01.) “Intro” (feat. Tray Deee and Xzibit) Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man
02.) “The Watcher” (5 out of 5) Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man
“The Watcher” is the perfect way too kick-off “2001”. Dr. Dre delivers three outstanding verses over his (and Mel-Man’s) epic production. This was an excellent way to re-introduce Dr. Dre into the rap game after a three year hiatus.
03.) “***** You” (feat. Devin and Snoop Dogg) (5 out of 5) Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man
This is another outstanding production courtesy of Dr. Dre and Mel-Man. Dr. Dre spits an excellent verse but is outshined by the outstanding lyrical performances of Devin and Snoop Dogg. Snoop Dogg’s verse on “***** You” is arguably his best verse since his “Doggystyle” days.
04.) “Still D.R.E.” (feat. Snoop Dogg) (5 out of 5) Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man
Dr. Dre puts-on a classic lyrical performance (courtesy of Jay-Z). Dr. Dre and Mel-Man’s hard-hitting production is one of the best in the history of Hip-Hop. There is one word to perfectly describe this track… classic.
05.) “Big Ego’s” (feat. Hittman) (4.5 out of 5) Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man
The hypnotic production of Dr. Dre and Mel-Man is what’s best about this track. “Big Ego’s” is the first of Hittman’s nine outstanding lyrical performances featured on “2001”… I’m still waiting for his debut album.
06.) “Xxplosive” (feat. Hittman, Kurupt, Nate Dogg and Six-Two) (5 out of 5) Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man
“Xxplosive” is the definition of a West Coast classic. The production of Dr. Dre and Mel-Man is arguably the best production featured on “2001”… and that says A LOT! Kurupt and Six-Two both spit outstanding verses (more-so Six-Two). But, in my opinion, Nate Dogg shines the brightest on this West Coast classic.
07.) “What’s The Difference” (feat. Eminem and Xzibit) (5 out of 5) Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man
“What’s The Difference” is a personal favorite of mine. Dr. Dre drops what can be argued as his career-best lyrical performance; Eminem also drops a gem of a verse. But I don’t think that I’d be crossing over any lines by saying that Xzibit is the STAR of “What’s The Difference”. Xzibit’s verse on this track is the reason that Xzibit’s classic album “Restless” recieved so much pre-release hype.
08.) “Bar One” (feat. Eddie Griffin, Ms. Roq and Traci Nelson) Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man
09.) “Light Speed” (feat. Hittman) (4 out of 5) Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man
“Light Speed” is a rather simple (yet outstanding) production equipped with a bass-line that is designed to damaged your ear drums. Dr. Dre and Hittman both drop nice verses.
10.) “Forgot About Dre” (feat. Eminem) (4.5 out of 5) Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man
Dr. Dre and Eminem both put-on a lyrical clinic on this track. The production of Dr. Dre and Mel-Man is absolutly perfect for the theme of this track. I think that the mainstream media is what’s to blame for me not giving this track a perfect rating. This track was played so much back in the year 2000 that I’m STILL sick of it!
11.) “The Next Episode” (feat. Snoop Dogg) (5 out of 5) Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man
I like to think of the summer anthem for the year 2000 as the sequel to “Nuthin’ But A G Thang”. Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg both spit FIRE over yet-another Dr. Dre/Mel-Man banger. I especially love Nate Dogg’s short outro on this one. It doesn’t get much better than this right here.
12.) “Let’s Get High” (feat. Hittman, Kurupt and Ms. Roq) (4 out of 5) Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man
Dr. Dre, Hittman, Kurupt and Ms. Roq all drop outstanding verses over this outstanding bass-driven production. This track sounds different than any other track on this album… and that’s not a bad thing. The hook makes this track almost irrisistable.
13.) “***** Niggaz” (feat. Hittman, Six-Two and Snoop Dogg) (4.5 out of 5) Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man
The outstanding blues-influenced production of Dr. Dre and Mel-Man is on another level. Dr. Dre, Hittman, Six-Two and Snoop Dogg all do justice to the outstanding production. Six-Two is another person whose album I’m still waiting for as a result of “2001”; There is just so much talent featured on this album! Also… why can’t Snoop Dogg always drop verses like this?
14.) “The Car Bomb” (feat. Charis Henry and Mel-Man) Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man
15.) “Murder Ink” (feat. Hittman and Ms. Roq) (4.5 out of 5) Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man
Hittman and Ms. Roq both drop excellent verses over the sinister piano-driven production. This is another one of my personal favorites.
16.) “Ed-ucation” (feat. Eddie Griffin) Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man
17.) “Some L.A. Niggaz” (feat. Defari, Hittman, King T, Kokane, MC Ren, Time Bomb and Xzibit) (5 out of 5) Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man
“Some L.A. Niggaz” is yet ANOTHER Weft Coast classic featured on “2001”. MC Ren teases the listener by dropping ad-libs instead of spitting a few bars over the epic production on the tracks intro. Defari and Xzibit hold-down the Likwit Crew on this track by dropping near-classic verses. Hittman, King T and Time Bomb all drop outstanding verses; Time Bomb is especially impressive. And what’s an L.A. anthem without Kokane on the hook?
18.) “Pause 4 Porno” (feat. Jake Steed) Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man
19.) “Housewife” (feat. Hittman and Kurupt) (4.5 out of 5) Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man
“Housewife” is more of a remix of a version that appeared on Kurupt’s debut album “Kuruption!”; This version also appears on Kurupt’s classic sophomore album, “Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha”. Needless-to-say, this version is MUCH better than the original. The outstanding blues-influenced production fits the theme of the song perfectly. Dr. Dre, Hittman and Kurupt all drop outstanding verses.
20.) “Ackrite” (feat. Hittman) (5 out of 5) Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man
This is the track that got me REALLY excited about Hittman’s yet-to-be-released debut album. Hittman spits absolute FIRE over the outstanding production of Dr. Dre and Mel-Man. Good luck trying to get this hook out of your head. Another one of my personal favorites…
21.) “Bang Bang” (feat. Hittman and Knoc-Turn’al) (5 out of 5) Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man
Dr. Dre drops a gem of a verse but is outshined by the lyrical-tyrade of both Hittman and Knoc-Turn’al. The production on this track is nothing less than perfect. How many classics can fit on one album?
22.) “The Message” (feat. Mary J. Blige and Rell) (5 out of 5) Produced by Lord Finnesse
This track sounds NOTHING like any of the other tracks on this album. It is also the most personal that Dr. Dre has ever gotten on a record. I think that this may be Dr. Dre’s best lyrical performance ever. Mary J. Blige sounds outstanding on the hook (along with Roc-A-Fella crooner Rell). This is a personal favorite of mine.
CONCLUSION: There is no doubt in my mind that “2001” is a Hip-Hop classic. This album is what pushed West Coast Hip-Hop back to the top in the year 2000. I’m waiting to see if the same will happen this year when Dr. Dre unleashes “Detox” on the world. Don’t forget that this album was responsible for re-establishing Dr. Dre in the music industry. So if it wasn’t for “2001” a lot of music that has dropped since 1999 may have never existed. If you ask me (this may upset some people) but the production on “2001” is a little bit better than the production featured on Dre’s 1992 classic “The Chronic”. Then again, if you ask me, the lyrics featured on “The Chronic” are better than the lyrics featured on “2001”. But keep in mind that a lot changed from 1992 to 1999, so it’s unfair to compare the two albums. No matter how you look at it… “2001” is an undeniable classic.
FINAL RATING: 5 out of 5