Who:

Dr. Dre f. Snoop Dogg

What:

“Still D.R.E."

When (was it released):

1999

Where (was it featured):

Dr. Dre’s 2001 album

Why (did the song happen):

Dr. Dre was in an unprecedented position, for him at least. The production maven’s 1996 compilation Dr. Dre Presents: The Aftermath and 1997’s The Album by supergroup The Firm moved more than 1 million units each, but both were also met with widespread questions.

Neither met expectations, critically or commercially, especially given the magnitude of The Aftermath being the launch of Dre’s post-Death Row company and The Album pairing him with a rapper as revered as Nas. Indeed, for the first time in his illustrious career, the rap world wondered if Dr. Dre’s theretofore flawless Midas touch had worn off.

Dr. Dre wasn’t anywhere close to that, of course. After guiding Eminem and his The Slim Shady LP to quadruple platinum status in early 1999, Dr. Dre decided to return with his second album. For the lead single, he went with “Still D.R.E.” 

How (it became iconic):

Backed by a hypnotizing aural concoction created by Scott Storch and others, Dr. Dre used “Still D.R.E.” as an opportunity to highlight his recording resume and fire back at his detractors.

It was also a creative line in the sand, one where he made his position clear. He was the same Dr. Dre, the one fans loved back in the day and the one that shapes the music’s sound, look, and feel. In particular, Dr. Dre addressed a specific segment of his haters, saying that he couldn’t have fallen off since his last album was The Chronic.

t was a nod to both his landmark, genre-shifting 1992 album and to the lukewarm response he’d gotten for Dr. Dre Presents: The Aftermath. Full of tough talk, rugged rhymes, and immaculate production, “Still D.R.E.” showed Dr. Dre still had it. Snoop Dogg’s presence on the chorus continued the pair’s resurgence that got a jumpstart on Snoop’s “B Please” single with Xzibit that dropped earlier in 1999. With Snoop Dogg back in tow, it appeared as though Dr. Dre was about to deliver another magnum opus. 2001 proved that line of thought to be correct.

Jay-Z's connection:

In 20202, Snoop Dogg revealed that Jay-Z wrote both the verses and the hook for "Still D.R.E." in under 30 minutes, telling The Breakfast Club, “He wrote Dre’s shit and my shit and it was flawless. It was ‘Still D.R.E.’ and it was Jay-Z and he wrote the whole fucking song.” He later added, "Jay-Z is a great writer to begin with for himself, so imagine him striking it for someone he truly loves and appreciates. He loves Dr. Dre and that’s what his pen showed you, that I can’t write for you if I don’t love you.”

The impact:

"Still D.R.E." was a the centerpiece of Dre's 2022 Super Bowl performance. To date, the song currently has over 1.3 billion streams on Spotify, which outpaces his next most popular song, "The Next Episode," by over 400,000 streams.