“Couldn’t do it without you Doc,” responded Game, who shared their iPhone conversation on Twitter.

“When Dr. Dre STAMP the album…….. You know it’s a fuckin CLASSIC !!!!!” he wrote.
Dre produced “Dead People,” which appears as an iTunes bonus track on Jesus Piece, available Tuesday.

source - http://www.rap-up.com/2012/12/08/game-gets-dr-dres-stamp-of-approval-for-jesus-piece/

Game - 'Dead People' snippet produced by Dr Dre

Below is the snippet to Game's track titled 'Dead People' - produced by Dr Dre

The Making of The Chronic

Dr. Dre's seminal 1992 album, The Chronic, turns 20 next month. Though a sensation upon its release, the raw-but-melodic work's legend has only grown in the ensuing decades, and today seemingly every MC-producer duo fancies itself the next Dre and Snoop Dogg. It has become the most influential rap work ever made, and perhaps even the greatest -- a case made by Jeff Weiss in the post above this one.

But it almost never happened. Despite the success Dre had experienced with N.W.A, he was entangled in contractual problems with his former crewmate Eazy-E's label. For that reason, as well as Death Row's dodgy reputation, The Chronic had a hard time finding release. It took the shepherding of renegade upstart Interscope Records, the financing of convicted drug kingpin Michael Harris and the steady hand of Suge Knight, an intimidating former defensive end, to give it life.

A 2001 documentary from Santa Monica-based production company Xenon Pictures, Welcome to Death Row: The Rise and Fall of Death Row Records, tells the story of Knight's infamous imprint, as well as the rise of Snoop and Tupac Shakur. Its producers -- Jeff Scheftel, Leigh Savidge and Steve Housden -- gained unprecedented access to Harris while he was behind bars. They also spoke with some 100 other figures associated with the label, from publicists and drug dealers to Chronic performers.

Xenon gathered far more material than it could use for the film, and plans to publish much of the rest in a 2013 book: Welcome to Death Row: An Oral History of Death Row Records. With the company's blessing, we've excerpted some of that material below, focusing on The Chronic and its immediate aftermath.

Our story begins with the 1991 inception of Death Row Records. Dre was then working closely with veteran record producer Dick Griffey, the founder of Solar Records, a successful R&B and soul imprint. (Griffey died in 2010.) Alonzo Williams, who kicks things off below, helmed electro-rap group World Class Wreckin' Cru, which gave Dr. Dre his start.

ALONZO WILLIAMS: The name Death Row came from my partner, Unknown [DJ]. Initially it was supposed to be Def Row, as in Def Jam. D-E-F. And Dre bought the name Def Row and changed the name.

DICK GRIFFEY: They were housed in my building, so they didn't have a lot of expenses. The greatest expense in making a record is the studio time. I had a six-story building. They were down on the third floor. ... Since I didn't have a lot of experience in rap or hip-hop, I kind of let them do their own thing.

JEFFREY JOLSON-COLBURN (former Hollywood Reporter music editor): There had been gangsta rap before [Death Row], and Priority Records and some other labels were active in it, but there wasn't a label that was totally dedicated to gangsta rap. There was hardly a name for it then. It was just hard-core street rap, and N.W.A summed up the scene the best.

DR DRE*: Suge's role was handling the day-to-day business, dealing with artists, dealing with distributors and record companies. My job was to push these buttons and make the records happen.

SNOOP DOGG: Back then, Suge was very behind-the-scenes and helpful and quiet, humble, nonvisible. He didn't like cameras. He was the invisible man.

VIRGIL ROBERTS (attorney and former Solar president): The initial understanding was that [rapper] D.O.C. and Dre and Dick and Suge would be partners in this company.

ALONZO WILLIAMS: Everyone was following Dre, because people knew Dre was The Man. Everything he touched was gold or platinum, or better.

JOHN PAYNE: (studio engineer): The [influx] of talent was the result of people wanting to work for Dre and not a result of Suge going out and finding them. Dre was the only asset the company had. He was actually the most bankable person at that time -- pretty much in the industry -- from the R&B and rap standpoint.

NATE DOGG: Everybody was taking direction from Dre, as he knows what he's doing. He just finished doing N.W.A albums ... so you have confidence. You've watched this man make money.

SNOOP DOGG: The first tape [of mine] that Warren G gave Dre was the one that hooked me up. When he finally got a chance to hear me, I was ready. I didn't want to rap for him until I was ready. ... Warren G and Nate Dogg were my best friends, and we formed 213. We didn't have drum machines back then, just records, turntables and a microphone. Warren G called me and was, like, "Snoop, I got Dre on the phone, he liked the tape, he wants to work with us." And I said, "Nigga, stop lying." And someone said, "Hello?" And I said, "Who's this?" And he said, "It's Dre. Man, that shit was dope. I want to get with you. Come to the studio Monday."

NATE DOGG: At that time, it was a dream to just be in the same room with Dre. Dre wanted us to come to the studio? I'd have jogged up there if I didn't have a car.

SNOOP DOGG: It was me, D.O.C., Lady of Rage and Warren G. Then I brought RBX and Kurupt and Daz. And Jewell was down there, too. She was there from the beginning. It was a change from Dre's house to Solar Records. We were in an environment where real records were being made.

NATE DOGG: [W]hen Dre walked in, it was time to work. All work and no play.

SNOOP DOGG: Dick Griffey back then was the "chicken man." When we needed food, he'd break us off some [money] for some chicken. We needed a few hundred dollars for the rent and he'd come through. He was like Grampa. Dick Griffey was good to us back then. ... We used to stay up all night, didn't leave till 5 or 6 in the morning. There was a special vibe; you just wanted to be there. It was right in the middle of Hollywood and we'd never really been out of the neighborhood and we was getting a chance to see it all. This was the same studio that Shalamar, Lakeside, The Whispers, Babyface recorded their albums in.

JOHN KING (bodyguard): Death Row started out as a family. We used to have meetings, sayin', "We're gonna come up!" When it got to be more of a business, where contracts had to be signed and documents had to be accounted for, that took the love out of it.

JOHN PAYNE: The early days of Death Row were rather dismal, rather poverty-stricken. It was like that show with Jimmie Walker, Good Times.

NATE DOGG: The best records came out when we were starving.

SNOOP DOGG: My first apartment was fun for me; I had a pet roach. We called him Gooch. He would always come out when we had company. We started feeding and taking care of him because he was one of the homeboys. Rent was $500 a month. Manager was named Wendy. (Still owe you -- I'll holler back at you.) About seven people in one bedroom. And we had a ball. Five hundred dollars and somehow we never had the rent money on time.

JEWELL: Snoop wasn't getting money back then, either. Suge told us after we put out The Chronic album, he was gonna give us all $100,000. I never saw it.

SUGE KNIGHT**: The money I gave 'em came out of my pocket.

DICK GRIFFEY: These guys were broke all the time. Nobody ever had any money. I was on the phone with Suge's wife, paying the house payments.
The soundtrack for the film Deep Cover arrived in spring 1992 and introduced Snoop Dogg to the mainstream via the work's title track, which he performed with Dre.

JOHN PAYNE: The [artists] got the right exposure on the Deep Cover soundtrack. Until then, Snoop was basically sitting around the studio, wanting to do something. Nobody had heard of him.

JOHN KING: Snoop had this voice. It sounded like he was singin', but he was rappin'. It was something new, and it took the world over.
DOUG YOUNG (record promoter): I remember tellin' Snoop, "Man, you're about to be huge." And maybe an hour after I had told them about that, Snoop walks to Jack in the Box on Sunset and Cahuenga, and saw the guys from [A] Tribe Called Quest. And they said, "Man, let's take a picture!" and asked him for his autograph, just like girls. Because of Deep Cover.
VIRGIL ROBERTS: "187 on a motherfuckin' cop" became, like, a national anthem.
NATE DOGG: When Snoop blew up on Deep Cover, it looked like we were all blowing up. It pumped me up; I can't wait till it's my turn.

LYDIA HARRIS (wife of Michael Harris): I seen a change in Suge [after the success of Deep Cover]. He was handlin' things different.

DICK GRIFFEY: Suge was somewhat playful and kind of a bully. He'd threaten people from time to time and they'd take him seriously. Have an argument with the engineer and tell him they were gonna shoot him if he didn't get stuff right on the board. Lots of unnecessary drama.

CPO (rapper): Bloods was sittin' in the office at Death Row. They're friends of someone, friends of friends of the artist. So you know they're stealin'. Stealin' Post-its. That's how they are.

JOHN KING: Even at Death Row, they had cliques. Suge had his clique, Dre had his, Snoop had his. Everybody did their own thing. Suge's people weren't his artists; they were the people he grew up with. His homeboys.

LAMONT BLUMFIELD (artist manager): Suge was rollin' up in a Benz all day. He had a Benz and a Lexus. Snoop was getting evicted when Deep Cover came out -- something ain't right. We helped him move his stuff from a little bitty one-bedroom apartment in Hollywood.

NATE DOGG: I think [The Chronic] was a classic because everyone on it was hungry. Everybody put their all into The Chronic album. This was going to build a record company; this would build all our careers.

LAMONT BLUMFIELD: You had so many hungry, starving individuals that wanted to be superstars, who put their talent together, and it came out a classic.

JEWELL: It wasn't like we had money to hang with our friends, so we just hung together. We'd be up there eatin' Popeye's chicken, five days a week. And we created a masterpiece.

JOHN PAYNE: They were poor as hell, but they were still a family, still havin' fun.

SNOOP DOGG: We had weed, the best weed, you know what I'm sayin'? That's why we made The Chronic, because we had the chronic. ... I was just happy to be workin' with Dre. I had my own apartment. I was getting a thousand dollars a month, had all the best weed I wanted. My girl was lovin' me, I was lovin' her. It was all just crackin'.

JEWELL: It all worked. My singin' over their hard rap lyrics; rap had never accepted that before. I put my soft, sultry R&B singing on their records. Now every rapper has to have a female on their songs.

SNOOP DOGG: [Dre] listened to it off the board in the studio. He'd cut it together, cut the reels, splice it in. He actually had to put it together piece by piece, by hand. Every song connected to the next song, to the next song, to the next song.

ALLEN GORDON (former editor, Rap Pages magazine): Dre had the talent to hear music and [say], "This needs a flute, harp strings, heavier drum track." That's an incredible talent, even if he can't read music himself.

SNOOP DOGG: I think The Chronic was perfect, but a lot of songs could have been on it that would have destroyed the vibe. If they didn't come out, Dre did it for a reason. A lot of that shit was spontaneous. But I did [another] song 15 times before I got it right. Had a toothache at the time and couldn't spit it out. He was, "Do it the next time, I don't like how it sounds. Do it again, you had too much energy." I'm like, this motherfucker is a precisionist.

JEFFREY JOLSON-COLBURN: The Chronic was a hit out of the box. ... Snoop had these incredible street creds and such a buzz behind him from the projects.

CPO: The money started comin' in right after The Chronic. That's when the money started getting made.

SNOOP DOGG: The first family member I called when I heard my shit being played was my Pops. Because he'd seen me go to jail for selling dope. I don't think Pops believed in me. ... When The Chronic came out, I was sought out for interviews. I was very shy, and I'd hold my head down and didn't want to look at the camera. I didn't know what to expect. I had to learn how to conduct myself and not explode on every question I didn't like. Just take my time and listen. If I just be me, it'll be all right. ...
The first time I performed songs from The Chronic was with Dre in a small concert in Compton. And man, these motherfuckers were singing every word of the songs. And that made me feel -- damn, my life is right here.

VIRGIL ROBERTS: We had originally thought we'd be able to distribute the record with Sony. But Sony refused to distribute The Chronic.

SAM ANSON (L.A. Weekly reporter): Because of the crazy things going on around Death Row and their wariness of the contractual status of Dr. Dre, [Sony] didn't want to get the deal done.

MICHAEL HARRIS: Because of Eazy-E's insistence that he had been wronged, and robbed of his artists, Sony chose not to be part of the lawsuits.

VIRGIL ROBERTS: And so we decided to distribute The Chronic independently. But to put a record out independently, you need a video. Griffey said to Suge, "I don't have the money, let's raise the money." [Later] Dick and I met with [Interscope executives] Jimmy Iovine and David Cohen. We played them The Chronic, and they said they were interested.

KEVIN POWELL (writer): Jimmy Iovine had to pay off Ruthless Records, Eazy-E, Jerry Heller, and have The Chronic distributed through Priority Records.

DOUG YOUNG: Eazy was getting like 25 or 50 cents a copy for Dre's Chronic album.

Nonetheless, with The Chronic, Death Row was now a bona fide success.

HANK CALDWELL (former Death Row Records president): Word of mouth is everything, and Death Row became really hip on the street. Every young, black entertainer wanted to be part of it, so there was no problem finding talent. There was an understanding at Death Row that [artists] weren't getting at the major companies. Kids would come in and audition right off the street.

SUGE KNIGHT: I ain't gonna throw you "Let's do lunch." I ain't with all that. I'm still from the ghetto. I still got a house in Compton. I may not be there every night, but I still got a house there. I go there and hang out and feel it. That's where the talent's at. 'Cause when people stay away too long, they get scared of it. There's no goin' back. How I'm gonna run from something I'm part of?

DICK GRIFFEY: I was talking to an ambassador from South Africa and his daughter. Very eloquent, articulate people. Very educated. And these people had bought into it. Suge was a cult hero around the world.

JON CLARK (former Motown Records executive): Basically, it's the same thing Motown did. They took the mindset, spirit, dreams, hopes, wishes and thoughts of the people of a time period and set it to music.

DOUG YOUNG: Death Row was bombin' out of control. All you had to do was tell a girl you worked at Death Row Records -- anything you want. Any shop you go into, "I work for Death Row" -- anything you want. Any record store you go into, "I work for Death Row" -- you come back with some promo goods. There was no club, no guest list you weren't on. "We'll fly you here, we'll do this for you, that for you. We'll give you clothes."

JEFFREY JOLSON-COLBURN: Death Row at its peak was making about $150 million a year. For a tiny label, that was a shocking amount.

ALLEN GORDON: There was no control [over spending] at Death Row. Rap Pages printed a story about BL Diamonds, where Death Row got all their jewelry. And we have the invoices of all the jewelry that was purchased there on credit. And you go down the list, and it's "bracelet for wife No. 1 ... cut gold, diamond cufflinks..." And after a while the artists started going there and ordering their own jewelry without the consent of [attorney David] Kenner, Knight or [Death Row publicist] George Pryce, any figure of authority. Suge Knight probably doesn't even know that all these artists went down there and started purchasing this jewelry.

GEORGE PRYCE: The day that I [went in to interview with Knight] he said, 'Look I'm gonna interview you when I can, but it may take a while. So I sat for seven days in the lobby, between all of these huge hip-hop types. ... I sat for seven days -- a solid week. ... On the last day I finally saw Suge. He came down the aisle and said, "Hello, how are you? I'm gonna see you in a few minutes, but first I've got to have a staff meeting. As a matter of fact, come on in to the staff meeting." So when the meeting was called to order, the first words out of his mouth were "Everybody, I'd like you to meet George Pryce -- he's the new publicist, the head of communications and media relations for Death Row Records." No contract, no conversation about salary, nothing. But I knew it was gonna be OK and that's just the way Suge is.

GREGORY ATRON (talent manager): Death Row didn't put out a whole lotta records -- they just sold a lot of the ones that they put out.

ALLEN GORDON: And Death Row's street teams were the best. There wasn't a major urban community where they didn't know Doggystyle or [have] Dogg Food stickers posted up or even Chronic stickers when this was goin' on. I remember being in Omaha, Neb., and seeing a Chronic sticker on the lamppost. 'Cause I didn't think anybody in Nebraska listened to hip-hop.

JEFFREY JOLSON-COLBURN: Radio couldn't play gangsta rap; the four-letter words kept it off conventional radio and conventional TV. Plus, there was Death Row's name, a gruesome little logo of somebody sitting on death row with a hood over his head. That helped.

Eventually, Dr. Dre began having trouble focusing in the raucous Death Row environment.

UNKNOWN DJ: Suge Knight felt the need to have a court around him, and I don't think Dre felt comfortable with that.

FRANK ALEXANDER (Tupac bodyguard): Tupac and Dr. Dre was fine, in the beginning. You didn't see any problems. [But] from the time I worked there in '95 up to '96, Dr. Dre had only been in the studio twice. 'Pac took offense to that.

TUPAC SHAKUR***: He wasn't producing shit. All the niggas were producing the beats on my album. All the niggas were doing the beats and Dre was getting the credit.

SUGE KNIGHT: Dre wasn't doing the tracks, and Dre didn't write the lyrics.

KEVIN POWELL: Tupac started becoming the mouthpiece for Suge and started dissing Dre.

TUPAC SHAKUR: [Dre] is a dope producer, but he ain't worked in years. I'm out here in the streets, whooping niggas' asses, starting wars and shit, and this nigga's taking three years to do one song.

SNOOP DOGG: It was not a work atmosphere anymore. Success had kicked in. We were stars, and motherfuckers just loved being around us. And bringing bullshit around us. Dre wasn't for that.

DR. DRE: I just didn't like some of the things that were going on. There was nothing being done to stop it.

SNOOP DOGG: Dre likes to work in an environment where you can create. [Where] everybody's on the creative atmosphere and not about what's goin' on in the 'hood, how many niggas you shot and how much shit you did. He didn't want that.

JEWELL: Suge took over the company. I don't think Dre wanted to be a yes-man for somebody. He wanted his own situation.

JEFFREY JOLSON-COLBURN: Dre says, "I want out of this world. I want to form Aftermath, where I'm not part of Death Row. I want to live."

NATE DOGG: When Dre left Death Row Records, that was the biggest shock. Because I was real confused how you start a label and then leave the label. I figured if you had a problem with someone ... you'd make them leave, and you'd go on with what you're doing. I guess he learned it wasn't his label.

SUGE KNIGHT: Dre's departure wasn't a loss. If you've got a multimillion dollar company -- maybe worth a billion dollars -- and you own 100 percent and don't have a partner, then you don't have to give him nothing but his walking papers. That's great.

ALLEN GORDON: To give up 50 percent of your label and move from a dangerous situation, which Death Row was becoming, was a smart move for him.

Though few imprints have been as successful, Death Row's hit-making run was short. After the departure of Dre, Tupac Shakur became its marquee artist, but his 1996 murder plunged the label into chaos.
Knight was sent to prison for a parole violation and was suspected of orchestrating the hit on Tupac's rival Notorious B.I.G.

Snoop Dogg departed for Master P's No Limit label, while Dr. Dre's Aftermath has become one of hip-hop's most successful imprints, introducing artists such as Eminem, 50 Cent and Kendrick Lamar.
The 6 million copies sold of Dre's 1999 album 2001 eclipsed even the triple-platinum The Chronic. It is the latter album, however, whose influence is still felt most strongly today.

*Dr. Dre quotes taken from a 1999 Behind the Music episode
**Suge Knight quotes taken from a 1996 BET interview
***Tupac Shakur quotes taken from a 1996 U.K. radio interview

 source - http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/2012/11/making_of_the_chronic_dre_death_row.php?page=3

"Compton" was the 1st song Kendrick Lamar recorded with Dre

Kendrick Lamar recalls that the first song he made with Dr. Dre was "good kid, m.A.A.d city" track "Compton."

 Kendrick Lamar recently offered some details on his first meeting with Dr. Dre and explained that the first song he recorded with The Good Doctor was ‘Compton.’ The track appears as the last song on Lamar’s recently release album ‘good kid, m.A.A.d. city.’

Lamar explained that he was well aware of the stakes when he was first introduced to the iconic rapper. “I was very excited [when I first met Dr. Dre], I wasn’t nervous at all. I was more excited because I knew that this was my shot,” Lamar told i-D Magazine.

For Kendrick, ‘Compton’ isn’t just the first thing he worked on with Dre, but also represents the work he put in before making it. “Everything that I worked for, everything that I built up to came down to that moment…that moment, I recorded my first song with Dre, which was ‘Compton,’ which is the last song on my album,” said Lamar.

The track not only features Dr. Dre but also includes production from Just Blaze.

http://theversed.com/2012/11/15/kendrick-lamar-details-making-good-kid-m-a-a-d-city-track-compton-featuring-dr-dre/

Lil Wayne has 'Like 90' unreleased songs with Dre

'You just never know which one he gonna put out,' Weezy tells MTV News of his unheard collaborations with Dr. Dre.

 

Lil Wayne and Dr. Dre already have a hot collaboration cooking with Weezy's special fire-red Beats By Dre headphones, but when will we actually hear some music from the two? Tunechi's not exactly sure, but he knows that he and Dre have recorded close to 100 tracks through the years.
"I've always worked with Dre," Wayne told MTV News on Thursday on his tour bus in Las Vegas. "I'm not sure if you guys know how Dre works, Dre always send you a song, so I done probably did like 90 songs for Dre. You just never know which one he gonna put out."

There's always the long-awaited Detox, but when the Good Doctor will drop his third official LP, only he knows. Weezy is readying the release of his 10th solo album I Am Not a Human Being II for December, but don't expect the D-R-E to make a contribution to that project either. When MTV News asked the YMCMB boss who contributed to the LP, he rattled off a list of names that included Cool & Dre, Streetrunner and Juicy J, but no Dre.

Another mega-producer, Kanye West, will play a large role in Human Being II, according to Wayne. "Yeah he got some music on there," he said. "It's crazy, actually I don't want to give too much up but he's got a big hand in the album, you'll see."

As far as The Chronic producer, Tune is ready to jump into the studio with him at the drop of a dime. "I'll always be up to work with Dre, it's always cool with him," he said. "As far as the headphones, I'm super-excited about that collaboration, I couldn't be more excited."

source - http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1696179/lil-wayne-dr-dre-90-songs.jhtml

 

Kendrick Lamar: Dre delayed Detox for good kid, m.A.A.d city

50 Cent has already explained his views on Dr. Dre’s long delayed ‘Detox’ saying that the Good Doctor may have lost interesting in the project, but now Kendrick Lamar has taken the blame for the album’s push back. According to Lamar, Dre has simply been focused on his recently released ‘good kid, m.A.A.d city.’ Lamar explained that Dre immediately took an interest in his music before adding that the ‘Detox’ includes some incredible tracks. “‘Detox’ got pushed to the back just because my album, Dre really found interest in my music. Wanted me to go forward and push that immediately. That’s a great thing. I’ve heard the records on ‘Detox,’ they’re insane, and the opportunity to be on that is a privilege and an honor,” Lamar told Puna.nl.

50 Cent previously revealed that he didn’t think Dre was devoted to finishing off ‘Detox’ and suggested that the album could be released as an EP. “I don’t know if [Dr. Dre]‘s even excited to do [‘Detox’] now. He’s successful with Jimmy [Iovine] with Beats [Headphones], so I’m not sure if he’s pressed [to release it]. I know that when I did [see him] last when I was in Los Angeles, he was actually in the studio working on something else,” said Fif.

Lamar, however, added that with the release of his album he’ll have a chance to relax and told the Puna what he’s planning for his visit to Holland, “I’m going to get in some sight-seeing, didn’t get to sight-see that much last time,” said Lamar.



source - http://theversed.com/2012/10/22/kendrick-lamar-says-dr-dres-detox-album-delay-is-due-to-good-kid-m-a-a-d-city/

Kendrick Lamar, Dr Dre & Andre 3000 Hit The Studio

Kendrick Lamar previews his song "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" for Dr. Dre and Andre 3000. Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre and Andre 3000 recently hit the studio to preview a few cuts off of K. Dot's upcoming debut good kid, m.A.A.d city, releasing October 22nd. In the footage, Kendrick leans against a studio mixing board next to Three Stacks and the Doc, rocking out to the album's second track "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe." At the end of the song, the Outkast member turns to Lamar and says, "Excellent."

Kendrick Lamar, Dre & Game Perform @ L.A.’s Club Nokia (Videos)

West Coast rapper and hip-hop superstar Kendrick Lamar gives fans of the BET ‘Music matters Tour’ a little surprise with a few guest performances.  He brought out Dr. Dre, Game, T.I., and G.O.O.D. Music’s Big Sean.  He performed some of his hit songs ‘Recipe’, ‘Compton’ and many more.  The best part of all is that there is footage available for you to watch for yourself.





source -http://stupiddope.com/2012/10/19/kendrick-lamar-t-i-dr-dre-game-perform-l-a-s-club-nokia-video/

Detox may only appear as EP, says 50 Cent

The most eagerly awaited album in hip-hop history might, according to Fiddy, only materialise as five or six songs



Dr Dre's Detox might only be an EP. According to a recent interview with 50 Cent, the most anticipated album in hip-hop could end up as no more than "five or six songs".

"I don't know if he's even excited to do it now," 50 Cent said in an interview in Paris. "He's successful with Jimmy [Iovine] with Beats [headphones] … I'm not sure if he's going to actually release a full CD or if he wants to just release the music that he's comfortable with. He might do an EP or something like that – five or six songs."

Dre's third solo album has been in development for more than a decade: its initial release date was in 2003. Over the years, the laundry list of collaborators has grown longer and longer, from blue-chip rappers such as Eminem, Jay-Z, Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg to current kingpins including Rick Ross and Kendrick Lamar. "I see the finish line right now," Dre said in 2010. "I'm wrapping it up." But two years later, there's still no sign of the record Dre has described as his last.

As 50 Cent indicated, Detox's biggest obstacle seems to be the success of Dre's line of headphones, Beats. "Them headphones are selling, selling, selling," Ice Cube observed in March. "What would you rather sell somebody: $300 headphones or a $10 tape?"

There may be another reason for Dre's slow pace: his project The Planets. Enamoured with astronomy, the legendary producer is allegedly working on an instrumental album based on the "personality" of each celestial body. "When I did [see Dre] last, when I was in Los Angeles," 50 Cent revealed this week, "he was actually in the studio working on something else." Maybe Detox got hit by an asteroid.

source - http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/oct/19/dr-dre-detox-album-ep-50-cent

Dr Dre Presents Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city Trailer (video)

After bringing you artist like Eminem, 50 Cent and Game. Dr.Dre introduces the world to the future of Aftermath Records, Kendrick Lamar. Dr.Dre has been involved in the careers of some of the biggest Hip Hop artist to date. Kendrick should be no different! good kid, m.A.A.d city will be available October 22nd. Via FreeOnSmash.

source - http://www.thesource.com/articles/247970?thesource-prod=0kf7aopkhv8rbmc6s9g34el560

Kendrick Lamar states Detox is done

Dre's third solo album, Detox, is practically a myth-in-process at this point. Updates on the record have been announced sparsely over the past few years, but now a new voice has shared his opinion on Dre's long-awaited project. Appearing on Power 105.1's

The Breakfast Club, new protege of the legendary West Coast producerKendrick Lamar said he believes that Detox is finished."Me personally, I think it's done," he said. "I think it's been done -- just from the records I heard. But Dre, he want to give it you when the world feel like they rightfully deserve it." He also announced that he "did some work" for the album.In the interview,

Kendrick also discussed in detail his upcoming debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d. city (out Oct. 22), addressed rumors that he is "smashing" Lady Gaga, contemplated what we would have done in the recent BET Hip-Hop Awards brawl and plenty more. Watch it below.

http://www.prefixmag.com/mobile/post/70141/

Just Blaze talks Dre's Detox and creating Kendrick Lamar's "Compton"

Johnny Nunez

Just Blaze is sitting in a studio at Stadium Red, the Harlem-based facility that now serves as his home base for recording. For more than a decade, the producer and DJ has been responsible for some of hip hop's biggest anthems, including Jay-Z's "Public Service Announcement," Kanye West's "Touch the Sky" and Fabolous' "Breathe" (among many others).

The producer hit another career high with the release of Kendrick Lamar and Dr. Dre's "Compton," a booming, soulful track set for release on Lamar's upcoming debut good kid, m.A.A.d. city. We caught up with the producer to discuss the song's origins, why he never hypes up unconfirmed projects and, fine, the status of Dr. Dre's absurdly anticipated Detox.

How was “Compton” conceived?

It was something that we were originally working on for Detox. I came up with the record; we all collectively came up with the concept. We wrote some reference rhymes; I wrote a bit of a reference hook and then Sly [Jordan, one of Dre’s writers] added on to that. The sample was by a group called the Choice 4. I don’t remember the name of the song, but most of “Compton” is live. Even with live instrumentation, I try to make the songs fit within the context of the sample, so it doesn’t sound like keys on top of a sample. It’s one collective body of work. This was three years ago, so as for Kendrick, he wasn’t even in the picture then.

So Dre was supposed to rhyme over the whole track?

Yeah. There were a couple of other artists who were also on the record. The way Dre works, he’s like a puzzle master, so he’ll take bits and pieces from one song, bits and pieces from another song; try different artists out on different records to feature. And the end result may be nothing like what you heard when he first started. So this record in its first incarnation was still about “Compton” but there were other artists on it. That went through a few different changes and in the end, he was just like, “Yo, I just want it to be me and Kendrick.”

What do you think it is about Kendrick that’s connected with so many people?

His lyricism and rhyme patterns are very unorthodox. He’s seen a lot in a short life and the way he delivers his experiences, you believe it. It’s incredible. And there are some things that just aren’t tangible; some people just have that magnetism that people gravitate towards. Whatever that is, he’s got it.

Can we do the inevitable “Detox update” question?

I’ve heard like 200 songs that were possible candidates, but good enough to come out. Last I spoke with Dre, he was like, “Yo, I want to do one more record and I’m done.” But I always tell people... [pauses]. Let me put it to you like this: An album comes out these days, you have to price it competitively. Detox: a lot of hype; Jimmy [Iovine] and Dre know how to sell records, so let’s say they sell 3 or 4 million records at $10 a pop. That’s $30 million. Or you come out with some headphones that sell for $300 - $400 each. You sell, say, 5 million pairs of those. That’s $150 million. That’s just the big ones. Then you have the solos. Different price point and audience. Say they sell for $100 each and you sell 5 million of those. You just made another $500 million.

Then HP comes along and says, “We want to license your Beats brand on our computers.” Who knows what they got for that? And then you turn around and HTC wants to incorporate Beats technology into all their phones. Then they turn around and say they want to buy a $300 million stake in the company. We’ve already just added up roughly over $1 billion dollars. Off of some headphones. If you were a smart businessman, would you put your energy into generating $1 billion or an album that may sell $30 million?

But at a certain point, his artistic side has to say, “Everyone's been waiting so long to get something out,” right?

I get that. I know to a certain degree, that’s where Dre’s head is at too. He’s expressed to me that he wants to get it out. But again, you want a billion or you want 30 million? That’s just my take on it.

So are we going to see the Just Blaze headphones?

Ya know. I’d like a billion dollars [smiles]. We’re actually working on some branding through the studio; there was a possibility for some branded technology. We’re exploring the options right now.

Would you ever do a Just Blaze album?

You’ve heard it already. Take all the records I’ve ever done, put it in your iTunes, make a playlist and now you got it. From a business standpoint, with rare exceptions, traditionally, those things don’t sell. The amount of time that I would take to do something like that and dedicate to that would take away from other ventures and things that I could be doing. Don’t get me wrong: there’s something to be said for passion projects, but at the same time, historically those things don’t do well.

What’s interesting about you is that you’re a perpetual presence on social media, but always remain cagey on future projects.

Some guys I’m friends with have the access to all their fans now and sometimes, they overhype things to the point where the expectations are so high – or they’ll say they’re doing a record with somebody and due to label politics, it can’t come out. I don’t want to say anything that’s going to have people start to speculate and anticipate and then it comes out late or not at all. By letting people know that certain things exist, the seed has been planted from the minute they hear that. And then it comes out and it’s never as good as you want it to be because you have this grand scheme in your head that when you put in the CD or download it from iTunes, that you’re going to hear Jesus. It can’t happen.

Going back to “Compton,” how much did the original version change from the final?

I did the first version of the mix here [at Stadium Red] and I didn’t like the way it ended. It just kind of ended. So I broke out the vocoder and gave it that whole nice synthy ending.  Dre wanted to make a few changes, so I sent my mixes to him and he tweaked it a bit further, which he nailed for the most part. The only thing I’m slightly…I wouldn't say unhappy with, but they changed a few levels on the ending. I don’t think it was even intentional. Normally, when I mix, I’m hands-on until it’s done. I was traveling at the time and when they decided they 100% wanted to use it for the album, there was no way I could be at the mix so I had to send it out to Dre for him to do what he had to do. I’m toying with the idea—since they’ve given it out for free—of releasing a tweaked version of the ending. Maybe even an extended version with more vocoder or talkbox. I still love it, though; it’s just the perfectionist in me.

source - http://www.fuse.tv/2012/10/just-blaze-dr-dre-detox-kendrick-lamar-compton

Kendrick Lamar feat Dr Dre 'Compton'

From that XXL cover that tries to claim that Dr. Dre is responsible for Kendrick Lamar which just isn't true, to Snoop and Dre pulling him up at Coachella to rap on the same hallowed ground as the Tupac hologram, and now, "Compton," the second single from the upcoming good kid, m.A.A.d city to feature the aging-out mega-producer, this Dre connection is really getting a push, isn't it? Industry types seem to have it stuck in their heads that the West Coast production legend can still grab people's ears.

Not even his production chops, mind you, just Dr. Dre's presence, because "Compton" was produced by Just Blaze, and "The Recipe" by Scoop DeVille. Dre's here to add some starpower that I'm not so sure he even exudes much anymore. But to old dudes who run radio and the marketing mooks who serve them, the D.R.E.'s involvement still holds a lot of weight. Plus, Dr. Dre may be getting more out of this than Kendrick Lamar, and at the very least, it's a mutually beneficial relationship, which speaks to our current era of reverse co-signs, in which veterans pop up to rep some youngster (who doesn't need to be repped) and glom off some of their fresh-faced buzz. That's got to be a new strain of Retromania, right? Well, hopefully, Kendrick can at least pull Dre out of his mad genius O.C.D. stupor and release something!

Unlike "The Recipe," which felt underwhelming on purpose, "Compton," is a suspenseful single that has no time to relax and ride-out. It finds Kendrick refusing to hedge his rapping for the expectations of radio, marching straight into the song and sounding genuinely hungry: "This is king Kendrick Lamar / King Kendrick and I meant it, my point intended is raw / Fix your lenses, forensics would've told you Kendrick had killed it / Pretend it's a massacre and the masses upon us / And I mastered being the master and dodging your honor." Kendrick sounds confident, here. Like, he's ready to stand in front of everybody and puff his chest out.

Contrast “Compton” with the album's previously released songs "Swimming Pools (Drank)" and "The Art of Peer Pressure," where Kendrick climbed inside of his head and asked everyone to come with him, and the latest single's immediacy is clear. "Swimming Pools" and "Peer Pressure" worked best as bugged-out P.S.A raps in the mode of J. Cole's I'm-a-nice-guy-anti-charm and Drake's I'm-oh-so-conflicted smarm. "Compton" is radio-single breezy yet boastful, and it still affords Kendrick the chance to dole out some of his rarefied kind of lyricism. Detailing the socio-poltical roots of his hometown's brand of hip-hop, he raps: “We can all harvest the rap artists of NWA / America target our rap market, it's controversy and hate / Harsh reality we're in, made our music translate.” That's a fairly cogent explanation of hip-hop's social importance even when it's tagged "gangsta rap," and coming from a guy who scans as positive to most listeners, it holds some additional weight.

This beat is, apparently, three years old according to producer Just Blaze's Twitter, and you can hear the seams a little bit on that "California Love"-tribute coda, presumably added more recently. But it's an effective production and sits comfortably with recent Just Blaze projects like Drake's "Lord Knows" and XV's "Wichita." Lately, the Just Blaze beats making it out to the public seem to be tapping into the Mike Will Made It world of foggy filters and druggy effects. He's coating his early 2000s-style throwback bangers with flanger and Auto-Tune, giving them a sheen that smooths out their soul-sample grit and better fits them into radio rap's current edge-less style of beatmaking.

Thanks to the just-released tracklist for good kid, m.A.A.d city, we know that "Compton" is the final song on the album — not counting bonus tracks, of course. It certainly sounds like an album-ending statement. And It also feels a little frustrating to even hear this song out of its album context. Dropping the last song as a single is a bit like teasing an upcoming movie with the final reel, you know? Perhaps, this is just more evidence that the appeal of the album as a sequence of songs that creates a quasi-narrative is non-existent for most. It also has me hyped to hear the album, if only to see how each piece builds to this just-grandiose-enough tribute to Compton.

Oh yeah: Look at that tracklist! None of those why-is-this-here? Colin Munroe guest spots like on Section#80; no Lady Gaga appearance, which really did seem inevitable one month ago; and MC Eiht is on this thing! There is little chance of Kendrick morphing into B.o.B, as I feared a few weeks ago. In other words, I'm preparing to put my foot in my mouth for all the Kendrick-doubting I've displayed over the past few months.

Source - http://www.spin.com/blogs/kendrick-lamar-with-a-little-help-from-dr-dre-spoiler-alerts-his-new-album

Fans: Whats your opinion on the status of Detox? Discuss now.

Lets keep this blog alive. A few fans wanted to discuss the following question:

Whats your opinion on the status of Detox? Discuss now.

50 Cent Explains That Dre Wanted "New Day" To "Feel Like A Movie" [video]

As 50 Cent puts the finishing touches on his latest album, Street King Immortal, the Queens rapper sheds some light on the creation of its lead single, the Dr. Dre produced "New Day," which also features Alicia Keys. Fitty starts off by noting that he met with the good Doctor on the west coast while the Beats By Dre headphones founder (who recently landed at #5 on Forbes' list of highest paid celebrities) was working on that album. "I went to go see Dre in Los Angeles, he was actually working on Detox," says 50. "Brought me out, he wanted to play some of the music that I was creating for my album. See if there was something there musically that would inspire him to do something different and at the same time, maybe we do some writing, work on some other things while we're there."

Fif then described how he usually plays new tracks for Dre, who will then offer him even better stuff to use.  The G-Unit honcho then went into further detail about the genesis of "New Day." "The song originally, the chorus was on that record on the production end, it was called 'This Life Won't Last Forever.' It was vocally recorded and written by Ester Dean. They sent Ester Dean's version to Alicia and Alicia sent it back with the 'New Day' concept and it had new strings she put on the record. Dre will decide to work with whoever he want to work with, but I remember that he gave me the biggest records of my career. I played it for him and he went nuts. He was like, 'I gotta mix this. This gotta feel like a movie, man.'"

Check out the rest of the interview below to learn how Eminem toyed with the idea of tinkering with the song's drums, and insisted that Dr. Dre kick the song's lead off verse, as well as Alicia Keys dropping her own version of the tune. 50 Cent's Street King Immortal is due in stores November 13th.



sources:
http://hiphopwired.com/2012/08/28/50-cent-explains-that-dr-dre-wanted-new-day-to-feel-like-a-movie/
http://www.ballerstatus.com/2012/08/28/50-cent-explains-inception-new-day-single-dres-involvement-video/

Xzibit feat King Tee & Tha Alkaholiks "Louis XIII" (Prod. By Dre)

A new song titled "Louis XIII" sprung a leak, featuring west coast living legends King Tee and Tha Alkaholiks, and produced by the one and only Dr. Dre.

Xzibit tweeted earlier that this is not the final album version of the song, but nevertheless told his fans to enjoy it. Peep the tweet, and then listen below as X to the Z, King Tee, and Tha Liks trade bars and get drunk over a banging Dre beat. This is "professional inebriation."




Source - http://www.complex.com/music/2012/08/listen-xzibit-louis-xiii-f-king-tee-tha-alkaholiks-prod-by-dr-dre

N.W.A Movie Begins Filming

It appears that the N.W.A. film has finally started production. Dr. Dre tweeted a photo of him and director F. Gary Gray on the set. Knowing Dre, we’ll get more photo ops soon.

source - http://rapradar.com/2012/08/13/n-w-a-movie-begins-filming/

Dr Dre Inks Development Deal With FX Network For New Crime Drama

Rapper, producer, and entrepreneur Dr. Dre is officially in business with FX, and is developing a brand-new drama with the network, according to THR.

The site reports that “[FX] has inked a script development deal with writer Sidney Quashi and music mogul Dr. Dre for a drama pilot. The one-hour project, set in present-day Los Angeles, explores both the music business and crime business.
”
Quashie will serve as the creator of the show, as well as one its executive producers, alongside Dr. Dre.
The deal will involve Dr. Dre’s Crucial Films/Crucial TV company, which was originally launched in 2007 with New Line Cinema, and now currently rests under Warner Bros.

Currently, FX is airing new seasons of the critically acclaimed show, “Wilfred and Louie”, while the network’s highly anticipated fifth season of its biker show, “Sons of Anarchy”, will premiere on September 11.

More details about Dr. Dre’s involvement and the show itself are expected in the near future.

source - http://allhiphop.com/2012/08/06/dr-dre-inks-development-deal-with-fx-network-for-new-crime-drama/

Kendrick Lamar and Dr Dre Cover XXL‘s 15th Anniversary Issue

It’s XXL’s 15th anniversary and there’s a very special cover for the mag’s important September issue: Dr. Dre and the newest signee to his Aftermath Records, Kendrick Lamar. The two Los Angeles natives linked up in their home state for a dope photoshoot by Scott Council and an in-depth piece by Kris Ex.

In the story, K. Dot talks about his new album good kid, m.A.A.d city, his family’s violent past, present and future while Dre  reflects on his vision for the new MC and the rap legend’s ear. “I don’t have a crystal ball, but I believe that [Kendrick] has the potential to do some really incredible great things–things that are gonna make the veterans raise their eyebrows.”

The rest of the issue lives up to the momentous cover with dozens of rappers and industry heavyweights sharing the rules they learned and live by in hip-hop. XXL’s executive editor Jayson Rodriguez and digital content director Carl Chery document the best albums, mixtapes, singles and videos each year for the past decade-and-a-half. There’s also a look back at every cover XXL has ever done, the crowing of the hottest Eye Candy of All Time, and 15 of hip-hop’s most important trends and styles in the past 15 years. Plus much more in the mag and at XXLMag.com.

Get your copy of XXL’s special birthday on stands nationwide on August 14th.—XXL Staff (@XXL)



source - http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2012/08/kendrick-lamar-and-dr-dre-cover-xxl-15th-anniversary-issue/

DRE Films brings “3 Kings” to visual life

DRE Films brings “3 Kings” to visual life, dropping an anthemic-looking video to match Maybach Music Group’s latest from chieftain Rick Ross, featuring the legendary Dr. Dre and equally legendary Jay-Z.

“3 Kings” is Rick Ross’ latest single, from his current album God Forgives, I Don’t. Despite the fact that the label’s namesake automobile will no longer be produced, MMG (or The Untouchable Maybach Empire) continues to deliver material that helps maintain its position among the top of current hip hop conglomerates.

“3 Kings” speaks to the combined legacy of its participants, and the visuals nicely coincide with the calm by confident boasting by the song’s participants. Dr. Dre spends his verse recapping his impressive music business history, reminding listeners that he “rewrote the game,” and imploring folks to listen to this song through his headphones, a nod to his business acumen outside of the actual realm of music production, his longtime forte.

Rick Ross, without the longevity factor of the others, speaks more from a Mama-I-made-it-out-the-game-now-living-it-up perspective. Truthfully, it’s typical Ross, but effective, even if overshadowed, alongside the song’s other two icons.

Jay-Z closes out the track, pointing out the results of his lofty aspirations. Records sold. Money made. Successfully calling the shots along the way. Longevity. Being able to park in his “own arena”. Family.

The all-black-and-white video interweaves throwback footage from all three men, adding to the narrative effect of “3 Kings,” weaving a storytelling tapestry throughout the video befitting the veteran status of Dre & Jay, with a solid nod to the current success of Rick Ross and his MMG establishment.

Watch Rick Ross ft. Dr. Dre, Jay-Z – “3 Kings”
 

source - http://www.birthplacemag.com/2012/07/3-kings-video-rick-ross-dr-dre-jay-z/

50 Cent fet Alicia keys & Dr Dre - New Day (Full)

50 Cent feat Alicia Keys & Dr Dre – New Day snippet

It’s not only a “New Day” for Alicia Keys, but 50 Cent as well. The hip-hop mogul borrows from the Grammy-winning songbird on the first single from his upcoming album Street King Immortal, due in November.

A 30-second snippet of the song debuted in 50’s new iPhone app and thanks to HipHop-N-More, we now have the audio rip.

For those who were curious, the song sounds the same as Alicia Keys’ Swizz Beatz-produced record of the same name, except with verses from 50 and Dre. The full version will premiere tomorrow.



source - http://www.rap-up.com/2012/07/26/new-music-50-cent-f-alicia-keys-dr-dre-new-day-snippet/

Tito Lopez describes possible Detox contributions wit Dre

In a recent interview with ThisIs50.com, Gulfport Mississippi emcee Tito Lopez details how a freestyle led to a chance to contribute to Dr. Dre's "Detox."

The last official word on Detox from Dr. Dre, came in November of 2011. While the N.W.A. co-founder didn’t completely rule out the possibility of another studio album, he did say he was going to “take a little bit of a break.” The news came just before his rumored Detox single, “I Need A Doctor” was certified double platinum. And in the months leading up to Dre’s announcement, everyone from The D.O.C. to DJ Quik, Battlecat and others claimed to be involved with the project in some way. Add Mississippi upstart Tito Lopez to that growing list.

“I went over there, and I was just supposed to play him a couple joints,” Lopez told ThisIs50.com’s Jack Thriller. “I said, ‘Fuck that. It’s real. It’s raw. Let me just spit for you.’ A lot of niggas can make they self sound good in the studio…he liked what he heard, and he said, ‘Fuck it. Let’s go write some shit.’ So we stayed up until seven in the morning writing shit.”

The now infamous freestyle session with Dr. Dre became a bit of a YouTube sensation and boosted the Gulport Mississippi emcee’s profile leading up to his most recent mixtapes—Conversation With Tito and The Hunger Game. Lopez, added that he assumes the songs were for Detox, but they could have ended up on any number of projects or locked away somewhere. Lopez said ultimately, Dre is the only person who knows where his lyrical contributions will end up. Previous collaborators with Dr. Dre such as DJ Quik and Bishop Lamont have confirmed a similar collaborative process that includes multiple writers and assistant producers.

True to the words of that November 2011 interview, there have been no Detox updates. The last eight months have seen Dre’s Beats Electronics brand expand, while Kendrick Lamar gets closer to his Aftermath/Top Dawg Entertainment debut. The full ThisIs50 interview with Tito Lopez, including how he survived Hurricane Katrina, can be seen below.


Source -http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.20562/title.tito-lopez-describes-possible-detox-contributions-with-dr-dre/

Rick Ross Calls talks Detox (Video)

Rick Ross believes in the notion the Dr. Dre will eventually drop Detox. Much like his one-time enemy, 50 Cent, Ross weighed in on whether or not the Good Doctor will ever unleash his alleged album, which he's been teasing for about a decade now. Ross hit up the Bay Area to speak with Sana G, of 106 KMEL on various topics, including Dre.

Given his track record, and fresh off his appearance on Ross' “3 Kings,” he doesn't really have to give the public new music, so says The Boss. “I feel like he in the best position any artist really could be in,” Ross said. “His greater music is the highest, it always will be.”


Falling short of confirming (or denying) the existence of the project, Ross added that Dre is allowed to take as much time as he wants. “The homie can come whenever he feels he's ready. It's been a long time but I feel like when it comes it's gon' do what it do.”

On the plus side, provided that Hip-Hop will be blessed with Detox, Ross will be featured on the release.


source -  http://hiphopwired.com/2012/07/24/rick-ross-calls-dr-dre-an-icon-talks-detox-on-106-kmel-videos/

Rick Ross feat Dr Dre & Jay-Z - 3 Kings

50 Cent confirms single 'New Day' with Dr Dre & Alicia Keys

50 Cent has teased a new single featuring Alicia Keys and Dr Dre, which will appear on his upcoming studio album.

The rapper released 5 (Murder By Numbers) as a free download last week. It is followed by his last Interscope record Street King Immortal later this year.

"Yes, there's a difference in styles," 50 Cent told Digital Spy about the two albums.

"I've released three albums' worth of material in the last two months. It was The Big 10, which was celebrating the ten-year anniversary of my first mixtape.

"The Lost Tape followed that, and then I released Murder By Numbers. For me, the next wave of music won't be out until November."

He added: "Street King Immortal is the actual studio album that is actually being marketed and promoted by Interscope.

"The first single will be out Tuesday (July 17) - that's myself, Alicia Keys and Dr Dre."

The cover art for the single, titled 'New Day', was unveiled yesterday on 50 Cent's Twitter feed with the words "coming soon".



"I'm excited about this project," 50 Cent told DS.

"It took a lot longer than it would have had to take as far as I'm concerned creatively... it was a headache, but it worked itself out."

50 Cent was speaking at The O2 in London, and his headphones are on sale now at O2.

source -http://www.digitalspy.com/music/news/a393554/50-cent-confirms-single-new-day-with-dr-dre-alicia-keys-video.html

50 Cent 'I don't know if we'll hear Dr Dre's Detox in full'

50 Cent has suggested that we many never hear Dr Dre's long-awaited Detox album in full.

Dre began work on his third solo album in 2001 and while the singles 'Kush' and 'I Need A Doctor' were released in 2010 and 2011, the album still has no confirmed release date.

50 Cent, who is to guest on the album, told Digital Spy: "You know what, I don't know exactly if you'll hear the full body of work - the full body of Detox.

"I heard some pieces that are really exciting in the studio. I think that Dre has too much time on his hands! They allow him to fall in love and then fall out of love with the music before he actually releases it."

He added: "He'll make it, and then I'll come in the studio and be like, 'This is crazy, why haven't you put this out?' and he'll be sitting there and be like, 'I should have put that out'.

"Yeah! And you knew it - when you first made it you knew it was supposed to go out, but it's sat there so long that you're going, 'Oh, I don't know, I don't feel the same way about it'.

"But nothing is going to sustain your feelings about it forever. It's an interesting scenario, but with the success of Beats headsets, I don't think they're hard-pressed for Dre's album to sell."

Comparing his own SMS headphones to Dre's Beats and other products on the market, 50 Cent said: "I just took the time to make sure that the things I wanted out of the actual headset was within this actual product.

"To me, it was important that I would be able to develop headsets that were durable. I also wanted to make sure that the sound quality was set for music... I'm excited about it. I'm proud of this product."

source -http://www.digitalspy.com/music/interviews/a393555/50-cent-interview-i-dont-know-if-well-hear-dr-dres-detox-in-full.html

Dr Dre will appear on 50 Cents "Street Immortal" album

50 Cent explains just how instrumental Dr. Dre has been to his career.

Fresh off the release of his 5 (Murder By Numbers) LP and in celebration of his birthday, 50 Cent called into DJ Whoo Kid's Shade 45 show to discuss a number of topics, including the impact of Dr. Dre on his career.

"The craziest part people be forgetting, like, Dre gave me 'In Da Club,'" said 50, who revealed that his next project, Street King Immortal, will feature at least two songs by Dre. "Don't get it twisted at all. He's the reason why I've had the success I've had to this point. He gave me the record. We know we make magic together. So it doesn't really matter all that other stuff."



source - http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.20351/title.50-cent-to-feature-on-eminems-next-album-says-dr-dre-will-appear-on-street-immortal

Dr Dre to feature on Rick Ross track with Jay-Z

Rick Ross solidifies his boss status with his fifth album God Forgives, I Don’t. Due July 31, the star-studded set features Dr. Dre and Jay-Z (“3 Kings”).

source - http://www.rap-up.com/2012/07/07/tracklisting-rick-ross-god-forgives-i-dont/#more-129273

Eminem Speaks To DJ Whoo Kid About Working With Dre On New Album

Eminem recently spoke to DJ Whoo Kid during a Shade 45 interview about a number of topics, including his work or lack thereof so far with Dr. Dre on his upcoming eighth studio album, his appearance in Ice-T’s Art of Rap documentary, an upcoming tour of Asia, and more.

About his currently untitled, new album, Eminem told Whoo Kid, “I’m not that far along in the process as far as like figuring out. I mean, yeah, of course [Dr. Dre] will be involved. I don’t have anything with him yet.”

“What I usually do is I’ll get going you know and kind of start going in a certain direction or whatever, and just record what I’m feeling or whatever,” he continued. “I get a few songs, and then I get kind of a direction, and then I’ll go see Dre and fill in some of those pieces.”

When pressed for more information regarding his working relationship with Dre, Eminem said, “You know, Dre will listen and I’ll see what he thinks I’m missing or you know I might come to him and say ‘I think I’m missing this kind of record’ or ‘what if I went in this direction’ or whatever.”

source - http://allhiphop.com/2012/07/02/eminem-speaks-to-dj-whoo-kid-about-working-with-dr-dre-on-new-album-and-ice-ts-art-of-rap-documentary/

Dr Dre Wins Top Award For Tupac Hologram

Rap mogul DR. Dre has been honoured in France for bringing Tupac Shakur back from the grave to 'perform' at the Coachella music festival in California earlier this year (12).

The California Love hitmaker, who was murdered in 1996, was brought back to life in the form of a hologram by his longtime friend and collaborator Dre, who had Shakur's likeness beamed onto the stage for renditions of Ain't Nothin' Like A Gangsta Party and Hail Mary.

The eerie virtual appearance wowed fans and critics alike, and now Dre and experts at Digital Domain Media Group, the entertainment company behind the stunt, have been honoured for their stellar efforts.

They were awarded the prestigious Titanium and Integrated Lions Award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, which is linked to the Cannes International Film Festival, and celebrates achievements in advertising and digital production.

Company executive Ed Ulbrich says, "When Dr. Dre came to us with his vision we knew that the world had never seen anything like this and that the response was going to be huge.

"Having ‘virtual 2Pac’ and the idea of virtual performers recognised with a Cannes Lion Titanium Award is beyond exciting."

The success of the Shakur hologram has earned Digital Domain bosses the chance to breathe life back into another late superstar - Elvis Presley. They have teamed up with the owners of the Presley brand, Core Media Group, to develop a series of holograms of The King to appear in film, TV and multi-platform productions.

source - http://www.contactmusic.com/news/dr-dre-wins-top-award-for-tupac-hologram_1353262

Big Hutch Files Lawsuit Against Dre, Aftermath, Interscope, Ruff Ryders and EVE

West Coast pioneer Big Hutch is suing multi-platinum West Coast producer Dr. Dre., his Aftermath Records, Interscope Records, Ruff Ryders and and multi-platinum Philly femcee Eve over the 1999 single, “Love Is Blind", claiming deception and theft.

Hutch stated the song was stripped of some of its original components and released in September 1999 on the album, Let There Be EVE… Ruff Ryders’ First Lady. The album which sold 213,000 copies in the first week, and eventually went on to sell over two million copies according to Soundscan, is certified double platinum. In 2000, “Love Is Blind” was nominated for “Best Rap Video”, and the album received “Best R&B/Soul Female Solo Album of the Year.”

Big Hutch, says that in December 1997, he was introduced and hired to produce an up and coming artist known as EVE, at the time. Hutch says, Aftermath A&R Mike Lynn, introduced him to the EVE project, and that later it would be just him and EVE in the studio producing an array of tracks.

Hutch asserts that he co-wrote and produced “Love Is Blind,” and that when EVE made the transition from Aftermath to the Ruff Ryders, all parties failed to give Hutch credit.

In addition, Hutch claims that between 2000 and 2001, while serving as the VP to Death Row during Suge Knight’s incarceration, Hutch approached Aftermath to assist him with retaining compensation for his involvement, but was told, ‘We can’t help you. You have no proof'.

Hutch continued on with his own music career while battling Aftermath, but was incarcerated from July 2004 to August 2007. Prior to his incarceration Hutch says he, “stored and warehoused all his musical catalog, and it wasn’t until this year 2012 that he finally stumbled across his ‘proof’, for the original”. He continued, “I’m not trying to take away from what EVE has done, but I was a key in helping EVE create a hit record”.

Currently there has been to statment released from any of the parties name in the suit.

source - http://24hourhiphop.com/2012/06/22/big-hutch-files-lawsuit-against-dr-dre-aftermath-interscope-ruff-ryders-and-eve/

50 Cent Shares Why He Thinks Dre Delayed Detox For So Long

50 Cent also shares some advice he gave to Dr. Dre about the elusive project.

Dr. Dre has kept fans patiently waiting for the follow up to 1999’s The Chronic 2001, and has given false hope by dropping some singles over the past few years. During an interview with WGCI’s The Morning Riot (via FSD), 50 Cent explained why he thinks Detox is still not in stores and how it relates to Dre’s wavering love of music.

“He been working on that project for so long that he falls in love with music, and then he falls out of love with it. He’s got a lot of good stuff playing in the studio and it comes in and out, plus that.”
Fif shared some advice that he gave to Dre about the elusive project. The G-Unit general told him that he doesn’t have to keep changing the LP, because if it’s even remotely similar to The Chronic, then fans will be satisfied.

“You know what I said to him? I said, you don’t have to change anything. Because the period of time you haven’t put out.. Like Sade, it reminds me of the record that I’d like from him. And I’m like, yeah, play that, that’s the new one. And it feels like the last one. So Dre, he doesn’t have to create a formula because he was gone so long that if he gives us something that feels like The Chronic, we’d be absolutely happy.”


source -http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.20185/title.50-cent-shares-why-he-thinks-dr-dre-delayed-detox-for-so-long

Kendrick Lamar Describes Working With Dre, Updates On Debut Album

Kendrick Lamar explains what it's like to work with Dr. Dre and gives an update on his debut album.

Ever since Kendrick Lamar announced that he and his TDE crew had signed with Aftermath, fans have been clamoring for his debut album Good Kid in a Mad City. Now, in a recent interview with Hot 93.7's Jenny Boom-Boom, K. Dot discussed his much-anticipated debut project.

Kendrick explained that while his first commercial project doesn't have a specific release date, that doesn't mean it's trapped in commercial limbo. He said that he's been factor behind its delay so that he can ensure that he's completely satisfied with the quality of product before he unleashes it.

"I can't give out no date right now, I just know I'm pressed for time," he joked. "[Aftermath] want[s] what I been doing. That's a good space to be in. You can get in a lot situations where your people actually don't understand your vision, but I've got a good backing and good following and a good team behind me, they understand me and it's all on me, so I'm gonna deliver. I've got the music; I'm just real, real sensitive on the touch ups as far as the structure [of the LP]."

K. Dot also spoke on his working relationship with Aftermath head and musical mentor Dr. Dre. Although he said there is some pressure in collaborating with Dre, he looked to many of the same producers from his 2011 smash Section.80 for production on his impending debut.

"It's definitely intense [working with Dr. Dre], but the best thing about it the creative process," he said. "That's the fun thing because he's a genius at his work, and for me to be in the same studio [as him] says a lot about my craft and how far we're going with it, so I love it…I've use[d] my own in-house cast for the majority of the music I did [for Good Kid in a Bad City] - Soundwave, Tae Beast, Willie B, Digi+Phonics - all the people I came up with, they [produced] the majority of the album. When I turned it in to Dre all the way back at the end of the year, then we did new material and see what cuts through."


source - http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.20172/title.kendrick-lamar-describes-working-with-dr-dre-updates-on-debut-album

Check out the full interview below.

Kendrick Lamar brings some California Love To The Recipe Video

The lead single from Kendrick Lamar's major-label debut, "The Recipe," includes a feature from his mentor Dr. Dre. And when the video for the Good Kid in a Mad City track drops, the Compton native will be giving the world a taste of his own brand of "California Love."

Kendrick filmed his video for "The Recipe" at a mansion in the Los Angeles last month, and after performing the single at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee last week, he explained his vision behind the clip.

"I felt like there hasn't been that 'California Love'-type feel since the '90s, and I really wanted to display that and represent where I'm from," he told MTV News. "So I had a whole bunch of beautiful women, good weather — it was like 85 degrees and breezy — and we had [ScHoolboy] Q up in there stealing some of Snoop's weed, him and Ab-Soul, and we had fun."

If Kendrick is hoping to tap into the nostalgia of Tupac's infamous 1995 track "California Love," it helps that he's got two of the original California legends in his corner: Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. "The Recipe" will boast his most extravagant visuals to date, and the 25-year-old rap prodigy is ready to take his career to another level.

"We're here to spread this music all across the world," he said. "It started in my backyard, in Compton, and now I'm fittin' to take it to the next level and take it worldwide because I feel like the world needs to hear this. I've been ready for a long time."

Fun fact: When the song debuted, Dr. Dre revealed that it once had a more straightforward title, telling Big Boy on L.A.'s Power 106 morning show, "The original title was 'Women, Weed and Weather.' That's what represents L.A."

source - http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1687568/kendrick-lamar-the-recipe.jhtml

Q-Tip Recalls "Competing" With Dr. Dre On "Low End Theory"

Q-Tip explains how Dr. Dre was the benchmark for A Tribe Called Quest's recording of "The Low End Theory."

Over the course of several years, Dr. Dre and Q-Tip have, in several interviews, provided a timeline of back-and-forth inspiration beginning in the late '80s.

Q-Tip has stated that NWA's 1988 release Straight Outta Compton was a direct influence on A Tribe Called Quest's 1991 album The Low End Theory. In turn, Dre revealed that Tribe's project greatly inspired the Compton rapper/producer's 1992 classic, The Chronic.

In a recent interview on Shade 45's "All Out Show," Q-Tip spoke to Rude Jude and Lord Sear about the nature of his drawing inspiration from Dre for The Low End Theory. "Everybody deals with shit in a competitive way. But not in like an egregious way, how shit looks a little bit today," explained Tip. "But more like one-upsmanship in the music. Tryin' to stay fresh...just keeping your eye on that dude. And for me, personally, when I went in, that dude was Dre."

"The group was NWA, and to me, that was the benchmark. And of course I was listening to everything else around..."

"The bar was set very high," continued the ATCQ member. "Musically, my main thing was Dre. That was like, trying to make something he would like and appreciate in a way. Musically."

Listen to the interview below:


source - http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.20045/title.q-tip-recalls-competing-with-dr-dre-on-low-end-theory