DR. DRE

Despite his claims to the contrary I do not think Dr. Dre is a doctor in either the medical or academic sense. However, there is rather less doubt over his role within hip hop's evolution with his solo debut roundly acclaimed as the single most influential hip hop album ever. Certainly, if you like bouncy 70s bass lines, whiny synth lines and gruff men bellowing 'yeah nigga' you can't go far wrong. It is perhaps rather surprising then that Dr. Dre's reputation as a rapper is flimsy at best. Certainly, with his semi-clumsy inflexible delivery, he was the least impressive rapper within N.W.A. but he only comes off poorly in a post-Rakim world and still runs rings around many of rap's original wordsmiths. It does go to show, though, that his importance and this album's influence does not rely much on his technical ability as an MC. In fact, it is pretty much everything EXCEPT his rapping that has made him so revered. Firstly, it is his production, oh-so-cleverly titled 'G-Funk', that focuses on wholesale samples from the glory days of seventies funk. It is nowhere near as clever or as knowledgeable as the great DJs of the eighties but it in effect gave the audience what they wanted and ushered in the era when all you need do is rip the backing track from a classic pop song and watch the sales chalk up, regardless of the actual quality of the rapping (ahem, Puff Daddy). In any event, Dre does a good job of it on here, with an impressive stylistic cohesion. It ain't his problem so many followers did it so badly and, indeed, is part of the reason he is elevated so much higher. In fact, it is for this reason that of all the musical pioneers of the past half century the one Dre is usually compared to it is none other than mad music mogul Phil Spector. Like Spector, Dre has made his name (and his money) primarily as a producer of other artists with a distinctive sound that has been oft-aped but never bettered. He also may, or may not, have committed murder at some stage, although he does at least like to admit it. Furthermore, it is for this reason (the producing, not the murdering) that Dr. Dre's solo career appears so scanty. Only two more albums bearing his name have emerged since (The Aftermath and 2001) as he instead has chosen to put his (considerable) weight behind other people's personas, most famously Eminem. Even on this album, supposedly his own, probably over fifty percent of the air time is devoted to other MCs. Most prominently, of course, the soberly named Snoop Doggy Dogg who I would wager is now the most famous rapper in the whole wide world. So it is that despite being only the second most talented member of N.W.A. Dre has become the most prosperous. Not because he was a better rapper or writer but because he was the best entrepreneur. He saw the way the market was heading and, together with Suge Knight, formed the infamous label Death Row Records. The Chronic was the first release and the exposure granted to the artists featured on it ensured Dre and Knight made millions and hip hop became irreversibly commercialised and all but dried up its creative and artistic juices. But, whatever, no-one can deny The Chronic ain't a pretty nifty album. Like the Wu-Tang Clan's similarly influential debut the stupid skits ("The $20 Sack Pyramid" and "The Doctor's Office") are astonishingly immature and moronic and, like the majority of gangsta rap albums, the respective rappers get a little too carried away with extolling their violent pedigree at the expense of the actual songs. Like any great pop album, it is completely frontloaded with the first four tracks being easily the four best, with only the wonderfully abrasive "Lyrical Gangbang" matching such feats on the second half. This is, of course, often attributed to Snoop's presence on side 1 and absence on side 2 and I suppose there must be some truth in that even if I am not as enamoured with his stoned drawl as everyone else seems to be. His stamp is all over the classic "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" (I cannot believe anyone in the Western world has not already heard that number) and he also viciously assists Dre's direct assault on Ezy E on the sneering "Fuck Wit Dre Day". Given Ice Cube's similar contempt for his former band mate one really wonders just how awful Ezy must have been to inspire such loathing from former friends. Dre's strongest commitment to rapping comes with his solo performance of the laidback "Let Me Ride" although he immediately shows his knack for talent-spotting with the prominent Jamiacan twang of the guest rappers elevating "The Day the Niggaz Took Over". As a whole, the album almost seems more impressive as a showcase of behind the scenes talent, rather than individual musical ability. The actual rapping takes a back seat to the production, concept, and attitude and it is really what we have to blame for the genre being so utterly soiled today. I guess it must be to Dre's credit, then, that one can't help but admire it.

• Return to the main page
• Go to the N.W.A. page

Email me at: jackfeeny@yahoo.co.uk