It’s been 11 years since Dr. Dre released his second album, 2001, and he’s been talking about its follow up for just as long. What exactly has been the hold up??
Well, Dre’s been a busy man. In between running a label (Aftermath Entertainment), and outside production work, he’s had to deal with lawsuits, personal tragedy, and lots more.
The following list-slash-timeline is by no means exhaustive, but I figured 81 reasons was more than enough reasons for us to cut Dre a little slack.
Let’s just hope he releases the album before no one cares anymore!
April 4, 2002 – Dre reveals that Detox will be his third and final solo album, and that it will be like a hip-hop musical.
May 28, 2002 – The Eminem Show is released. Dre only contributes three songs to the album which sold 1.32 million copies in its first week, debuting at #1.
June 25 2002 – Aftermath Entertainment releases Truth Hurts’ debut album Truthfully Speaking featuring several Dre productions.
June 2002 – 50 Cent signs with Aftermath & Shady Records
July 16, 2002 - Dr Dre remixes The Rolling Stones “Miss You” for the soundtrack to Austin Powers In Goldmember.
August 27, 2002 – Eve’s Eve-Olution is released and features 2 tracks from Dre, including the single “Satisfaction”
September 2002 – Ice Cube mentions in an interview with MTV News that he may be signing to Aftermath, and that he plans to have Dre produce his entire next album and release it in 2003. That never happened.
September 2002 – Dre and Interscope are hit with a $500 million lawsuit over a sample from Truth Hurts’ hit single “Addictive.”
October 1, 2002 – Xzibit’s Man Vs Machine album is released and features 2 tracks from Dre.
October 29, 2002 – Aftermath releases the soundtrack to Eminem’s film 8 Mile. Dre does not contribute any songs or production to the album.
November 12, 2002 – Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 2 is released and features “The Watcher 2” produced by Dre.
January 2003 – Stat Quo signs to Aftermath and Shady Records.
February 4, 2003 – Aftermath and Shady Records release 50 Cent’s debut album, Get Rich Or Die Tryin’. The album debuts at #1 on Billboard’s 200 albums chart, selling 872,000 copies its first week. Dre contributes 4 songs to the project including the insanely popular single “In Da Club.”
February 25, 2003 – The D.O.C. releases Deuce which features 3 tracks from Dre.
April 5, 2003 – The Dre-produced track “In Da Hood” is featured on the bonus CD that comes with 50 Cent’s DVD The New Breed.
May 2003 – A jury orders Dre to pay $1.5 million for copyright infringement due to an uncleared sample on 2001.
June 2003 – Dre is named the 2nd highest paid musician of 2002, bringing in $51.9 million.
July 2003 – Rakim splits with Dre and Aftermath.
July 18, 2003 – The film Bad Boys II is released. Dre helped composer Trevor Rabin with the film’s score.
August 26, 2003 – Mary J. Blige’s Love & Life is released and features the Dr. Dre produced “Not Today.”
September 23, 2003 – Obie Trice’s Cheers is released and features 4 tracks from Dre.
September 30, 2003 – Jazz trumpeter Chris Botti releases the album A Thousand Kisses Deep featuring “The Last Three Minutes,” co-produced by Dre and Burt Bacharach.
November 14, 2003 – G-Unit’s Beg For Mercy is released and features 2 tracks from Dre.
Late 2003 – Dr Dre signs The Game.
January 2004 – Scott Storch tells MTV News that Eminem, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Knoc-Turn’al, Lloyd Banks, Guvner, and The Game will record parts for the album.
March 23, 2004 – Knoc-Turn’al’s album The Way I Am is released after several years of delays, and features contributions from Dre.
April 27, 2004 – D12′s D12 World is released and features the Dre-produced “American Psycho II”
July 20, 2004 – Mac Dre’s Ronald Dregan: Dreganomics is released and features the Dre produced “Get Stupid.”
September 2004 – Legendary songwriter Burt Bacharach tells MTV News that he collaborated with Dr. Dre on his new album.
November 2004 – Dre is involved in a fight at the Vibe Awards. He was punched near the stage by a fan named Jimmy James Johnson who was allegedly asking for an autograph, which resulted in a small brawl, with Johnson being stabbed by then G-Unit member, Young Buck.
November 12, 2004 – Eminem’s Encore album released. The album sells 1,835,000 copies in its first two weeks, 760k in its first three days on sale. Dre contributes to 8 of the album’s 20 tracks, lending his voice to one.
November 22, 2004 – Gwen Stefani’s Love.Angel.Music.Baby is released and features the Dre produced single “Rich Girl.”
November 23, 2004 – The Game’s second single, “How We Do” is released. The song is produced by Dr. Dre and peaks at #4 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
2005 – Bishop Lamont is signed to Aftermath.
January 18 2005 – The Game’s debut album The Documentary is released by Aftermath Entertainment and G-Unit records. Dr. Dre contributes six productions to the album which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling 586,000 copies in its first week. Dre also produces six tracks used on mixtapes The Game releases throughout 2005 and 2006. On the song “Higher,” Dre tells everyone to “look out for Detox.”
February 2005 – Dre reportedly was the 44th highest paid musician in 2004, raking in $11.4 million.
March 3, 2005 - 50 Cent’s The Massacre album is released. Dre gets credit for 3 tracks as well as serving as executive producer on the album.
October 2005 – Dre donates $1 million to Houston’s Julia C Hester House which distributed the funds to 50 needy families affected by Hurricane Katrina.
November 2005 - Dre voices the character “Grizz” for 50 Cent’s Bulletproof video game.
November 1, 2005 – Burt Bacharach’s At This Time album is released featuring contributions from Dre on the songs “Danger,” “Is Love Enough?” and “Go Ask Shakespeare.”
November 8, 2005 – The soundtrack to 50 Cent’s Get Rich Or Die Tryin‘ film is released and features 2 beats from Dre.
Late 2005 – Dre signs Marsha Ambrosius of Floetry.
June 13, 2006 – Aftermath releases Busta Rhymes’ The Big Bang album. Dre is credited with producing or co-producing 7 songs on the album.
Summer 2006 – The Game leaves Aftermath due to disputes with 50 Cent
September 2006 - Dre signs Joell Ortiz to Aftermath. Bone Thugs N Harmony tell MTV news that the follow up to their Thug Stories album will feature contributions from Dre. When the album, Strength & Loyalty, is released in May 2007, Dre is nowhere to be found.
November 21, 2006 – Jay-Z’s Kingdom Come is released. Dre contributes to the album as a producer and/or mixer on 4 songs. Snoop Dogg’s The Blue Carpet Treatment is also released and features 4 songs from Dre.
November 2006 – Dre signs and begins working with Raekwon on Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II
December 5, 2006 – The Eminem Presents The Re-Up compilation is released and features the Dre produced song by Stat Quo “Get Low.”
December 19, 2006 – Nas’ Hip Hop Is Dead album is released. It contains the Dre production “Hustlers.”
Early 2007 – According to an Aftermath insider, Dre claims to have lost interest in Raekwon’s record, and Raekwon is no longer affiliated with the label.
January 23, 2007 – Dre contributes “Problems” to Sunshine Anderson’s Sunshine At Midnight album.
February 4, 2007 – Timbaland’s Shock Value album is released in the UK 2 months ahead of the US. Dre contributes vocals to the song “Bounce.”
March 27, 2007 - Young Buck’s Buck The World album is released and features two Dre tracks.
September 9, 2007 – Dr. Dre is brought out by Mary J Blige as a surprise presenter at the MTV Video Music Awards. Dre’s appearance proves that Dre’s been spending quite a bit of his free time at the gym.
September 11, 2007 – 50 Cent’s Curtis album is released and features 3 Dre tracks.
April 15, 2008 – Joell Ortiz leaves Aftermath
June 2008 – Snoop Dogg claims in a Rolling Stone magazine interview that Detox is finished.
June 11, 2008 – Trick Trick’s The Villain album is released and features the Dre produced “Hold On.”
July 2008 – Dre launches Beats By Dre headphones in conjunction with Monster
July 17, 2008 – Busta Rhymes leaves Aftermath due to creative differences with Interscope head Jimmy Iovine.
July 23, 2008 - Dre tells USA Today that he expects Detox to be out in “November or December” of that year. Also says that Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and Nas are on the album.
August 23, 2008 – Dre’s first son, Andre Young Jr, dies at the age of 20 from an overdose of heroin and morphine.
October 2008 – Stat Quo leaves Aftermath
December 2008 – Dre appears on a remix of Kardinal Offishall’s “Set It Off.”
Early 2009 – Marsha Ambrosius leaves Aftermath.
January 7, 2009 – A Dre song called “Could Have Been You” featuring R. Kelly, 50 Cent and Bishop Lamont leaks on the internet. The song is believed to be from the Detox sessions.
February 2009 – A song with vocals by T.I. hits the internet called “S**t Popped Off.” The song is believed to be a reference track for Dre due to T.I. mentioning “The Doc” in the song.
February 18, 2009 – A song called “Topless” with vocals by Nas & T.I. is played on New York’s Hot 97. T.I. starts the song with the lyric, “It’s the D.R. / Made the west side worldwide, no PR”
March 24, 2009 – Slim Thug’s Boss Of All Bosses is released and features “Thug” produced by Dre.
April 2009 - Rumors spread on the internet that Bishop Lamont has been dropped from Aftermath
May 15, 2009 – Eminem’s Relapse album is released. Dre is credited with producing the entire album except for one song.
May 28, 2009 – Dr. Dre appears in a commercial for Dr. Pepper featuring the instrumental to “S**t Popped Off”
September 2009 – Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II is released independently by Raekwon featuring 2 Dr. Dre productions
October 3, 2009 – Snoop Dogg posts a photo of him in the studio with Dre and Game to Twitter.
October 9. 2009 – Dre and Hewlett-Packard announce the forthcoming HP Envy 15 Beats computer.
October 2009 – Dre tells ABC news that he hopes to finish Detox by the end of the year and release it in 2010.
November 3, 2009 – Amerie’s In Love & War album is released on Def Jam and features “More Than Love” featuring Fabolous and produced by Dr. Dre. The song uses the beat featured in the Dr. Pepper commercial that Dre appeared in.
November 9, 2009 – 50 Cent’s Before I Self Destruct album is released. Dre contributes to 3 songs from the album.
December 21, 2009 - Eminem’s Relapse: Refill is released. Dre produces 5 songs and contributes vocals to one.
January 2010 – Bishop Lamont confirms that he is no longer signed to Aftermath. The three tracks Dre did for his album are scheduled to appear on his forthcoming album being released by Warner Bros.
February 11, 2010 – Dre files a lawsuit against WIDEAwake, the new owners of the Death Row Records catalog, over unpaid royalties.
February 18, 2010 – Dre celebrates his 45th birthday.
March 2010 – Dre appears in a commercial for HP’s Envy 15 Beats computer.
So as you can see, Dre hasn’t just been sitting back and doing nothing. He’s been steadily releasing music, just none with his name as the artist.
Do you think we’ll see Dre’s Detox this year? Leave a comment!
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