User:Guerilla In Tha Mist/Sandbox

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My Sandbox.

Contents

[edit] 2001

[edit] Reception

The album was generally well received by critics. In Rolling Stones The Immortals - The Greatest Artists of All Time, where Dr. Dre was listed at number 54, Kanye West talked of how the track "Xxplosive" inspired him: "'Xxplosive', off 2001, that's [where] I got my entire sound from -- if you listen to the track, it's got a soul beat, but it's done with those heavy Dre drums. Listen to "This Can't Be Life," a track I did for Jay-Z's Dynasty album, and then listen to "Xxplosive". It's a direct bite".[1] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide stated, "2001 isn't as consistent or striking as Slim Shady, but the music is always brimming with character".[2] Entertainment Weekly's Tom Sinclair praised the production, depicting it 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" and went on to commend Dr. Dre, stating, "If any rap producer deserves the title "composer", it's he."[3] NME mentioned that Dr. Dre didn't expand the genre, but it was "powerful enough in parts, but not clever enough to give Will Smith the fear"[4] PopMatters writer Chris Massey declared that "Musically, 2001 is about as close to brilliant as any one gangsta rap album might possibly get."[5] Christopher John Farley of Time stated that "the beats are fresh and involving, and Dre's collaborations with Eminem and Snoop Dogg have ferocity and wit."[6]

The album also received criticism. Erlewine talked of how the amount and quality of guest rappers affected the album, stating "Why does a producer as original as Dre work with such pedestrian rappers? Perhaps it's to ensure his control over the project, or to mask his own shortcomings as an MC, but the album suffers considerably as a result" and also criticised the lyrics, which he said were repetitive and full of "gangsta clichés".[2] Sinclair mentioned similar views of the lyrics, calling them "filthy", but noted "none of [this] should diminish Dre's achievement".[3] NME spoke of how the lyrics were too explicit, stating, "as the graphic grooves stretch out, littered with gunfire, bombings and 'copters over Compton, and the bitch-beating baton is handed from Knock-Turnal to Kurupt, 2001 reaches gangsta-rap parody-level with too many tracks coming off like porno-Wu outtakes".[4] Massey refered to the lyrics as a "caricature of an ethos [rather] than a reflection of any true prevailing beliefs."[5]

[edit] Lyrics

[edit] Lyrics

Royce Da 5'9" did extensive ghostwriting for Dr. Dre on the album.[7] The lyrics involved many themes and concepts, such as

Dr. Dre dedicated the song to his late brother Tyrece Young, who was murdered years earlier.

[edit] Censored version

The album was released in a censored version which blanked out all profanity, drug content, and violence. It was one of the most censored versions of an album in the late '90s, when most editors would commonly leave in drug and/or violent content (see DMX's first two albums as well as It Was Written by Nas).

[edit] Legal issues

Dr. Dre faced a couple of legal battles as a result of this album's content. George Lucas sued him over the use of the THX Deep Note in the album's intro, and the London-based music publisher Minder Music Ltd. was awarded $1.5 million in a federal copyright infringement lawsuit against the rapper, claiming the bassline for "Let's Get High" was stolen from a 1980 tune called "Backstrokin'".

[edit] Accolades

Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Source Awards USA Album of the Year 2000 Won

[edit] Sources

[edit] References

  1. ^ Kanye West (April 7, 2005). The Immortals - The Greatest Artists of All Time. Rolling Stone. Accessed May 21, 2008.
  2. ^ a b Stephen Thomas Erlewine. 2001 > Overview. All Music Guide. Accessed May 21, 2008.
  3. ^ a b Tom Sinclair (November 15, 1999). Music Review - 2001 (1999). Entertainment Weekly. Accessed May 21, 2008.
  4. ^ a b Dr. Dre - 2001 - Album Review. NME (November 18, 1999). Accessed May 21, 2008.
  5. ^ a b Chris Massey. Dr. Dre: 2001 - Music Review. PopMatters. Accessed May 21, 2008.
  6. ^ Christopher John Farley (November 29, 1999). Dr. Dre 2001. Time. Accessed May 21, 2008.
  7. ^ Soren Baker (October 29, 2002). Royce Da 5'9" Isn't Eminem's Shadow. MTV. Accessed July 22, 2007.