Dr. Dre - 2001
Hip Hop – Released November 16, 1999 – 23 songs, 68 mins
ROZ
The year is 1999. The album is 2001.
Here is my Mount Rushmore of hip hop producers: Kanye West, Timbaland, The Neptunes, and the Doctor. Realistically, both RZA and Swizz Beats could potentially take The Neptunes place but that is the only acceptable wiggle room on this list. Now, let’s take a time machine back to the 90’s: Dr. Dre was fresh off of one of the best produced hip hop albums of all time - The Chronic - and was ready to create some more hits.
Mission: Accomplished.
The riffs don’t get much catchier and the beats don’t get much bouncier than this. Earth shattering drum samples, unbelievably catchy guitar riffs and iconic piano arrangements from the one and only Scott Storch; hip hop perfection by masters of their craft. Lyrically the flow is perfect, albeit severely misogynistic. A sign of both the times and the gangster rap genre as a whole, I found myself having to look at this album through rose colored (smoke colored in this case) glasses. With heavy hitters and up-and-comers alike, the tracks are blessed by multiple superstars including but not limited to Eminem, Xzibit, Hittman, Nate Dogg, and the one and only Mary J. Blige. 2001 is absolutely jam packed, front to back.
The Watcher, Still D.R.E., Big Ego, Xxplosive, What’s The Difference, Forgot About Dre, The Next Episode, Bang Bang, The Message. Instant classics. The sound selection and groove on this album is meticulously crafted by a legendary ear and immense talent that has spawned numerous platinum albums, won multiple Grammys, skyrocketed various artists/hip hop groups (N.W.A) and created not one but two successful record labels (Death Row Records, Aftermath Entertainment). Second best album by the second best hip hop producer of all time? You just know this ones getting a rating as high as Snoop was at the Super Bowl halftime show. Thanks for the nostalgia trip, Doc.
Overall Rating: 9.6/10
Favourite Song: STILL D.R.E.
REID
How about that Super Bowl halftime show? Millennials everywhere rejoiced, locking their hats sideways with memories of Napster and their anti-skip discman for fifteen minutes. Beautiful nostalgia. A large majority of that magic stems from Dr. Dre’s artistic brilliance and a keen, to put it lightly, ear for talent. Since adding 2001 to the review queue, the boys and I have shared album quotes so I’ll use a few of my favourites.
‘Yeuuuuhhhh. I just took some ecstasy, ain’t no tellin’ what the side effects could be.’ Anticipation for new music from a favourite artist is fun. Exceeding expectations is something special. This isn’t to say I, eleven years old at the time, was chomping at the bit for new Dre. But the entire rap community was. This was just his second studio release after The Chronic (1992) (not including his N.W.A. days, of course). And he blew the roof off the music world with immediate and long lasting success.
Very few in the genre, past or present, are on Dre’s level from a production standpoint. It’s on full display in 2001 showcased by the ridiculously good mixes of The Watcher, Still D.R.E., Xxplosive, What’s The Difference?, The Next Episode, Forgot About Dre and Let’s Get High, to name a few. The rap is so damn crisp too with limited effects throughout, just letting their voices do the thing. 2022 is much different. ‘Things just ain’t the same for gangstas’.
‘I don’t know if I ever told you this but I love you dog, I got your mother ******* back, just know this shit’. The features! Snoop Dogg in his prime. Eminem, fresh off the release of Slim Shady LP and on his way to superstardom. Mary J. Blige, Nate Dogg, Ms. Roq, Hittman, Xzibit. All with amazing additions on 2001.
‘I just wanna **** bad bitches’. Tough to review this album without a little vulgarity. Throwing it back reminds you of a time when things were a little less politically correct and everyone took things a little less seriously. Many of the same folks vibing hard to the Super Bowl performance are the same that’d have Twitter on fire if several of these songs were released today. Listen, I’m not saying it’s right or wrong but just don’t listen if it’s not for you.
2001 will be forever known for its greatness. It’s a master at work and the Super Bowl performance was a reminder that Dre will forever be ‘Gee’d up from the feet up’.
Overall Rating - 9.5/10
Favourite Song - Forgot About Dre
LUNDI
It’s Throwback Thursday once again and what better of an album to take on than Dr. Dre’s 2001 after that blast from the past Super Bowl halftime show. Was it one of the best halftime shows ever? Tune into our next pod to hear our thoughts on that, but for now we take a look back at one of the greatest rap albums.
Come for the beats, stick around for the features. Rap in these days was known for its production. A good majority of the time you couldn’t keep straight who was the original rapper on a beat because so many in the industry would take the popular tracks and add their own spin. No other producer was utilized so much in that regard as the Doctor. His beats are legendary and he proves that consistently on 2001. Each track can make you bounce, or try and dance like Snoop if you’re so inclined. Speaking of the d-o double G, he’s one of many who feature on the album, joining the likes of Eminem, Mary J Blidge, Nate Dogg and Xzibit to form the all star cast. It’s an all out stud filled album compiled by Dre.
With all the positivity this album brings there is a bit of a dark cloud hanging over it as a throwback album. Putting it lightly some of these lyrics didn’t quite age well in the eyes of 2022 and as someone who isn’t into rap the nostalgia factor just isn’t there to overlook them. Won’t bring down the review more with all the negativity but it’s fair to say some songs are just very hard to listen to. Call it political correctness if you will, to me it’s just someone digging into it for the first time in current day.
Dre is a master producer and generational icon who did so much for rap music. 2001 is worth every second just for his composition of beats.
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
Favourite Song: The Next Episode