Rewind: Dr. Dre 'The Chronic' (Part 2)

Welcome to our second look at the sample base of Dr. Dre's 1992 classic 'The Chronic'.

The deep album track 'A N---- Witta Gun' takes its famous refrain from the Kay Gees' 'Who's the Man (with the Master Plan)' which has been sampled quite a bit over the years. Additionally, the track samples Johnny Hammond Smith's 'Big Sur Suite' from his 1974 album 'Higher Ground'. One of my favorite non-singles from 'The Chronic' is the bombastic 'Lyrical Gangbang' which speeds up the open drum break from Led Zeppelin's 'When the Levee Breaks' to stunning effect. 'Stranded on Death Row' (notably with Geto Boy Bushwick Bill) samples Isaac Hayes' live version of 'Do Your Thing' from his Stax double album 'Live at the Sahara Tahoe' and also uses B.T. Express' useful 'If it Don't Turn You On (You Ought to Leave it Alone)'. Finally, the closing track 'The Roach' heavily cribs another P-Funk song, this time the single 'P Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)' from Parliament's album 'Mothership Connection'.

Following the run-away success of 'The Chronic', Dre produced the debut album for his protégé Snoop Dogg which was released less than a year after 'The Chronic'. Dre's tenure at Death Row would last less than two more years before he moved on to his own label called Aftermath. In future posts, we will cover 'Doggystyle', more of Dre's production work, and the sample basis for his 1999 sophomore album titled '2001'.

The Lowdown:
Dr. Dre 'A N---- Witta Gun', 'Lyrical Gangbang', 'Stranded on Death Row', and 'The Roach '
from 'The Chronic' (1992) (MP3 not available/CD)
The Kay Gees 'Who's the Man (with the Master Plan)'
from 'Keep on Bumpin and Master Plan' (1974) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Johnny Hammond Smith 'Big Sur Suite'
from 'Higher Ground' (1974) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Led Zeppelin 'When the Levee Breaks'
from 'Led Zeppelin IV' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Isaac Hayes 'Do Your Thing' (Live)
from 'Live at the Sahara Tahoe' (1973) (MP3/CD)
B.T. Express 'If it Don't Turn You On (You Ought to Leave it Alone)'
from 'Do It Till Your Satisfied' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Parliament 'P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)'
from 'Mothership Connection' (1976) (MP3/CD)