Yep. February is the date that ‘Detox’ will finally release. Has hell frozen over? Are pigs flying? The followup to the hugely successful ‘Chronic 2001’ has been in development since 2003 and has been delayed so many times it’s become the industry joke. It’s the equivalent of Duke Nukem Forever in that it’s kind of become this distant idea that we all know is there but will never actually see (ironically both have now been confirmed as nearing completion).
We’ve been hit with false release dates before from Dre and company but with the official release of the first single looming, this time it looks like it’s for real. The album will feature collaborations with Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Akon, La Roux and The Game.
Now the only question is will it be able to put the Dr. back on top? After so long away from the spotlight, numerous delays and after so many seemingly uninspired beats on various artists’ albums and leaked songs (albeit mostly unfinished songs), I’m actually pretty worried that the producer won’t be able to live up to his previous work. Each of his albums have been landmark moments in hip hop and with the release of Kanye’s excellent album, I just can’t see how Dre can be as progressive as he once was and shake the industry on its head like the ‘Chronic’ and ‘Chronic 2001’ did.