The Second Coming of Dr. Dre

posted in: FeaturesUrban

Let’s face it, sometimes the past should stay dead. But when an awesome musical artist fades from popularity, their fans later wonder, Where are they now?  You may not know it, but many artists you loved in the past are still hard at work writing new albums or preparing to tour once more.  Fortunately, you now have Second Coming to reintroduce you to some of your favorite acts of the last few decades, and give you the scoop on what you can expect from them in the future!

THEN: Gangsta rap pioneer André Young (a.k.a. Dr. Dre) was born to teenage musician parents in 1965. He grew up to be a staple in the music scene of south central Los Angeles, deejaying at as many clubs and parties as would hire him. Along with his group N.W.A. (for whom he was also producer), Dre was at the forefront of the gangsta rap movement until 1992, when he went solo and founded Death Row Records with Suge Knight. His debut record, The Chronic, went triple platinum within a year, solidifying Dre’s status as a full-fledged rap heavyweight. He spent the following few years focusing on producing and mentoring new, up-and-coming artists, sitting behind the board for artists like Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z and 50 Cent. Dre also released a sophomore solo album, 2001, which went sextuple platinum. In 2004, he began work on a third album, Detox, but after pushing back work for other projects and losing his son to a heroin overdose, the album was never completed.

NOW: It’s been ten years in the making, but Detox has yet to see the light of day. Dr. Dre is known to be a perfectionist in the studio, and since he claims that this is his last album ever, it’s no surprise that he’s holding out for a completely flawless record. Album producer JustBlaze told MTV Rapfix: “I’ve seen the album through different phases. I’ve heard near-complete versions of the album, then he turns around and scratches it and does the same thing two or three times over. Despite the release of two singles (“Kush” in 2010 and “I Need A Doctor” in 2011), we still aren’t completely sure when “rap’s most anticipated record” will drop, and we haven’t heard word of a third single yet. One thing we are sure of, though…it’s going to have one hell of a credits section. Below is just a small part of a ridiculous list of musicians who have reported to be/been seen in the studio with Dre:

  • Eminem
  • Snoop Dogg
  • 50 Cent
  • Jay-Z
  • Ludacris
  • Lady Gaga
  • Nas
  • Beyoncé
  • Nelly
  • R.Kelly
  • Drake
  • Mariah Carey
  • Lil’ Kim
  • With all these collabs in the works, we really have no idea what to expect from Detox. But if the rumors of a 4/20 release date are true, we won’t have to wait long to find out…

    Da da da da da….who could forget this Dr. Dre classic?

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