With its stylish, sonically detailed production,
Dr. Dre
's 1992 solo debut,
The Chronic
, transformed the entire sound of
West Coast rap
. Here
Dre
established his patented
G-funk
sound: fat, blunted
Parliament
-
Funkadelic
beats, soulful backing vocals, and live instruments in the rolling basslines and whiny synths. What's impressive is that
crafts tighter singles than his inspiration,
George Clinton
-- he's just as effortlessly funky, and he has a better feel for a hook, a knack that improbably landed
gangsta rap
on the
pop
charts. But none of
's legions of imitators were as rich in personality, and that's due in large part to
's monumental discovery,
Snoop Doggy Dogg
.
Snoop
livens up every track he touches, sometimes just by joining in the chorus -- and if
has a flaw, it's that his relative absence from the second half slows the momentum. There was nothing in
rap
quite like
's singsong, lazy drawl (as it's invariably described), and since
's true forte is the producer's chair,
is the signature voice. He sounds utterly unaffected by anything, no matter how extreme, which sets the tone for the album's misogyny, homophobia, and violence. The
Rodney King
riots are unequivocally celebrated, but the war wasn't just on the streets;
enlists his numerous guests in feuds with rivals and ex-bandmates. Yet
is first and foremost a party album, rooted not only in '70s
funk
and
soul
, but also that era's blue party comedy, particularly
Dolemite
. Its comic song intros and skits became prerequisites for
albums seeking to duplicate its cinematic flow; plus,
's terrific chemistry ensures that even their foulest insults are cleverly turned. That framework makes
both unreal and all too real, a cartoon and a snapshot. No matter how controversial, it remains one of the greatest and most influential
hip-hop
albums of all time. ~ Steve Huey