Photo: Jeff Kravitz(Getty Images)
While Dr. Dre is firstly a masterful music producer, or maybe businessman now because of the success of his Beats company, the Compton, California native is also a very successful rapper. After dropping four legendary albums with his group N.W.A., he released a first solo album in 1992. Dr. Dre’s The Chronic is one of the ultimate classics of the golden era of rap, and the best songs from the album will always be beloved hits. We take a look at the five best tracks from this 25-years-old album.
Dre dropped two other solo albums – 2001 (1999) and Compton (2015), but none of them reached the cultural influence of The Chronic.
Dr. Dre – The Chronic: Top Songs
Let Me Ride
One of the best rap songs about cars, Let Me Ride is one of the best Dr. Dre tracks ever, not just from The Chronic. It is a perfect prototype for a song that has a that laid back feel, perfect for cruising around the block. Let Me Ride is also where Dre showed that he can drop verses with an enticing flow. Of course, the track features Dr. Dre’s best rap buddy Snoop Dogg who makes the track even more chill, but also Ruben, which gives the song necessary layers for standing the test of time.
Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang
There is hardly any more iconic instrumental, and a better example of a classic West Coast beat. Snoop Dogg features and devours the smooth flow, while Dr. Dre gives the track a needed roughness. The most iconic track out of the Dr. Dre’s The Chronic album, and the best performing single out of it as it managed to grab the number two spot on Billboard’s Hot 100. It was made widely popular again in this century by GTA: San Andreas, although it was always a gangsta rap anthem.
A Nigga Witta Gun
While Dr. Dre was never a profound lyricist or a master of thousand flows, he has a great rapping voice, and it shows probably the most in A Nigga Witta Gun. The in your face track of Dr. Dre The Chronic album, it boasts a very old school beat with scratching and aggressive, ominous beeping sounds and hard basses. A brutal song of an iconic album, highly contrasting from the Dr. Dre we know now.
Bitches Ain’t Shit
A track that has a legendary line at the very beginning and throughout, one that transcends Dr. Dre and The Chronic. It’s the “Bitches ain’t shit but hoes and tricks”, of course. Dat Nigga Daz, Kurupt, Snoop Dogg, and The Lady of Rage feature on this track, each bringing their specific flavor to each verse. The instrumental is very subtle giving emphasis to the lyrics and flow, but it still has that classic West Coast sound.
Fuck Wit Dre Day
Back in the days when beef tracks were in, truthful, and good, Dr. Dre made one of the best ones, dissing his former N.W.A. group mate Eazy E. Or what he is called in the song – Sleazy E. Another classic West Coast beat, and another feature by Snoop Dogg. Which is why a lot of people think that Dr. Dre’ The Chronic is actually a duet album. As most beef tracks, Fuck wit Dre Day has a great, comedic music video, so it’s a great piece of art all around.
So if you didn’t, now you know why so many rap fans including the rapper The Game, keep coming back to this iconic album.
What are your favorite tracks of Dr. Dre’s The Chronic?
