2001

実にオリジナル・アルバムでは92年の「Chronic」以来の発売であるDr.Dre。本来は2000年を迎える節目として制作したアルバムなので「Chronic　2000」とするつもりが、先に同タイトルのデス・ロウ・コンピがリリースされてしまった関係で、急遽タイトル変更したアルバムである。サウンド面でも進化を遂げたNeo G-Funkが炸裂。エレクトロをベースとした展開は往年みせてきたそのサウンドらとなんら代わりがないが、数々のプロデュース・ワークで培った全ての要素を見事リンクさせた内容に！歴代の面々も大集合！これぞ西海岸最強の男！

Spin (1/00, pp.119-20) - 7 out of 10 - "...If you like your G-funk ludicrous and lubricious, 2001 should rank high on your list of pleasures in the zero-zero....his ongoing commitment to formal excellence and sonic innovation in this art form may one day earn him a place next to George Clinton..." Entertainment Weekly (11/19/99, pp.141-2) - "...The gangsta style that Dre pioneered is still going great guns....Dre's patented G-funk is as addictive as it was back when over 3 million record buyers got hooked on THE CHRONIC....reestablishes his mastery of the form..." - Rating: A- Q (1/01, p.90) - Included in Q's "50 Best Albums of 2000". Q (1/00, p.112) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...the master of high-concept hip hop....The catchy, dramatic production and guest spots from Eminem and Mary J Blige are a joy..." Muzik (1/00, p.110) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...another highlight to his career....the Doc slides into low-slung grooves and pungent atmospheres born of someone who's been around long enough to view streetlife from a shrewd, singular perspective..." CMJ (12/13/99, p.26) - "...harvests another potent bushel of sonic chronic....perfects beats through the use of session musicians and programmed samples....It's Dre Day now more than ever." Vibe (1/01, p.101) - Voted as "Album of the Year" in The 2000 Vibe Of The Year Awards - "...Proved that [he] hadn't lost his Midas touch..." The Source (1/00, pp.185-6) - 4.5 mics out of 5 - "...a sumptuous millenial appetizer....the bar is raised 10 times higher than for any rap artist/producer....no fast forward factor....makes gangsta sound so crystal clear and futuristic....[He] is still the king of this s*** here."