Last month, Snoop Dogg said that Dr. Dre’s long-in-the-works Detox was “on and poppin’,” but while Andre Young himself says that the album isn’t quite ready to drop yet, he is a little more confident about its eventual release, saying that it could even come out this year. “In a perfect world, I’m shooting for a November or December release,” Dre told USA Today. So will Detox, which is slated to have guest spots from the likes of Nas, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne, beat Chinese Democracy to stores? Or will Dre figure out some sort of crazy cross-promotion between his sparkling vodka and Dr Pepper that will result in the entire country getting blitzed out on booze, beats, and Axl Rose’s lyrics at the same time?
“I’m just now — over the last couple of months — starting to feel that it’s going to be right and it’s something I can be proud of, and everybody is going to love it,” says Dr. Dre (aka Andre Young). “In a perfect world, I’m shooting for a November or December release.”
If that happens, it will come nine years after his six-times-platinum 2001, which was itself a long-awaited follow-up to his revered 1992 debut, The Chronic. That album’s bass-fueled G Funk sound dominated rap for years and propelled Snoop Dogg to superstardom. Both albums raised the bar for hip-hop production values.
“I’ve never set out to do that,” says Dre, 43. “I just make the music feel the way I want it to feel and I don’t put it out until I’m totally happy with it. Then it does what it does.”
A very modest way of saying “I’m a genius.” It’s kind of sweet! Anyway, to show that Dre is maybe possibly perhaps almost done with Detox’s nine-year gestation period, he’s already thinking about what he’s going to do next:
As long as the wait for the upcoming album has been, Dre says it’ll be even longer before there’s another one. “I’m going to put this record out, promote it, tour and then become a hermit. I’m going to stay in the studio and produce.”
But he says he isn’t interested in producing albums for established artists. Dre, who previously helped launch Eminem and 50 Cent, says his goal is to find who’s next.
“All I want to do is sit in the studio with that person for a year and try to create another masterpiece.”
Only a year? Whoa there, tiger! You’ve gotta walk before you can sprint!
Dr. Dre’s ‘Detox’ has music industry buzzing [USA Today]
Damn skippy. This past weekend I was chilling in my living room with the newspaper, a few magazines, a brass monkey [Olde English plus OJ. Yeah, it was one of those afternoons], and a few extra unmentionables that helps one relax his mind and let his conscious be free. The only problem: Bright Eyes was playing the background. I literally turned to my roommate and was like “naw, naw, we got the olde E, getting lifted, and it’s a Saturday. You know what this situation needs? Some Dr. Dre.” Damn I love me some 2001. Strong album track after track for damn near 11, 12 songs straight. I don’t even mind the skits. [Which are entertaining as all hell at times] How many raps albums can still come with it like that? Skits and all? Hopefully, Detox will. I’m in no rush for summer to end, but let me tell ya, I am excited as all hell for some of the releases coming our way in the latter half of 08. Hopefully this one will see the light of day and rock my world.
@Tauwan: “They say the black man is a pimp…”
It’s also my goal to become a hermit. Dre and I have so much in common.
Has it really been nine years since 2001?
@Silverfuture: it came out in 1999, because it was that ahead of its time.
@Maura Johnston: And because Suge Knight preemptively came out with something called “The Chronic 2000″.
The album’s release date is also evidenced by Snoop’s reference in “Still D.R.E. to “‘95 plus four pennies/add that shit up.”
This ties in nicely to a joke I just read on popbitch.co.uk:
Q: What’s brown and rhymes with Snoop?
A: Dr Dre.