Dr. Dre, a.k.a. Andre Young, may not be a great rapper, but the skillful producer put his mark on hip-hop with a string of classic albums culminating in this "solo" debut. Dre started off in the right place at the right time. A member of
N.W.A. and producer of their most infamous recordings,
Straight Outta Compton and
Niggaz 4 Life, Dre split with Eazy E and began working on his own material, often with guests rapping. After dropping his debut single, "Deep Cover" (the title track from the same-named movie), he responded with his opus
The Chronic. Dre took gangsta rap's typically frenetic backing and slowed it down to George Clinton–esque R&B; he smoothed it out by adding touches of lite jazz, and the G-Funk sound was born. While it irrevocably altered the hip-hop landscape upon its release in 1992,
The Chronic is equally notable for launching the career of
Snoop Doggy Dogg, who appears on several key tracks, including "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang." Snoop would go on to a notable career of his own, kicked off by his Dre-produced debut,
Doggystyle, but his irresistible presence on
The Chronic only underscores Dre's formidable skills as a producer -- which would later play no small role the arrival and development of a young white rapper named
Eminem.
![Title: Chronicles: Death Row Classics [Deluxe]](https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0728706307321_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg)
