Maps of Music

2001 (1999)

Where the lyrics of 2001 take you, and where it was really made.

The album was first planned as The Chronic II, and a trademark fight over the Chronic name shrank its title to just 2001.

Key places

Recording at Larrabee Sound Studios (1999)

Recording site Larrabee Sound Studios — The article lists Larrabee Sound Studios in Hollywood among the recording locations for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording at Encore in Burbank (1999)

Recording site Encore Recording Studios — The article lists Encore in Burbank, California, among the recording locations for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording in Los Angeles at Record One (1999)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — The article names Record One in Los Angeles as a recording location, so the point marks the city center only. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording in Reno at Sierra Sonics (1999)

Recording site Sierra Sonics — The article names Sierra Sonics in Reno, Nevada, as a recording location, so the point marks the city center only. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• 2001: second studio album by Dr. Dre, American rapper and producer
• Also referred to as The Chronic 2001 or The Chronic II
• Released November 16, 1999 by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records
• Follow-up to his 1992 debut album, The Chronic
• Produced mainly by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man, with Lord Finesse on one track
• Features eighteen guest contributions
• Debuted at number 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 516,000 copies in its first week
• Certified 6× Platinum by the RIAA

Background

• The 1995 original successor to The Chronic was to be titled The Chronic II: A New World Odor
• That version was scrapped after Dre left Death Row Records
• After Aftermath was formed, the album was first titled Chronic 2000
• Priority Records, Death Row's new distributor, planned a compilation with the same name
• Death Row owned the trademark for The Chronic, and Interscope had earlier distributed the Death Row catalogue
• Dre sought legal action when both sides planned to use the same name; his lawyer said both sides agreed to let the other use the title
• After Death Row's Chronic 2000 came out, Interscope announced the album as Chronic 2001: No Seeds through teaser posters with a 'Summer '99' date
• Sticky Fingaz and RBX were listed on those posters but do not appear on the finished album
• Priority then refused to honor the original agreement and threatened to sue if the Chronic trademark was used
• Dre released the album simply as 2001 in November
• Dre's motivation: doubts about his production and rapping after he had not released a solo studio album since The Chronic in 1992
• The album was first intended to work like a mixtape, but was changed to a film-like structure

Recording

• Co-producer Scott Storch was brought in during sessions; the album marked the start of Dre's work with him
• Production expanded on the G-funk sound of The Chronic, with sparse new beats and less sampling
• Several ghostwriters, including Eminem, Jay-Z and Hittman, were noted as contributing lyrics
• Royce da 5'9" was rumored to be a ghostwriter; his track 'The Way I Be Pimpin'' was later retouched as 'Xxplosive'
• Recording locations listed: Larrabee Sound Studios (Hollywood), Record One (Los Angeles), Encore (Burbank) and Sierra Sonics (Reno)

Cover

• A marijuana leaf was added to the cover next to 2001, a subtle nod to the album's original name

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Andre Romell Young, born February 18, 1965 in Compton, California, known professionally as Dr. Dre.
• Began as a DJ in the club Eve's After Dark and joined World Class Wreckin' Cru in 1984.
• Co-formed N.W.A in 1987 with Eazy-E, Ice Cube and Arabian Prince; the group popularized explicit gangsta rap.

Career

• Credited as a key figure in crafting West Coast G-funk in the early 1990s.
• Left N.W.A in 1991 and founded Death Row Records with Suge Knight; debut solo album The Chronic (1992) became a cultural phenomenon.
• Left Death Row in 1996 and founded Aftermath Entertainment; signed Eminem in 1998 and 50 Cent in 2002.
• Released 2001 (1999) and Compton (2015) as solo albums; has won seven Grammy Awards.
• Co-founded Beats Electronics, which Apple bought in 2014.
• Performed at the Super Bowl LVI halftime show in 2022.

Members

• Former N.W.A members: Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Arabian Prince, DJ Yella, MC Ren.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine said the album was less consistent or striking than Slim Shady, but always full of character
• Entertainment Weekly's Tom Sinclair praised the production, calling it an uncharacteristically sparse sound
• NME said the album was powerful in parts but not clever enough, and that it described the lyrics as too explicit
• PopMatters' Chris Massey said the album was about as close to brilliant as a gangsta rap album could get
• Time's Christopher John Farley said the beats were fresh and involving
• Spin's Greg Tate was pleasantly surprised by Dre's own MCing, and said his commitment to sonic innovation was notable
• The Village Voice's Robert Christgau gave a negative review, calling Dre's lyrics distastefully misogynistic

Reappraisal

• Hip Hop Connection ranked the album number 10 on its 100 Best Albums (1995–2005) list in 2006
• XXL gave the album its maximum score, 'XXL', in a 2007 retrospective rating
• In Rolling Stone's The Immortals list, Kanye West said the track 'Xxplosive' gave him his sound

Records

• Debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 with 516,000 first-week copies, behind Korn's Issues
• Number 1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart
• Certified six times Platinum by the RIAA on November 21, 2000
• Sold 7,800,000 copies in the United States as of August 2015
• Dre's best-selling album to date

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album's lyrics received criticism and created some controversy, while the beats were widely praised
• Korn's Issues kept the album from reaching number 1 on the Billboard 200 in its debut week
• 'The Message', a song dedicated to Dre's deceased brother, was cited by many critics as the best track on the album
• Scott Storch, who had worked with The Roots, later became a successful producer and has co-produced some of Dre's later work
• 'Forgot About Dre' won Dre and Eminem the Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 2001 Grammys
• Kanye West credited 'Xxplosive' as the source of his own sound, calling it a direct bite

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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