Dr. Dre's Debut Album "The Chronic" Is Back On Streaming Services

BYAron A.1.7K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Dr. Dre Portrait
NEW YORK - 1992: Music mogul Dr. Dre poses for a portait in 1992 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Ken Weingart/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" returns to streaming services.

30 years after the release of Dr. Dre’s debut album, fans can enjoy it in its entirety, once again.

Dr. Dre’s The Chronic became an enigmatic piece of work throughout the streaming era. At one point, fans could only find the album on Apple Music. In 2020, it finally hit all streaming services in time for 4/20. However, it vanished from streamers later on.

CHICAGO - JANUARY 1993: Rapper and producer Dr. Dre poses for photos backstage at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois in January 1993. (Photo By Rxqdddaymond Boyd/Getty Images)

Today, Dre and Interscope, the album’s original distributor, teamed up to re-release the project on DSPs on Feb. 1st to commemorate the 30th anniversary. Additionally, Interscope and Dre dropped a new merch collection to celebrate the milestone.

“I am thrilled to bring the Chronic home to its original distribution partner, Interscope Records. Working alongside my longtime colleagues, Steve Berman and John Janick, to re-release the album and make it available to fans all over the world is a full circle moment for me,” said the iconic producer.

The album initially disappeared from streaming services following Snoop Dogg’s acquisition of Death Row Records. He claimed that the album was officially under Death Row, which Dre’s lawyer later clarified wasn’t exactly true. 

Nonetheless, The Chronic became an integral part of hip-hop’s history since its release. It marked Dre’s official beginning as a solo artist following the success of N.W.A. Additionally, it also helped catapult Snoop Dogg’s career.

Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre during 1993 MTV Movie Awards at Sony Studios in Culver City, California, United States. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc)

"Dr. Dre is without a doubt one of the most iconic and groundbreaking artists in the modern era," said Steve Berman, Vice Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M. "Dre’s solo career all started with the The Chronic, one of the most celebrated recordings of all time. To have this album at Interscope once again where we work with Dre and his amazing team at Aftermath day in and day out is incredibly gratifying for me personally and all of us at Interscope.”

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
...