The Death Row debut album was released 21 years ago today

On this date in 1992, in of the most significant years of Hip Hop, Dr. Dre & co. dropped The Chronic, arguably one of the best albums in music history. This album served as the prototype of West Coast rap, which is often made synonymous with a subgenre of Hip Hop known as “gangsta rap”. The first album to be released under the Death Row Records banner also was the first full length LP to feature a 21 year old Snoop Doggy Dogg, a Long Beach Rolling 60s Crip who was one of the last emcees to possess the innate ability to freestyle in the booth. The Chronic also premiered new artists Daz, Kurupt, Warren G, Nate Dogg, RBX, Jewel and The Lady Of Rage, all of whom made landmark careers in their own right. The marijuana motivated project also was a symbolic representation of the broken link between Dre and former NWA crew founder/leader Eazy-E, Jerry Heller, and his Ruthless Records deal by way of a Piru Blood affiliated manager by the name of Marion “Suge” Knight.

This Source five mic classic gave us tracks such as “It’s A G Thang” and “Let Me Ride”, which gave the rest of the world a bird’s eye view of Southern Cali through the eyes of a “G”, while songs like “The Day The N***z Took Over”, “Lil Ghetto Boy”, and ” A N***a Wit A Gun” addressed issues that faced Californians in the face of the Rodney King verdict the same year. “Fuck Wit Dre Day” was a lyrical assault on East Coast rival Tim Dog, Eazy-E, and MIA’s Uncle Luke, while “Stranded On Death Row” was a display of the future of what seemed like an unstoppable Death Row roster. This album is definitely one of the most influential albums within the culture and continues to carry the legacy of the West Coast on its back.

Shout out to Dr. Dre, Snoop, The Dogg Puond, Warren G, Rage, Bushwick Bill of The Geto Boys and all of the other artists that participated on this landmark project.

-Sha Be Allah(@KingPenStatus)