December 15 In Hip-Hop History: Dr. Dre Drops His Debut Album 'The Chronic'

Dr. Dre had already made a name for himself as a member of the groundbreaking rap collective N.W.A. One year after he left the group, Dre helped change the course of Hip-Hop history forever.

On December 15, 1992, Dr. Dre released his debut album The Chronic via Death Row Records and Interscope Records. The album contains 16 memorable tracks including its lead single "Nothin' But a G Thang" featuring a young Snoop Dogg and "F**k wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')." The album was executively produced by Dre and Death Row's Suge Knight.

Snoop, who had just broke out on the rap scene in Dre's "Deep Cover," appears on nearly every track on the album. In addition to contributions from Snoop, Dre also recruited Daz Dillinger, Warren G, Kurupt, Bushwick Bill, Nate Dogg, The D.O.C., The Lady of Rage, Jewell and more. Dre wasn't on good terms with Eazy-E, Ice Cube or people affiliated with N.W.A. so he fired a few shots at them. On "F**k Wit Dre Day," the former N.W.A. rapper began his verse by dissing Tim Dog and Eazy-E. Later on in the song, he also issues shots at Cube and 2 Live Crew rapper Uncle Luke.

"The hoods you threw up with, n****s you grew up with, Don't even respect your ass," Dre raps. "That's why it's time for the doctor to check your ass, n***a, Used to be my homie, used to be my ace/Now I wanna slap the taste out ya mouth, Make ya bow down to the Row."

WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE

Shortly after its release, The Chronic earned several notable nominations including Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Nothin' But a G Thang" and Best Rap Solo Performance for "Let Me Ride" at the 1994 Grammy Awards. Dre only won the award for the latter nomination. The album went triple platinum nearly a year after its release. It would go to earn an even more prestigious honor decades later.

In 2019, The Chronic was chosen by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry. It was formally inducted in March 2020. Since then, the album has been removed from streaming services by Death Row Records' new owner Snoop Dogg. There's still no update on when it will make its return to streaming.