With the release of Dr. Dre’s final album and the immensely successful Straight Outta Compton biopic, I feel like now is the perfect time to review Dr. Dre’s discography. We’re gonna skip his time with NWA though, sorry. In the latest segment of discography reviews, we’ll explore his extensive career which spans over 30 years and only has produced only 3 solo albums. Here is Dr. Dre’s discography: album by album.
There you have it. All of Dr. Dre’s albums reviewed. As a complete catalog, I am unimpressed with Dr. Dre. His production skills are amazing, but I don’t think that should negate the fact that 2/3 of his discography is weak material. Ghostwritten bars after ghostwritten bars are the norm for his projects, and his solo albums look more like compilations. Everything ain’t for everybody, and Dr. Dre’s music is not for me. He has produced, rapped, and presented PERECT and GREAT moments in Hip-Hop, but as Ice Cube said, “Ay yo Dre, stick to producing.”
DR. DRE
Discography Review
1992
1999
2015
Compton- Compton (the album, not the city) isn’t bad, but it’s not that great either. It’s kind of like not getting a present from your grandma for 10 years, so when you get a half-way decent one you can’t really complain. But seeing as I like complaining, I’m going to flat out say that Dr. Dre’s ghostwriters for 2001 were the best. Compton doesn’t feel right; it’s like that weird uncle auntie you don’t like being alone with. It is all over the place stylistically, having all of Dre’s protégés bring something different to the table, which results in it not being cohesive. It is has great moments though, be it heartfelt instrumentals or monster Eminem verses. As production goes, it is one of the most advanced albums of the year. However, an album is more than just great beats, even though Compton is carried by the production. The album brings out multiple artists in ways that you’ve never seen them, and even has a weak Kendrick Lamar verse. All in all though, it’s lack of replay value destroys the album, because the more you listen to it, the more you realize that you’ve been fooled by Dr. Dre.
2001- Dre sounds good on this one. The production has matured immensely, and the overall tone isn’t as cheap as The Chronic. Maybe I’m getting used to Dre’s collaborative albums, but 2001 really connects with me. This persona fits Doc, and Hittman’s ghost writing works for him well. In a lot of cases, I actually thought he wrote his own material, but that may also attribute to Dre’s increasing confidence. 2001 sounds like it was made by a professional, where Chronic sounded like an accidental experiment that just so happened to work. The execution and production of 2001 feels intentional, and it contains some legendary work. It also shows that Dre is good with giving whole tracks to other artists, which is now common for many artists to do today. 2001 presented progressive ideas in a beautifully packaged way.
Chronic- The Chronic marks Dr. Dre’s debut “solo” album, but that’s a debate for another day. Snoop Dogg takes over the intro, and that indicates to me that Dre isn’t in control of the album. Regardless, I dive into the album and easily find enjoyment. The production is smooth, but Snoop steals the show song after song. The synthesizers are perhaps my favorite part of the album, and I feel like Dr. Dre easily solidifies his sound through the use of them. However, the album’s sound as a whole is not cohesive. Towards the end of the album it gets skit heavy, and it ends abruptly. It’s an extremely sloppy album to be revered as a classic; I’m confused as to what the hype is about. It is easily Dr. Dre’s weakest album.
4 Spins
3 Spins
3 Spins