Dr Dre has announced that rare limited-edition collectables will be released in honour of his seminal album ‘The Chronic’s 30th anniversary.
Originally released on December 15, 1992, via Death Row and Interscope Records, the classic hip-hop album was re-released on major streaming platforms on February 1, 2023.
On Saturday (May 20), Interscope shared a teaser video on Instagram, explaining how they “proudly present ‘The Chronic Masters’, a slow-burn series of limited-edition releases honouring the timeless legacy of this classic.”
In collaboration with Trophy and Interscope, ‘The Chronic Masters’ will be comprised of “exclusive drops throughout the year that pay homage to the legendary work of Dr Dre.”
The first drop includes three session tape fine-art print offerings photographed by Jeremy Deputat, ‘The Session Tapes’ 1:1 replica set, the Session Tapes Oversized Replicas, and four limited-edition skate decks. The items will be available for sale on June 1 at 12pm PST and 3pm EST. Check out the website and sign up ahead of the release here.
‘The Chronic’ launched the careers of both Dre and Snoop Dogg‘, following the historic success of the lead single ‘Nuthin’ But A G Thang’ which popularised G-funk – a subgenre of ’90s Californian gangsta rap – now synonymous with the era.
While speaking to NME about the album, comedian Alex Thomas called Dr Dre “the hip-hop version of Quincy Jones” adding that “what he did with Snoop, Daz, Kurupt, Rage, Warren G and the rest of them was incredible.”
In addition, rapper Royce Da 5’9 noted that: “You fell in love with the whole cast [on the album] and you followed them when they went on to do their own spin-offs. It was like a Marvel movie and they were all like a bunch of fucking superheroes.”
In March, Snoop Dogg put the entire Death Row Records catalogue back onto streaming platforms. This came after he removed the albums in February 2022, when he acquired the label from MNRK Music Group.
Last year saw Snoop confirm that he was working on new music with Dre for the first time in 30 years. The pair reunited for the Super Bowl Halftime Show, alongside Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige and 50 Cent in 2022, before taking part in the star-studded celebration of 50 years of hip-hop at this year’s Grammys.
It comes after Dre said that he spent the last few years working on at least a dozen albums’ worth of material.