Twenty years ago, Dr. Dre changed the game with his landmark album 2001.
In honor of the anniversary, the rap mogul sat down with Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine to reminisce about the album’s creation and its legacy.
“That day in Jimmy’s house in his garage completely changed the course of my life forever,” the former N.W.A. kingpin told Apple Music.
The album arrived seven years after his blockbuster solo debut The Chronic and spawned classics like “Still D.R.E.,” “The Next Episode,” and “Forgot About Dre” featuring his protégé Eminem.
“That was Eminem’s idea. He wrote the song for me and Snoop originally,” said Dre. “He laid the reference vocals for Snoop and I liked the way it sound, so we just kept it that way.”
He revealed that he wanted “The Next Episode” to be the first single, but Jimmy didn’t agree. In the end, they went with “Still D.R.E.”
The 54-year-old tycoon also weighed in on the state of hip-hop today. “Right now, I have to like really, really search hard to find something that I really like as far as hip-hop goes,” said Dre. “But I think it’s just about the substance. Right now it feels like it’s a little more quantity over quality. Made a song last night, I need to put it out tomorrow. What are you gonna dedicate yourself to? The art or the money? It’s that simple.”
Added Jimmy, “Give yourself the time, whether it’s two months, three months, a year, to make something that’s gonna last forever.”