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After splitting with N.W.A., production credits for Above the Law and the D.O.C., signing to Death Row, and debuting on the 'Deep Cover' soundtrack; the stage was set for Dr. Dre to drop his solo album 'The Chronic' at the end of 1992. It was an instant success, critically acclaimed, and became the new high watermark for West Coast hip-hop. This two-post arc will cover the sample sources of Dr. Dre's undisputed hip-hop classic.
The two minute opening diss-a-thon 'The Chronic (Intro)' samples Solomon Burke's cover of 'Get Out of My Life Woman' and most notably nicks the famous Moog synthesizer tone from the Ohio Players' early single 'Funky Worm'. The excellent single 'Dre Day', a top 10 hit in 1993, samples a grip of Parliament Funkadelic classics whose prevalent song samples are the source of the West Coast G Funk sound. 'Dre Day' samples Parliament's 'Funkentelechy', 'Aquaboogie', 'The Big Bang Theory', and Funkadelic's 1979 track '(Not Just) Knee Deep'. 'Let Me Ride', which surprisingly barely broke the top 40, also hits up George Clinton for samples. The song is built mostly on Parliament's huge single 'Mothership Connection' from the classic 1976 album of the same name while also sampling bits of the live version of 'Swing Down, Sweet Chariot' from Parliament's 'Live: P Funk Earth Tour'. Dre also samples James Brown's 'Funky Drummer' and Bill Withers' 'Kissin' My Love'.
'The Chronic''s biggest single by far was 'Nuthin' but a G Thang' which peaked one spot away from #1 in 1993 (and #1 on the rap charts). The song introduced much of America and the world to Snoop Doggy Dogg's laid back West Coast swagger and became a summer anthem. The most prominent sample in 'G Thang' is a version of Leon Haywood's 'I Wanna Do Something Freaky to You' replayed note for note by a studio band to avoid paying some royalties. The track also utilizes a sample of 'Uphill Battle' from Kid Dynamite's self-titled 1976 album.
Check back for part 2 of our look at 'The Chronic'.
The Lowdown:
Dr. Dre 'The Chronic (Intro)', 'Dre Day', 'Let Me Ride', and 'Nuthin' but a G Thang'
from 'The Chronic' (1992) (MP3 not available/CD)
Solomon Burke 'Get Out of My Life Woman'
from 'I Wish I Knew' (1967) (MP3/CD)
The Ohio Players 'Funky Worm'
from 'Pleasure' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD)
Parliament 'Funkentelechy'
from 'Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo' (1977) (MP3/CD)
Parliament 'Aquaboogie'
from 'Motor Booty Affair' (1978) (MP3/CD)
Parliament 'The Big Bang Theory'
from 'Gloryhallastoopid' (1979) (MP3/CD)
Funkadelic '(Not Just) Knee Deep'
from 'Uncle Jam Wants You' (1979) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Parliament 'Mothership Connection (Star Child)'
from 'Mothership Connection' (1976) (MP3/CD)
Parliament 'Swing Down, Sweet Chariot' (Live)
from 'Live: P Funk Earth Tour' (1976) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Funky Drummer'
'Funky Drummer' 7" (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Bill Withers 'Kissin' My Love'
from 'Still Bill' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Leon Haywood 'I Wanna Do Something Freaky to You'
from 'Come and Get Yourself Some' (1979) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Kid Dynamite 'Uphill Peace of Mind'
from 'Kid Dynamite' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD)
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