No producer appears more often on Complex’s 100 Best Hip-Hop Beats of All Time list than Dr. Dre.
The list treats production as the foundation of a great hip hop record, making producers the main focus of the conversation. Unsurprisingly, it showed that that Dr. Dre had a greater impact on the genre than any other production genius. According to Complex, that’s it. Let’s see if their selection rings true:
79 Snoop Doggy Dogg, “Gin & Juice” (1993)
Producer: Dr. Dre
Album: Doggystyle
Label: Death Row, Interscope, Atlantic
“Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” may be more well-known and “Deep Cover” is a lot grittier, but in terms of classic Snoop and Dre team-ups, this strikes just the right balance between catchy and hardcore.
Dre perfected the G-Funk sound he’d introduced on The Chronic for Snoop’s debut album, with “Gin and Juice” displaying an excellent example of that formula – a masterful blending of popular samples (George McCrae’s “I Get Lifted”), live bass, high-pitched synths, and hooks that update old funk staples with hedonistic new lyrics.
20 Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg, “Deep Cover” (1992)
Producer: Dr. Dre
Album: Deep Cover
Label: Epic
“Deep Cover” is noteworthy for a couple of reasons: It was the world’s first exposure to Snoop Doggy Dogg, and it was Dr. Dre’s first post-N.W.A. output, offering a preview of the new sound he would unveil on The Chronic. Dre’s winning formula, consisting of loud drums (courtesy of the classic Sly and The Family Stone “Sing A Sample Song” break), a sinister synth melody that made you feel like you were walking down a dark alleyway, and a creeping bassline marked the next evolution of the musical foundation he established with N.W.A. Once The Chronic and Doggystyle dropped, that sonic trifecta would become synonymous with West Coast rap.
14 50 Cent, “In da Club” (2003)
Producer: Dr. Dre
Album: Get Rich or Die Tryin’
Label: Aftermath Entertainment, Interscope, Shady
Deceptively simple but unforgettable, this is a text-book example of the Dr. Dre hit-making formula – a head-nodding, minimalist beat peppered with flourishes of live guitar, keys, and bass (special mention to the mighty DJ Quik on percussion).
In the Vitamin Water commercial 50 conducts a symphony orchestra as they play the beat – and it doesn’t sound bad – but this one’s more classic than classical. Dre’s track was the soundtrack for 50’s introduction to the mainstream. But more than his laid-back drawl, party chants, statements of intent to take over the rap game, and obligatory references to getting shot, it was the beat that made this a song even Oprah Winfrey could love.
12 Eazy-E, “Boyz-N-The-Hood” (1986)
Producer: Dr. Dre
Album: N.W.A. and the Posse
Label: Ruthless
Based around the electro-tinged riff from Whodini’s “I’m A Hoe,” and a granite-tough guitar riff, Eazy-E’s early solo effort was bolstered by a knocking Dr. Dre track, and some rhymes penned by Ice Cube – all f which established this diminutive character as a trash-talking Compton tough guy, surrounded by a manic selection of rap and comedy vocal scratches.
10 Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Doggy Dogg, “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” (1992)
Producer: Dr. Dre
Album: The Chronic
Label: Death Row
Listening back to the Leon Haywood original, “I Want’a Do Something Freaky to You” reveals that Dre pillaged every inch for his version, ruthlessly snatching the main loop, key changes, and chorus (which he then replayed) – a testament to the strength of the Haywood’s original composition.
Snoop Dogg makes himself right at home immediately, effortlessly riding the track into submission with his laid-back delivery to claim it as his own, while the good Doctor proudly unleashes the super-slick sound nand mandatory “Funky Worm” synth that would change the sound of West Coast rap forever.
3 Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg, “Still D.R.E.” (1999)
Producer: Dr. Dre, Mel-Man, Scott Storch
Album: 2001
Label: Aftermath, Interscope
It’s difficult to choose a single track from Dr. Dre’s 2001. How do you pick between “Xxplosive”’s unforgettable guitar lick, “The Next Episode”’s clubbing grandeur, or “Fuck You”’s tense restraint? But “Still D.R.E.” is the standout for a reason. It isn’t just because of the Jay-Z-written Dre comeback verse, Mel-Man’s co-production or the piano premiere of a young, post-Roots Scott Storch.
The song truly transcends because with a tight, minimal beat – just a few grace notes, some strings and the hardest drums in rap – Dre was able to redefine the sound of an entire city for the second time. “Still D.R.E.” is a perfect example of what Dre does well, particularly his ear for detail, like the echoing arpeggios during the chorus that grant the song its sunset mystique.
The editorial list was followed by the community ranking, where over 28,000 readers shared their own take on which beats belong in the Top 100. All but one of Dr Dre’s entries were ranked higher by the community than on the staffers’ list, with “Still D.R.E.” placed at No.2.
Community ranking:
2. Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg, “Still D.R.E.” (1999)
6. Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Doggy Dogg, “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” (1992)
12. Eazy-E, “Boyz-N-The-Hood” (1986)
13. 50 Cent, “In da Club” (2003)
18. Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg, “Deep Cover” (1992)
77. Snoop Doggy Dogg, “Gin & Juice” (1993)
With six entries on the list overall, Dr. Dre is ahead of Kanye West and Rick Rubin; each of them contributed three tracks to the ranking. Additionally, DJ Premier, Mike Dean, The Neptunes and Timbaland also appeared three times each.
However, one name was not mentioned at all. The glaring absence is Eminem’s production work. It is difficult to imagine that songs like “Renegade”, “Patiently Waiting”, “The Way I Am”, “Lose Yourself”, or “Till I Collapse” did not make the list. If there are songs that everyone can recognise from a beat alone, this short list contains at least one of them.