2001 (德瑞医生专辑)

名稱

「Chronic 2000」是新視鏡唱片的Dr. Dre最初考慮作為他第二張專輯的名稱，但是歌手Suge Knight率先採用了這個名稱並且用在他的專輯上，迫使Dr. Dre將名稱改為《2001》。

背景

在接受《紐約時報》採訪時，Dr. Dre談到了他錄製專輯的動機，在外人對他的製作和說唱能力產生疑慮之後，這個現象來自他自從「The Chronic」（1992）以來就沒有發行過獨唱錄音室專輯的事實。他不得不再次向粉絲和媒體證明自己。他表示：
在過去幾年裡，有很多關於我是否仍然能夠抓住自我、是否還擅長製作的馬路消息。然而那是我最終的動力。雜誌、口碑和說唱小報都說我不行了。我還能多做些什麼？ 我有多少白金唱片？好，就是這張專輯——現在你們還有什麼話要說？
這張專輯打算作為混音帶發行; 通過插曲和轉盤效果將曲目串聯起來，但後來改為像電影一樣形式製作。Dr. Dre說：「你聽到的一切都在計劃中。這是一部電影，但有著不同的情況。所以你會得到積累、感動的時刻與積極的時刻。你甚至會「Pause for Porno」。它擁有電影所有的一切。 」談到他沒有為夜總會或電台播放錄製專輯，並且他計劃專輯只是為了娛樂節目的滑稽表演，他評論說：「我不想發出任何信息或任何與此唱片有關的東西。我只是基本上做了硬核嘻哈，並嘗試添加一些黑色幽默在這裡。媒體很多時候都會採取這種做法，並在所有娛樂活動都是第一時間嘗試將其變成其他內容。你不應該太認真。」

錄製

專輯中標明Dr. Dre撰寫的一些歌詞，被注意到是由幾位代筆人撰寫。傳言Royce da 5'9"是一位參與代撰的人。 他被指出寫的是最後一首曲目"The Message"， 但是他的正式名稱或化名並沒有出現在專輯文案中。
已隱藏部分未翻譯部分，歡迎參與翻譯。
, originally named "The Way I Be Pimpin'", was later retouched as "Xxplosive"; this version has Dr. Dre rapping penned verses by Royce and featured Royce's vocals on the chorus. Royce wrote several tracks such as "The Throne Is Mine" and "Stay in Your Place" which were later cut from the final track list. The tracks have been leaked later on several mixtapes, including Pretox.
The album's production expanded on that of The Chronic, with new, sparse beats and reduced use of samples which were prominent on his debut album. Co-producer Scott Storch talked of how Dr. Dre used his collaborators during recording sessions: "At the time, I saw Dr. Dre desperately needed something. He needed a fuel injection, and Dre utilized me as the nitrous oxide. He threw me into the mix, and I sort of tapped on a new flavor with my whole piano sound and the strings and orchestration. So I'd be on the keyboards, and Mike [Elizondo] was on the bass guitar, and Dre was on the drum machine." Josh Tyrangiel of Time has described the recording process which Dr. Dre employs, stating "Every Dre track begins the same way, with Dre behind a drum machine in a room full of trusted musicians. (They carry beepers. When he wants to work, they work.) He'll program a beat, then ask the musicians to play along; when Dre hears something he likes, he isolates the player and tells him how to refine the sound."

Production

The album primarily featured co-production between Dr. Dre and Mel-Man and was generally well received by critics. AllMusic writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted that Dr. Dre had expanded on the G-funk beats on his previous album, The Chronic, and stated, "He's pushed himself hard, finding new variations in the formula by adding ominous strings, soulful vocals, and reggae, resulting in fairly interesting recontextualizations" and went on to say, "Sonically, this is first-rate, straight-up gangsta."
Entertainment Weekly's Tom Sinclair depicted the album as "Chilly keyboard motifs gliding across gut-punching bass lines, strings and synths swooping in and out of the mix, naggingly familiar guitar licks providing visceral punctuation". NME described the production as "patented tectonic funk beats and mournful atmospherics". PopMatters praised the production, stating that "the hip-hop rhythms are catchy, sometimes in your face, sometimes subtle, but always a fine backdrop for the power of Dre's voice." Jon Pareles of The New York Times mentioned that the beats were "lean and immaculate, each one a pithy combination of beat, rap, melody and strategic silences".
The album marked the beginning of Dr. Dre's collaboration with keyboardist Scott Storch, who had previously worked with The Roots and is credited as a co-writer on several of 2001's tracks, including the hit single "Still D.R.E.". Storch would later go on to become a successful producer in his own right, and has been credited as a co-producer with Dr. Dre on some of his productions since.

Lyrics

The lyrics on the album received criticism and created some controversy. They include many themes associated with gangsta rap, such as violence, promiscuity, street gangs, drive-by shootings, crime and drug usage. Stephen Thomas Erlewine said that the only subject matter on the album was "violence, drugs, pussy, bitches, dope, guns, and gangsters" and that these themes have become repetitive and unchanged in the last ten years. Critics noted that Dr. Dre had differed from his effort to "clean-up his act" which he tried to establish with his 1996 single, "Been There, Done That" from Dr. Dre Presents...The Aftermath.
NME mentioned that the album was full of "pig-headed, punk-dicked, 'bitch'-dissing along with requisite dollops of ho-slapping violence, marijuana-addled bravado and penis-sucking wish fulfilment." Massey noted that the lyrics were overly explicit but praised his delivery and flow: "His rhymes are quick, his delivery laid back yet full of punch." The rhymes involve Dr. Dre's return to the forefront of hip hop, which is conveyed in the singles "Still D.R.E." and "Forgot About Dre". Many critics cited the last track, "The Message"; a song dedicated to Dr. Dre's deceased brother, as what the album could have been without the excessively explicit lyrics, with Massey calling it "downright beautiful" and "a classic of modern rap".

Singles

Three singles were released from the album: "Still D.R.E.", "Forgot About Dre" and "The Next Episode". Other tracks "Fuck You", "Let's Get High", "What's the Difference" and "Xxplosive" were not officially released as singles but received some radio airplay which resulted in them charting in the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. "Still D.R.E." was released as the lead single in October 1999. It peaked at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 32 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and reached number 11 on the Hot Rap Singles. It reached number six on the UK single charts in March 2000. The song was nominated at the 2000 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, but lost to The Roots and Erykah Badu's "You Got Me".
"Forgot About Dre" was released as the second single in 2000 and like the previous single, it was a hit on multiple charts. It reached number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 14 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and number 3 on the Rhythmic Top 40. It reached number seven on the UK single charts in June 2000. The accompanying music video won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video in 2000. The song won Dr. Dre and Eminem Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 2001 Grammy Awards.
"The Next Episode" was released as the third and final single in 2000. It peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 11 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and number 2 on the Rhythmic Top 40. It peaked at number three on UK single charts in February 2001. It was nominated at the 2001 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, but the award went to another single from the same album to Dr. Dre and Eminem for "Forgot About Dre".

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 2 on the US Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 516,000 copies. It also entered at number one on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album was successful in Canada, where it reached number 2 on the charts. The record was mildly successful in Europe, reaching number 4 in the United Kingdom, number 7 in Ireland, number 15 in France, number 17 in the Netherlands and number 26 in Norway. It peaked at number 11 on the New Zealand album chart. Closing out the year of 2000, the album was number 5 on the Billboard Top Albums and number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It re-entered the charts in 2003, peaking on the UK Albums Top 75 at number 61 and on the Ireland Albums Top 75 at number 30. The album was certified six times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 21, 2000. It is Dr. Dre's best selling album, as his previous album, The Chronic, was certified three times platinum. As of August 2015, the album has sold 7,800,000 copies in the United States.