Each year, the Library selects 25 pieces of music deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” to join its hallows – in fact, you might remember Jay-Z’s The Blueprint and Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly soundtrack being submitted to the archive last year. Other notable inductees from this year include The Village People’s ‘YMCA’, Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’, Cheap Trick’s Cheap Trick at Budokan live album and the original Broadway recording of Fiddler On The Roof.
With its signature squelching synths, formidable low-end and undisputable studio sheen, The Chronic was lauded upon release in 1992, and even today is viewed as being one of the best-produced rap albums of all time. Fusing intuitive sampling with dynamic live instrumentation, The Chronic encapsulated the West Coast sound like no record had ever done before, and was an instant hit with audiences – it’s estimated that over six million copies of the record were sold in the US alone.
Tracks like ‘Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang’, ‘Let Me Ride’ and ‘Bitches Ain’t Shit’ introduced the world to now-iconic voices such as Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Nate Dogg, and underlined Dre’s ear for vocal talent as well as his own prowess behind the boards, cementing his legacy as one of the best producers of all time.
You can check out the full list of inductees to the Library of Congress here.
Find out more about Dr. Dre’s production methods via our Gear Rundown.
