Now THIS is an excellent rap album: This was the big CD that turned heads and caused controversy. It also placed one of the most notorious and dangerous record labels on the map. While Dre has admitted he was never a gangster, he does a great job of portraying one in each of his songs on this album. 'The Chronic' is Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg's celebration of the hedonism of the ghetto gangster lifestyle- Weed, money, women, and killing. Dr. Dre creates catchy rhymes and raps with authority. His portrayal is hard and confrontational and the magical G-Funk beats and sounds he produces are rarely anything less than fantastic. You can tell that Dre did a lot of experimenting in the studio to develop his sound. The guest appearances are from RBX, Daz, Nate Dogg, Kurupt, Lady of Rage and Snoop Doggy Dogg.
Now as for the music itself there are signs of age; sure there are faster rappers, funkier beats, and flashier lyrics but this comes out in a time when rap music was struggling to even get on MTV.
The Chronic (Intro) - The album begins with a brief intro that features Dre talking in a semi-coherent stream of consciousness style. He uses this time to declare that the era of NWA is over and the era of Death Row Records has begun. This is where you see the first swipe at Eazy, the first of many throughout the album. 3/5
F*ck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin') - This is a diss song aimed at Eazy-E. It's quite sad that these 2 became enemies because they were a fine team around their N.W.A years. 'F*ck with Dre Day' invites you into the joys and pain of ghetto life with it's catchy and enthralling lyrics. "So strap on your Compton hat/ and gloves/ and watch your back/ 'cos yo might get smoked loc!". This is the first overuse of Gangster bragging and immature disses of old N.W.A. members in place of Ghetto consciousness or morality. But it is one alternating hilarious and soulful song, all the way down to the female backing vocals that close out the track. 4.5/5
Let Me Ride - Let Me Ride' with it's laid-back sound and description of a day in the life of Dr. Dre- scrappling with car-jackers, collecting weed, hitting on women, being stopped by the police and being adored by the community for his rap superstardom. 4/5
The Day the Niggaz Took Over - The Day The N!ggaz Took Over" is a tense, angry song that is one of the more sociopolitical numbers on the album. The song opens with some rather militant dialogue, before the opening chants of "Break em off some" kick the song into high gear. The lyrics deal with the 1992 riots in Los Angeles. 4.5/5
Nuthin' But a "G" Thang - This is simply the best song on the CD. "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" was voted 2nd best rap song ever made. It features Dre and Snoop. It's quite chilling and kind of a relaxing song to listen to when you've just had mary-jane. It was the first single i beleive. The video of this song is sort of boring, but its funny looking at how skinny Snoop was yet he was acting all tough!: 5/5
Deeez Nuuuts - 'Deeez Nuts' is one of the most raw tracks on the album. Everybody has a good verse and Nate Dogg makes a great debut at the end of this track. The best part of this track however, is the instrumental at the end. The beat breaks down and then slowly builds back up and lets you enjoy Dre's beats without any of the gifted MCs rapping on it. 5/5
Lil' Ghetto Boy - I LOVE THIS SONG! 'Lil' Ghetto Boy' is a Ghetto-conscious rap about Dre and Snoop observing the sudden increase of gun-culture in the black community, and the rise in black on black killings. This is perhaps the only morality tale on the C.D. Dr. Dre is even sincere enough to describe himself having overconfidence of his Original Gangster status which leaves him unprepared for the moment when he is shot and wounded by an armed thirteen-year old boy. The way Dre describes his shock and confusion at the moment of being shot, he genuinely sounds sad and even scared for the community he lives in. This level of openness and vulnerability would not be heard again on a Dre song till 'The Message' from the '2001' album, where Dre admits to feeling suicidal over his brother Tyree's death. 5/5
A Nigga Witta Gun - Here we get further comments on Urban Violence, much like the previous song. From this point one on there's really no stopping Dre and the Death Row Crew. 4/5
Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat - "Rat-tat-tat-tat" is quite similar to A Nigga Witta Gun. Again it’s just just Dre being quite aggressive. The chorus just sticks in your head. 4/5
The $20 Sack Pyramid - This is just a skit. It's fairly amusing to say the least :) 4/5
Lyrical Gangbang - This song consists of mainly Lady Of Rage, Kurupt, and RBX. No Dre. That's why the lyrics are sort of poor. I think RBX's lyrics are excellent in this song though. All Dre says is "Some cool ****, some cool ****." 2.5/5
High Powered - I could do with out this song. It has to be my least favorite track on the album, though I like RBX's innovative lyrics. 2/5
The Doctor's Office - This is a sick track... It's just mostly the sound of Dre and a women having sex...so...5/5 …just kidding. 3/5 because it funny.
Stranded on Death Row - This is definitely a real gem one the CD without a doubt. "Stranded on Death Row" is simply one of the BEST songs I'VE EVER HEARD but the sad thing is that Dre isn't on the track. Such a dark but wicked *ss beat, he should have released this song as a single. 5/5
The Roach [The Chronic Outro] - This should be the ending but it's not :mad: . I love the song. The chorus is catchy. It's about the drug chronic, which is if you didn't know marijuana with cocaine on top. 5/5
Bitches Ain't Sh*t - Poor ending imo. I am not a fan 'B*tches ain't Sh*t', it's an annoying tune and it has quite the offensive lyrics. But what offends me most about 'B*tches ain't Sh*t' is that this garbage was chosen as a bonus track over such a classic like 'Deep Cover' which would have been a perfect close to the album in its description of the kinship between Dre and Snoop, and to show how Dre once was not all about creating Gangster Rap clichés. 3/5
I give this Album a 5/5. The only problem with it is that is spawned a tons of imitations. Today Dr. Dre is most famous for discovering and producing Eminem, so his vision of hip-hop continues to dominate the Billboard charts. Personally, I'd like to turn back the clock to a time in hip-hop before marijuana leaves were all over the disc and CD booklet with participants on the tracks getting high. I like Dre, but NWA was more enjoyable imo. I miss the anti-drug message of Ice-T's "I'm Your Pusher" or even Too Short's nasty but easy to follow lyrics. But maybe you're right-- I guess I'm just getting old.
The sarcastically titled debut CD from one of modern music's most talented musicians is incidentally one of the most diverse and creative modern works to this day, from its release in 1989.
