Dr. Dre has admitted that he didn’t want to feature as a rapper at all on his ‘2001’ album – he just wanted to produce it.
- READ MORE: How ‘The Chronic’ changed hip-hop forever
Released November 16, 1999, the classic Aftermath album features the singles ‘Still D.R.E.’, ‘The Next Episode’ and ‘Forgot About Dre’ and has gone on to sell over 10 million copies worldwide.
To mark the 20th anniversary of the album that featured Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Xzibit, Devin the Dude, Nate Dogg and more, the super producer sat down with longtime friend and business partner Jimmy Iovine to talk about the making of ‘2001’.
The pair discuss the events leading up to the album, how they chose the singles, Jay-Z writing ‘Still D.R.E.’, and even how the N.W.A. co-founder didn’t actually want to feature on the album as a rapper.
“I didn’t wanna appear on the albums at all, to be honest,” Dre says, referring to both ‘2001’ and his debut album, 1992’s ‘The Chronic’. “I just wanted to produce, find artists and produce them. And Doc, The D.O.C. talked me into getting on the mic and doing this thing.”
Watch the making of ‘2001’ video below:
Meanwhile, Dr. Dre is going to be honoured by the Grammys for his trailblazing production work.
The Recording Academy announced that it will salute the six-time Grammy-winning producer at the 13th annual Producers & Engineers Wing. Taking place on January 22, 2020, the event will kick off Grammy Week ahead of the 62nd annual Grammy Awards on January 26.