Dr. Dre/Chronic Q for the older heads

mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
edited June 2010 in Strut Central
My memory is now shot to pieces but am I crazy for thinking that "The Chronic" was NOT heavily anticipated on the level of other releases in 1992? I wish I had some back issues of "the Source" or "Rap Pages" from that year to consult but except for the generally positive reception that "Deep Cover" received, I don't remember thinking that a Dr. Dre solo project was on everyone's radar as potentially the-greatest-rap-album-ever.

Notably, according to Wikipedia (grain of salt alert!), the first single - "Nuthin but a G Thing" didn't drop until January of 1993 (which is kind of weird; you'd think there would have been a lead single out already but according to Billboard charts that I could find from '92, nope) which means that the album's big big big reception came *after* but not really before.

Of course, my memory is hella hazy and even the people I've asked who I thought would know were equally unsure.

Soulstrut Cloud Memory Banks - what say you? Did you spend the late fall of 1992, counting down the days until "The Chronic"?
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  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Didnt Deep Cover pre-date the Chronic, wetting folks appetite?

  • rkwparkrkwpark 915 Posts
    i dont remember anticipating the chronic but i do remember the midnight drop at the wherehouse for snoops doggystyle. a bay area radio station played the entire album out the day before the release date.

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    batmon said:
    Didnt Deep Cover pre-date the Chronic, wetting folks appetite?

    It did but "Deep Cover" always struck me as more of an underground joint since 1) (if I recall correctly) it never received a commercial release, at least not on vinyl and 2) Snoop was a total unknown nationally prior to the song dropping - on a soundtrack no less.

    I absolutely remember "Deep Cover" being some ill shit but I don't remember people talmbout, "holy shit, this upcoming Dr. Dre solo LP" is going to be game changing!" It wasn't the same hype that preceded "Doggystyle" certainly. In 1992, I remember "The Predator" being much more highly anticipated.

    But like I said, my memory of that year is pretty chopped up so I can't remember what I remember.

  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    I think a lot of real headz had been hyped after Snoop debuted on Deep Cover, but
    it's true that the Chronic was out and simmering for a while before MTV broke "G Thang," isn't it?

    MTV broke that shit in a huge way. It definitely feels like on the east coast the whole Compton sound was ancient history by that point, so it seemed to come out of nowhere.

  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    Not that I recall. '92 was a pretty strong year for hip-hop, and NWA were still high in people's consciousness at that point, so Dre striking out on his own was bound to generate some interest. Of course, Deep Cover was immediately huge, but most of that was down to Snoop - it didn't seem to lead to The Chronic being particularly highly anticipated. Once it dropped, though...

    :game_over:

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts


    never saw these before (didn't have BET in '92) - funny as hell in retrospect.

  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,473 Posts
    [ In 1992, I remember The Predator being much more highly anticipated.

    That's exactly how I remember it, too. Seems funny in retrospect.

  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    [ In 1992, I remember The Predator being much more highly anticipated.

    That's exactly how I remember it, too. Seems funny in retrospect.

    I remember more people getting hyped about the Lench Mob album than about The Chronic.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    We were Rap City fiends in '92...back when that ish was gooood. Aside from Deep Cover, we came to anticipate The Chronic mostly from the post-insurrection coverage with LA artists they were always showing. Cube was numero uno on the scene at the time...but when Nuthin But a G Thang dropped, my gawd! The local black community radio station here in Austin was playing that song twice an hour at least! It was a complete game-changer in every way! Every party you went to, every car with a system in it, every dude mumbling lyrics under his breath on a basketballl court...it was the most hard-hitting rap single ever.

    That was a great time here in Austin. We had our own Ray Jackson playing for the Fab 5 up in Michigan...and through Ray we got to watch some of Austin street style catch on. A lot of dudes were dabbling in horticulture already before there were any signs that Dre had quit worrying so much about brain damage. Throw in Snoop who was pretty much immediately elevated to best in the game status...consider that G Thang has very much of a Southern feel to it...and a whole lot of synchronicity occured for a large range of dude right there.

  • kitchenknightkitchenknight 4,922 Posts
    I was heavy into the Source, etc. at the time, and I recall looking forward to the Chronic more for Snoop (b/c of Deep Cover) than anything else.

    I also recall being on the bus to a basketball game that year, and someone saying to me, "yo, you listening to the Dre album," after it had been out for a few months. My response?

    "Nah, I'm on this new 2Pac album... Strictly for my N.I.G.G.A.Z."

    "2Pac? Never heard of him."

    My most memorable rap moment from that year.

    Ironically, Snoop's album became the MOST anticipated that I'd remembered to that point- and most delayed. First album I ever bought the day it came out.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    I distincly recall a Dj buddy of mine w/ deep Cover as either a 12 or the soundtrack on his way to a party.

    But i dont recall a full Dre album being hyped up when "I can feel It" was on BET everyday.

    Was the Chronic project launched immdiately after Deep Cover's love or was it already in the"works" previous to deep cover?

    Cause Deep Cover did not seem like some calculated pre album single on a soundtrack that was meant to be a prep/promo device for the Chronic.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    And wasnt Dre. kinda hatted after the Dee Barnes incident/Fuck Compton/No Vasaline/NWA breakup?

    I dont recall dudes talbmout " yo Dre is in the studio right now gettin ready to kill shit."

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    batmon said:
    I distincly recall a Dj buddy of mine w/ deep Cover as either a 12 or the soundtrack on his way to a party.

    But i dont recall a full Dre album being hyped up when "I can feel It" was on BET everyday.

    Was the Chronic project launched immdiately after Deep Cover's love or was it already in the"works" previous to deep cover?

    Cause Deep Cover did not seem like some calculated pre album single on a soundtrack that was meant to be a prep/promo device for the Chronic.

    I think it was in the works, regardless. "Deep Cover" was a hot song but it wouldn't have created an entire album in its wake. When Dre went solo, I'm sure he had crazy plans.

    BTW: what's really interesting about those "The Chronic" pre-sale ads that I posted above? I think all of them used the beat from "Lyrical Gangbang" (the most "NY-esque" track on the whole album) rather than "Nuthin But" or "Let Me Ride" (i.e. the more G-Funky tunes)

  • RAW_HAMBURGERRAW_HAMBURGER 1,438 Posts
    i loved deep cover, but i remember hating all of that " g funk " shit when it dropped.
    i felt like it was all pfunk rip offs done in poor taste.

    now, i celebrate those 2 lps to the fullest., but really the d.o.c. lp is a masterpiece.

    ironically nobody gives a shit about detox dropping. dude took 2long.

  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    RAW_HAMBURGER said:
    the d.o.c. lp is a masterpiece.



  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    Just found this Dec. 1992 article in Billboard that mentions, "A videoclip promoting the album, "Nuthin' But A 'G' Thing," is already receiving heavy play on The Box, the pay-per-view video network."

    So at least that means the song was definitely in rotation somewhere prior to it actually becoming a commercial single.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    RAW_HAMBURGER said:
    i loved deep cover, but i remember hating all of that " g funk " shit when it dropped..

    Could u be more specific, cause i dont recall 'G-Funk' being aped to that degree until after the Chronic.

    Btwn Deep Cover and Chronic were there any artists Smoothin Out Gangsta shit like that?

    As much as i love The DOC, i feel like the better precusor to The Chronic's sound(Dre context/Yella) was Above The Law's first joint.

    Where does Quik/Eiht factor into the G-Funk Era? Post or Pre Chronic?

    i think Dre's R&B background is what really tipped the scales in terms of production vs the other West Coast dudes makin Gangsta Shit. It was a cleaner production and the party vibe re-found.

    Blah blah

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    batmon said:
    RAW_HAMBURGER said:
    i loved deep cover, but i remember hating all of that " g funk " shit when it dropped..

    Could u be more specific, cause i dont recall 'G-Funk' being aped to that degree until after the Chronic.

    Btwn Deep Cover and Chronic were there any artists Smoothin Out Gangsta shit like that?

    As much as i love The DOC, i feel like the better precusor to The Chronic's sound(Dre context/Yella) was Above The Law's first joint.

    The ATL album was much more on some "Lyrical Gangbang" or "Escape From Death Row" tip than "Let Me Ride" or any of the synth-based tracks on "The Chronic." I don't see either DOC or ATL's albums as "precursors." In contrast, "Efil4zaggin" had that synth treatment over quite a few songs even though the "feel" of G-Funk - languid, flowing - wasn't as obvious on that album. But peep what I'm talking about:

    As for Quik - "Quik Is the Name" (1991) was on a pre-Chronic West Coast gangsta tip. Can't remember what the next album sounded like but from my recollection, "The Chronic" was a major shift in sound that wasn't heavily predicted by much prior. I mean, straight up, what really sounded like "Nuthin But a G Thing" or "Let Me Ride" pre-93?

  • JacobWizzleJacobWizzle 1,003 Posts
    The Chronic was definitely highly anticipated in Seattle. Nasty Nes was playing a shitty bootleg copy of "Nuthin But a G Thing" for at least 6 months before the album came out. Randomly I recently realized that Dre scratched Congress Alley on the hook. It's weird I could hear the song at least a 1000 times and not catch it until now.

  • SnappingSnapping 995 Posts
    I remember the Deep Cover being pretty popular, but really I don't really think there was a huge excitement for the Dr Dre solo. It seems like people were more interested in the rappers from NWA. Ice Cube was huge. Eazy E or MC Ren solo albums would have been at least as hyped.
    I also remember when "Nuthin' But A G Thang" dropped some of my friends called it West coast gangsta garbage and all sorts of things but I could tell it was gonna be huge.

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    Snapping said:
    I remember the Deep Cover being pretty popular, but really I don't really think there was a huge excitement for the Dr Dre solo. It seems like people were more interested in the rappers from NWA. Ice Cube was huge. Eazy E or MC Ren solo albums would have been at least as hyped. .

    For real - prior to "The Chronic," name one producer-lead album that anyone really gave a f--- about? "In Control Vol 1"? "45 King Presents the Flavor Unit"? Saying.

  • davesrecordsdavesrecords 1,802 Posts
    at the time i was more into east coast rap but i remember the chronic being huge after the release, MTV and everything, dudes who didn't even listen to rap were talking about it. as well as Warren G regulator (which I hated at the time!). the 'gfunk' sound was huge, but i never really cared for it. too smooth or electronic or something for my taste. well actually strangely enough, in the southern california school i went to Illmatic had more people talking about it before the release than the chronic, which I considered at the time, as sort of a sellout album. i wish i could remember better but i don't think the chronic had been booted or traded in tape circles like illmatic had. so to answer your question, i don't think there was that much pre release hype about the chronic, i don't think it was as much anticipated as say tribe's midnight marauders, balloon state mind or illmatic. i think this album was considered sort of commercial, which it was.

  • edpowersedpowers 4,437 Posts
    Nobody was checkin for Dre early '92....i had boxes of unwanted GF Entertainment shit and Deep Cover soundtracks to prove it........Cube owned L.A and pretty much put a fork in him and Eazy with "No Vaseline"......."Deep Cover" got run on the mix shows and video shows but it was way more popular with East Coast djs.....The "Deep Cover" soundtrack was released in April, when ATCQ and Das Efx owned L.A and a lot of the rap world....in the Summer, Ren released "kizz my black azz" and the streets of L.A were on it MAJOR.....Quik still had his thing poppin out here...Lench Mob was poppin,"Music to driveby" was killin shit and everybody was hungry for "The Predator"....

    November 1992, "Nothin but a G Thang" video premiered on BET and changed everything
    ..i was back and forth from Atlanta and L.A around this time and needless to say shit was HUGE in both places

    So, to answer the question...Nobody was anxious about Dre's solo album after "Deep Cover" but after "G Thang" it was a totally different story.... ...i don't even think most people thought Dre was serious about a solo album until that video......

    crazy how times have changed....."The Chronic" was released a month later.....today they would have milked that single for fuckin ever

  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    davesrecords said:
    balloon state mind

    who was "anticipating" the release of this?

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    mannybolone said:
    batmon said:
    RAW_HAMBURGER said:
    i loved deep cover, but i remember hating all of that " g funk " shit when it dropped..

    Could u be more specific, cause i dont recall 'G-Funk' being aped to that degree until after the Chronic.

    Btwn Deep Cover and Chronic were there any artists Smoothin Out Gangsta shit like that?

    As much as i love The DOC, i feel like the better precusor to The Chronic's sound(Dre context/Yella) was Above The Law's first joint.

    The ATL album was much more on some "Lyrical Gangbang" or "Escape From Death Row" tip than "Let Me Ride" or any of the synth-based tracks on "The Chronic." I don't see either DOC or ATL's albums as "precursors." In contrast, "Efil4zaggin" had that synth treatment over quite a few songs even though the "feel" of G-Funk - languid, flowing - wasn't as obvious on that album. But peep what I'm talking about:

    As for Quik - "Quik Is the Name" (1991) was on a pre-Chronic West Coast gangsta tip. Can't remember what the next album sounded like but from my recollection, "The Chronic" was a major shift in sound that wasn't heavily predicted by much prior. I mean, straight up, what really sounded like "Nuthin But a G Thing" or "Let Me Ride" pre-93?

    My bad. Above The Law was a bad call.

    If i recall correctly there was a full page adverstisemnet for the Chronic in the Source. I dont know if it was after Deep Cover, after G Thang, or at the same time it dropped. Im gonna look in the batstash and see what old Sources i held onto.

    and i recall a big Snoop interview. But that might have been post Chronic - pre Doggystyle. He might have been on the cover. I recall some photos of dude in the driveway kneeling next to some blue car.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    mannybolone said:

    Notably, according to Wikipedia (grain of salt alert!), the first single - "Nuthin but a G Thing" didn't drop until January of 1993 (which is kind of weird; you'd think there would have been a lead single out already but according to Billboard charts that I could find from '92, nope) which means that the album's big big big reception came *after* but not really before.


    November 1992

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    There was some anticipation, mostly via The Source but that was just with housers like myself that actually read it; mostly my experience dovetails with EdPowers', e.g. the gangster shit that dudes were playing from LA was CMW, Cube - Predator anticipation was high (and we were somewhat let down), that Ren single was a big deal, Quik with 2nd II None and his own sophomore album, and of course Penthouse Players Clique and Above The Law. In the Bay, Too $hort was basically the biggest rapper in the world, 415 and Spice 1 were popping... e40 was starting to make some noise at this time and 2Pac was a really big deal.

    So anyway, back to the point, I remember seeing the Source cover and I think maybe a "new shit to check for"-type blurb before that, and wondering about it... then "G Thing" hit. NUTS. I still remember the first time I heard it, at a pep rally early 1993 and the entire damn auditorium just wilding. Shit had already hit the streets, that was just the first time I heard it. Of course, what happened after that is history.

    We houser types were generally "over" the gangster shit and already dissing it on tapes but nobody, I mean NOBODY hated on The Chronic. Pretty much everyone jammed that shit.

  • nzshadownzshadow 5,518 Posts
    Some perspective from the other side of the planet.

    in 1992, the white suburban mall record store in Auckland, NZ that i worked in was selling Deep Cover like fuckin hotcakes, Yeah we were all hyped for Predator, still listening to NWA, we knew Dre was about to come with the Chronic, we were interested, there was a buzz, but not as big as the Cube buzz.

    i remember putting the cd on in the store, we had only ordered something like 100 tapes and 30 cds for the first week, (it was a small store, i had to fight the cocksmoking manager to put that order in too) i started playing it at 1, schools let out at 3 and by 4:30 we were sold out, kids were already 'dubbing' copies at home and selling them in the carpark.

    The impact that album had WORLDWIDE was fuckin insane, there we were in NEW fucking ZEALAND, miles away from America, pre internet, disconnected in every way, and that album blew us all away.

    soundtrack to one hell of a summer.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    mannybolone said:


    As for Quik - "Quik Is the Name" (1991) was on a pre-Chronic West Coast gangsta tip. Can't remember what the next album sounded like but from my recollection, "The Chronic" was a major shift in sound that wasn't heavily predicted by much prior. I mean, straight up, what really sounded like "Nuthin But a G Thing" or "Let Me Ride" pre-93?

    Some candidates...

    Spice 1 - Spice 1 (1991)
    Comptons Most Wanted - Music to Driveby (1992)
    UGK - Too Hard to Swallow (1992)
    and a bunch of pre-Chronic Houston ish should be considered including Geto Boys, South Park Coaltion, Terrorists, Convicts, Street Military, OG Style, Raheem, etc.

    Rap-A-Lot was all over that g-funk sound immediately. Suave House and No LImit were to follow. But yes, even if there were a few random hints at the g-funk sound pre-Dre, the Chronic drove it all home like a mug. It's the undisputed king...."hitting 16 switches like Dre, 'cause where I'm from that's what everybody play"...Pimp C certified.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    mannybolone said:


    For real - prior to "The Chronic," name one producer-lead album that anyone really gave a f--- about? "In Control Vol 1"? "45 King Presents the Flavor Unit"? Saying.

    Mecca and the Soul Brother.

    That probably isn't what you mean though. Not enough rappers on it.
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