The Chronic (studio album) by Dr. Dre

This is some well produced synth and sample based hip hop (even if the line between sample and cover gets blurry at times). There's enough live instrumentation to keep things interesting, I especially liked the deep funky bass. I didn't think much of Dre's rapping, and the themes of rivalry, boasting and threats are rather dumb. But some of the guest singers/rappers such as Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, and Jewell did a very good job. The creativity drops in the second half, still overall it's a fairly good album.

(Though the glorification of drug use is unfortunate, given the overdose epidemic we now find ourselves in.)

An excellent album that is almost brought down by its length and lack of variety in production and rap delivery. Other albums of the time period hold up better, but it's still worth a few listens. 9.5/10!

Most of the good stuff happens in the first half, so I say this album is too long, but I can't deny how amazingly it is produced, ultimate west-coast feeling.

From Brad1770 03/13/2023 07:47

Whoa baby, man has this album not aged well in the 31 years since realise

‘The Chronic’ is chock full of misogynistic and extreme sexism against women , strongly promotes gun violence and violence in general, glorifies incarceration and contains purile snickering school boy humour in the form of offensive & unfunny skits. Pretty much everything I detest in the world

HOWEVER . . . .

I am a believer in freedom of speech and in particular an artists right to demonstrate artistic expression. I also understand there’s a market for this sort of stuff with plenty of fans

Soooooo

The Album Itself = 20/100

Plus

Artist Expression + Cultural Impact = 40 / 100

Equals = 60/100 Overall

I never been more ashamed to love an album. Base and degrading in almost every way but some of the tunes are absolutely flawless.

From Jboy56 03/02/2022 08:01

I can dig this stuff..

Absolute classic. For me, one of the most influential hip hop albums ever. After the break up of gangsta-rap group N.W.A., Dr. Dre came with this banger, introducing the G-Funk sound. Very catchy sounds, superb flows and an almost perfect production.

From Larcx13 08/20/2021 14:15

I don't like this very much but yes the production is amazing especially for its time. Some of the content is wack. Fuck Wit Dre Day is no longer relevant... This album is still a classic and I enjoy a lot of the instrumentals better.

Best tracks: Lil' Ghetto Boy, Nuttin But a G Thang

Claaaasic!

From planetneutral 11/01/2020 18:58

This album brought West Coast rap to so many MTV-generation white kids. Bonus points for George Clinton worship.