By Erick Wright
Contributing Writer
When one thinks of today's best rappers, chances are good that Dr. Dre will come to mind. His fourth album, Dr. Dre Chronic 2001, was released Nov. 16, 1999, and so far has had two hot singles, "Still D.R.E." featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg, and "Forgot About Dre," featuring Eminem.
However, those aren't the only hits on the Aftermath Records album. "Xxplosive" has a wonderful beat and lyrics, "Big Egos" has a message for those who think too much of themselves, and "Ackrite" takes one back to the old school, along with a nice rap from Hitman.
Over the years, Dr. Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, has been involved in many record company situations. About eight years ago, he was convicted of breaking the jaw of a record producer, and publicly despised Ruthless Records general manager Jerry Heller before finding a deal with Jimmy Iovine at Interscope Records. It was Iovine who let Dre set up his own label, Death Row Records, co-founded with Marion "Suge" Knight. The success of the late Tupac Shakur and Snoop's Doggy Style album made Death Row one of America's most powerful labels. However, by 1996, problems beginning with the death of Shakur led Dre to leave the company to form yet another label, Aftermath.
Other valuable songs on the album are "The Next Episode" because of its significance with his friend, Snoop Dogg and the mellow voice of Nate Dogg, "Let's Get High" because of its party-type feel, and "The Watcher" because Dre brings real life situations and experiences into light.
Erick Wright, a freshman, is a business major.