How A Tribe Called Quest inspired Dr Dre’s ‘The Chronic’
Dr Dre’s indisputably a legend. As part of NWA alongside Ice Cube, Eazy-E, MC Ren and DJ Yella, he built his name up as an iconic producer. However, it was as the co-founder of Death Row that he pioneered his G-funk sound.
In 1991, Dre began building an empire by making music alongside his cousin Warren G and many others. Having already made pretty funky songs with NWA, such as ‘The Dope Man’, Young began experimenting with P-Funk, in particular the works of George Clinton.
By sampling P-Funk and slowing it down, the beatmaker found he could create this fantastic sound. As he churned out more and more of it, he realised it was a winning formula. However, it all started with Dre’s debut project, The Chronic.
Released in 1992 and with its singles released in 1993, Dre’s debut body of work was a culture-shifting, genre-advancing masterpiece. It has been archived in the USA’s Library of Congress as a culturally significant recording.
That said, a number of strange things influenced Dr. Dre while he was creating The Chronic. To many, the crass lyrics of G-funk projects like The Chronic and Doggystyle seem entirely at odds with the wholesome, soulful East Coast jazz-hop movement. However, A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory was essential to the making of The Chronic.
Dr Dre loved the bass-heavy production of the New York collective, and their respect was mutual. During an interview with MTV News, Q-Tip spoke about The Chronic, stating, “It was listening to N.W.A’s Straight Outta Compton that inspired us to make The Low End Theory,”
He continued, “Years later, I spoke to Dr Dre, and he told me that hearing The Low End Theory inspired him to make The Chronic.” The early ’90s were a time of change, and sonics were shifting on both coasts of the US.
After gaining inspiration from a range of artists, including A Tribe Called Quest, Dr Dre shopped the completed album, cover art and all, to multiple major labels. However, he was rejected numerous times before he secured a distribution deal with Priority and began building an empire.