Dr. Dre! What more needs to be said? Arguably the best all-time Hip-Hop producer, everything the man touches is bound to be platinum. Hell, multi-platinum for that matter. He was going platinum long before it was a status symbol in Hip-Hop. From the World Class Wreckin' Crew to NWA to Death Row to just being Dre, he has seen success people only dream of achieving, and done it with a sense of ease the whole way. Now in 1999, damn near a decade since his classic release The Chronic, Dre releases the long-overdue, much-anticipated, guaranteed bomb Chronic 2001.

Sure some fans were skeptical after the mediocre release of Dr. Dre … presents the Aftermath, but this album will put all the doubters at ease. For God's sake, this Dre, he never lets you forget his greatness. 2001 is the Dre we have grown to love and fiend for on a hot, sunny afternoon. Right from the beginning you are given a classic with "The Watcher." Here you get a perfect example of Dre's new production style. Like always, the drums are hard and dominant, but instead of dropping a G-Funk sample right on top of it, he instead goes the route of sample free and lays down a thick bassline accompanied by sparse instrumentation to fill in the holes. It is a sound no doubt Dr. Dre but fresh and futuristic for the millennium. Then as Dre does a very above average job of commanding the microphone, he dwells deep into his personal thoughts and speaks on his current life situation and what all the haters will get if they step to him: "Cause we go round for round/ Clip for clip/ S**t four-pound for pound." It is a rejuvenated Dre that shows he can still grow and gain talent after all these years.

The two follow-up cuts are when we see a resemblance to The Chronic in that they have top-notch guest stars. "Fuck You" is your typical sex track with a slick guitar groove and great verses from Devin The Dude and Snoop. Then "Still D.R.E., " the first single, sees the combination that we've waited so eagerly to return, Dre and Snoop. With its mandolin-esque groove and solid drum kicks, this is the perfect ridah track as Snoop chants the chorus talkin' about "hittin' them corner's in them Lolo's."

As the album continues we are hit with banger after banger. "Xxpolsive" is probably the most simple yet most addicting track on the whole album. Featuring Kurupt, Hittman, Nate Dogg and Six-Two, this track will have your neck breaking from the echoing kick-snare loop. "The Next Episode" is a return to the days of Death Row as Dre teams up with Snoop and Nate Dogg and they give us more of that classic "gangsta s**t." Being one of he few songs with an actual sample in it, "The Next Episode" sounds like a welcome old friend. But the best is yet to come.

The two tracks that are sure to be favorites for many heads are "What's The Difference," and "Forget About Dre." The first features Xzibit and Eminem and has the X to the Z ripping the hardest over the orchestra inspired, kick-snare monster track and proves once again that Xzibit is the West's best kept secret. The latter sees Dre pair up with Eminem again and has the two flowing nicely in a double-time rhyme scheme as they rip the heads off of the haters. It is a very memorable track that will force you to rewind over and over.

2001 is a no doubt classic. With no real resemblance to its predecessor, 200l shines all on its own. With a nice list of guest stars, future-of-the-funk production and Dre's best ever mic performance (check "The Message") this album will ride well into the year 2000 and beyond, avoiding that deadly "Y2K" nonsense.

By JC