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( The Chronic, after all, is named for high-grade marijuana and pays homage to Zig Zag rolling papers with its cover.)

That's no more evident than on hypnotic party anthem Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang featuring Snoop Dogg, who appeared on 11 of the album's 16 tracks, and quickly established himself as rap's weed-smoking poster child. With that, verses also took on a more laid-back, lyrical cadence that came to define commercial West Coast hip-hop. And the samples he did use reflected a more soulful sensibility: incorporating the bluesy opening drums of Led Zeppelin's When the Levee Breaks into Lyrical Gangbang, and James Brown's Funky Drummer in Let Me Ride. Dre helped popularize the subgenre known as G-funk - rapping over slower, bass- and synth-laden grooves, and favoring live instruments over samples. Much of gangsta rap until that time was characterized by abrasive, rock-inspired beats, echoing the frequently violent lyrics they accompanied. So why have fans and artists alike continued coming back to The Chronic? In short, it's an album that solidified Dre's place as one of rap's master storytellers, while also moving the needle forward for West Coast hip-hop. (Warning: The video below contains graphic language and content) It’s the benchmark you measure your album against if you’re serious.” Kendrick Lamar, too, told Complex it was the first rap album growing up he remembers "playing in the house from top to bottom," and later gushed to Variety that lead single Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang contains the greatest single verse of all time. Since then, its imprint on modern MCs has become undeniable: Kanye West himself said in Rolling Stone that it's "the hip-hop equivalent to Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life. 3 on the Billboard 200, where it spent eight months in the chart's top 10. In sheer numbers alone, the album was a phenomenon: winning one Grammy Award, spawning three top-40 singles and peaking at No. Dre released his solo debut The Chronic on Dec. Twenty-five years ago, hip-hop changed forever.Īfter a surly split from Compton rap group N.W.A and Ruthless Records, Dr. Corrections and clarifications: An earlier version of this story listed the incorrect release date.