Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inspiring and genuine; a timeless classic., August 19, 1999
By A Customer
The first shot fired in the G-Funk hip-hop revolution, Dr. Dre's The Chronic withstands the test of time. Originally released way back in 1992, it was the first release from Suge Knight's Deathrow Records label. Despite being recorded seven years ago, back when the hip-hop ear was very different, The Chronic seems to sound fresh and new every time it is played. The album not only was popular with hip-hop fans though, because it sold four million copies. Not only that, it launched the careers of such hip-hop stars as Snoop Doggy Dogg, Kurupt, Daz Dillinger, Lady Of Rage, Warren G (Dr. Dre's brother), RBX and the smooth-voiced Nate Dogg. Another thing that is special about the album is Dr. Dre himself. Unlike the new rappers who are coming out these days, you hear and understand every single word that is being said by every single person on this album. Unlike label cliques like Cash Money and No Limit, who have boring and repetitive beats and people who can't rap and don't annunciate the words that are being said. That ruins what hip-hop is about; not danceable beats but expression of thoughts. That is what is truly special about hip-hop. You feel all the words being said, and therefore that makes The Chronic an easy album to listen to. The reason the album always sounds fresh is because of real live instruments. Alto saxophones, flutes, keyboards, guitars, bass guitars, percussion, and even live drums are all heard on this album.Highlights on the album include the infamous Eazy-E diss "Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')", where Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg take it at Dr. Dre's former partner for years in the famous group NWA, and other people who got in their way, such as Tim Dog and Florida rapper Luke, the exotic "Let Me Ride", which has amazing keyboard trills and a lady talking at the beginning who sounds like Rosie Perez, "The Day", which shows an amazing performance from Dr. Dre and a great beat, the classic "Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang", which features Snoop Doggy Dogg, one of the greatest hip-hop songs ever made, the beautiful "Little Ghetto Boy", a remake of the Donny Hathaway song, which has a great flute solo, "Lyrical Gangbang", which features the superb debuts of Kurupt and Lady Of Rage, the laid-back "High Powered", the swift "Stranded On Death Row", which features Kurupt, RBX, Lady Of Rage and Snoop Doggy Dogg, "The Roach(The Chronic Conclusion)", is one of the best outros I've ever heard, as it has alto saxophone, guitar, percussion and live drums for an almost blues-like song. The last track is "Bitches Ain't Shit", a juicy gossip song about women which features Kurupt, Daz Dillinger and Snoop. I really liked all of the tracks, and thought the interludes were okay, like "Doctor's Office" and "The Twenty-Dollar Sack Pyramid", yet they were a bit aimless. To conclude my review, I think Dr. Dre's The Chronic is a hip-hop classic. You feel the words, the beats are live instruments, and the guests are great too. I would recommend this to any hip-hop fan, although any real hip-hop fan should have this or some Deathrow album.
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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Top Ten List - Hip Hop's Greatest Albums, December 8, 2004
Simply stated, one of the greatest Hip Hop albums ever! In my opinion, this is basically a Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg album, along with some high powered friends. Snoop has never sounded better, and Dre's vocal tone and cadence are impeccable. This is hip-hop in its purest form. Hot beats and professional lyrics. Unlike a lot of garbage that is passing from Hip-Hop these days.
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dre Redefines Street Hip Hop , February 5, 2006
Although N.W.A created a huge stir with their gangsta rap release "Straight Outta Compton", rap did not reach the mainstream level until Dr. Dre released "The Chronic". In a lyrical sense, both albums represent the same thing: life living on the streets of Compton. This of course primarily includes explicit lyrical content in the vain of gun violence, drugs, and women. The aspect to this album that seems to make this release acceptable for more music listeners would be the exceptional musical rap beats. Dr. Dre produces absolutely sensational, rhymthic, funky beats with a mix of jazzy beats, soothing hip hop and hardcore gangsta beats too.
The Introduction to this release has Dre telling us listeners the subject of this album, and dedicates it to his "n-ggas"[...]Snoop Doggy Dogg makes his rap debut on this album, and certainly expresses his impressive flow on this track. "Let Me Ride" is purely hip hop at its finest, with a very groovy beat, a catchy chorus, and tight lyrics making it an album highlight. "The Day the N*ggaz Took Over" is more of a hardcore gangsta song, with the explicit lyrics telling the stories of living in the city where it is "do or die". "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" has remained popular ever since it was recorded, with its very accessible, funky beat for the classic Dre/Snoop collaboration. It was the biggest hit off the album. "Deeez Nuts" has my favourite beat on the album, you can literally feel it in your veins. It is down-to-earth, and Nate Dogg makes a very memorable appearance with his impressive vocals. Dre actually lets the beat play out with no lyrics for one minute to close out the track. "Lil' Ghetto Boy" moves back to some more hardcore street lyrics with a very laid back beat. "A N*gga Wit a Gun" has more of the N.W.A type of sound, with a drum based, hardcore beat and an intense lyrical delivery from Dre.
"Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat" is very similar with a hardcore gangsta sound, and it is an awesome track. "The $20 Sack Pyramid" is simply a skit which is somewhat amusing. "Lyrical Gangbang" is one of my favourite songs, with the guest stars RBX, Kurupt and Rage giving some excellent lyrical deliveries. "High Powered" mixes hardcore rap sound with a jazzy background, giving it a bouncing, groovy feel. "Stranded on Death Row" brings back some great guest star appearances. All of the guests on this album have excellent deliveries, and their own unique style. "The Roach" is the outro for the album, even though their is another track on here. This outro incorporates saxophones into its beat sounds, making it strictly a jazzy beat. "Bitches Ain't Shit" is a decent song with a pretty tight beat, but lyrically it falls into a crude subject matter that is simply pointless and ventures away from the album theme of street life.
Overall, this is quite simply put one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time, and is my personal favourite release by Dr. Dre. The beats are sensational, the lyrical content is compiled effectively and delivered by the best MCs around at that time. The Rolling Stones gave props to this album, placing it at #137 on their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Also, to make your money even more worthwhile, it features a bonus DVD with music videos. This album is highly recommended to any fan of rap.
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