The Chronic

For other uses, see Chronic.
"Deeez Nuuuts" redirects here. For other uses of the term, see Deez Nuts (disambiguation).

The Chronic
Studio album by
Dr. Dre
ReleasedDecember 15, 1992 (1992-12-15)
RecordedApril–June 1992[1][2]
StudioDeath Row (Los Angeles, California)
Genre
Length62:52
Label
ProducerDr. Dre
Dr. Dre chronology
The Chronic
(1992) 		2001
(1999)
Singles from The Chronic
  1. "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang"
    Released: January 19, 1993 (1993-01-19)[4]
  2. "Dre Day"
    Released: May 8, 1993 (1993-05-08)
  3. "Let Me Ride"
    Released: September 13, 1993 (1993-09-13)

The Chronic is the debut studio album by American record producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It was released on December 15, 1992, by his record label Death Row Records along with Interscope Records and distributed by Priority Records. The recording sessions took place at Death Row Studios in Los Angeles and at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood.[5]

The Chronic was Dr. Dre's first solo album after he departed the West Coast hip hop group N.W.A and its label Ruthless Records over a financial dispute. It includes insults towards Ruthless Records and its owner, former N.W.A member and assembler Eazy-E. It features many appearances by then-emerging American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg, who used the album as a launch pad for boosting his solo career. The album's title derives from a slang term for high-grade cannabis, and its cover is a homage to Zig-Zag rolling papers. In 2023, to celebrate its 30th anniversary, the album was reissued by Dr. Dre's current label Aftermath Entertainment, Death Row Records, and Interscope Records.

The Chronic reached number three on the Billboard 200 and has been certified triple platinum with sales of three million copies in the United States,[6][7] making Dre one of the top ten best-selling American performing artists of 1993.[8] The Chronic spent eight months in the Billboard Top 10.[9] The album's three singles became top ten Billboard singles.[10] "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Rap Singles and Hot R&B Singles charts.[10]

Dr. Dre's production popularized the G-funk subgenre within gangsta rap. The Chronic has been widely regarded as one of the most important and influential albums of the 1990s and one of the best-produced hip-hop albums.[11][12][13] In 2019, the album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[14]

  1. ^ Ryan Place (March 2, 2023). "Exclusive Interview: Detroit bass legend Tony Green reveals his experiences with The Dramatics, Pfunk's George Clinton, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Death Row Records and more!". Detroit Bookfest. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  2. ^ Thomas Golianopoulous (December 15, 2012). "Dr. Dre, 'The Chronic' at 20: Classic Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "The Chronic - Dr. Dre - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 21, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  4. ^ "Nuthin' but a "G" Thang - Dr. Dre | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  5. ^ Smith, Chris (2009). 101 Albums That Changed Popular Music. Oxford University Press. p. 221. ISBN 9780195373714.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference us_sales was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - December 26, 2013". RIAA. Archived from the original on August 30, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  8. ^ Stephen Holden (January 12, 1994). The Pop Life Archived February 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. The New York Times. Accessed March 24, 2008.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference bbsingles was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Dr. Dre The Chronic Album Info Archived April 8, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. RapCentral. Accessed March 5, 2008.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Huey was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Timeline: 25 years of rap records Archived March 30, 2009, at the Wayback Machine BBC News (October 11, 2004). Accessed April 8, 2008.
  14. ^ "Complete National Recording Registry Listing". Library Of Congress. Retrieved September 24, 2022.