One of the most legendary albums never to be released isDetoxbyDr. Dre. What was originally proposed as Dr. Dre’s third studio album (and his final album) has produced a life of its own. There have been countless rumors and recollections from collaborators regarding why the album never released.
Hardcore hip-hop fans are still wondering whatever happened to Dr. Dre’sDetox, but perhaps there’s a more pressing question, especially as there continues to be speculation on ifDetox’srelease could still be on the horizon. Granted, there’s a more pressing question to debate at the center of this conversation: ShouldDetoxstill come out?
After providing a timeline onDetox’shistory and reasoning for why Dr. Dre never dropped Detox, it will become all the clearer as to whythe window has closed - and should stay closed - onDetox’sdrop.
A Timeline of Dr. Dre’s Detox
Why Has the Album Been Delayed?
Winding the clocks back to 2002, Dr. Dre is still fresh from winning a Grammy for Producer of the Year,acting in the movieTraining Day, and still hot from the success of his second album,2001. He’d announce the name of his next project,Detox. In interviews, he’d describethe concept album as the story of a hitman, with each song being told entirely through his eyes. Promising the album would take a year to finish, production was underway with the likes of Eminem, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, and 50 Cent all involved in some way.
Dr. Dre focused more on producing tracks for other artists in the early 2000s, pushing back production onDetox. Granted, he produced major hit singles for multiple artists in that time - including “In da Club” for 50 Cent, a beat made forDetoxthat Dre gifted to 50 - but fans were left in the dark onDetox’sstatus. Co-producer Scott Storch provided an update in 2004 in an interview withMTV, adding to the hype by calling the supposed rap musical “the most advanced rap album musically and lyrically we’ll probably ever have a chance to listen to.”
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Fast-forward to 2008, when Snoop Dogg confirmed toRolling Stonethat production onDetoxwas finally done. Still, because the Aftermath label founder continued prioritizing the production releases of other artists. After releasing 50 Cent’sBefore I Self Destructand Eminem’sRelapse,Detoxwas scheduled for a 2010 release, confirmed to host a dozen tracks.
One track, “Under Pressure” by Dr. Dre and Jay-Z, wound up being leaked ahead of schedule, among other tracks.Dre announced none of the leaked tracks would be on the final album, leading to another delay in reworking the album.
Did Dr. Dre’s Compton Replace Detox?
Dre’s Actual Third Album
November 2010 saw Dr. Dre release “Kush,” the lead single ofDetox, but after that, it quickly grew quiet forDetoxagain. There wasn’t any clear indicator or announcement of when or ifDetoxwould ever be released. What was clear, however, was whenDr. Dre released his third studio album,Compton, in 2015. Compton served as a companion piece forStraight Outta Compton, Hollywood’s biopic adaptationof the life of Dre and his breakout group, N.W.A. The movie chronicled the group’s formation in the 80s until Dre founded his record label, Aftermath, in the mid-90s.
While it takesDetox’splace on Dr. Dre’s discography as his third album,Comptonfeatures no songs that were intended for Detox, as production began in 2013-2015 with his biographical movie serving as direct inspiration. In fact, seven days beforeCompton’srelease, Dr. Dre would confirm on his Apple exclusive Beats 1 radio show,The Pharmacy, that he officially scrapped hisDetoxalbum because, for him, it wasn’t good enough. He said the following:
The reason that Detox didn’t come out was because I didn’t like it. It wasn’t good … I worked my ass off on it, but I didn’t think I did a good enough job. I couldn’t do that to my fans, I couldn’t do that to myself to be honest.
Believe it or not, despite Dre’s declaration, some fans - and even Scott Storch in a 2018 interview - still hold out hope thatDetoxcould come out.
Why Dr. Dre Should Never Release Deto
Expectations
Despite Storch’s insistence, it’s safe to assume that Dr. Dre’s mind is far removed fromDetox. Not just because of his words from his Apple show, but because he’s focused on so many other business ventures away from music. Even when music is factored in, he’s made it clear that he’s still prioritizing other artists as opposed to any new album or single of his own. This includes Snoop Dogg’s newest and 12th studio album,Missionary, produced by Dr. Dre.
In Dre’s mind, when he finished the album, Detox didn’t live up to the hype. It’s safe to assume that fans would agree if he ever dropped an album called Detox at this point.
Even in a world where Dr. Dre does have time forDetox, it’s not an endeavor worth pursuing for the same reason that Dre canceled the album in the first place: expectations are too high. There was a time when the news and mystery revolving aroundDetoxdeveloped a life - even a lore - of its own. In Dre’s mind, when he finished the album,Detoxdidn’t live up to the hype. It’s safe to assume that fans would agree if he ever dropped an album calledDetoxat this point. It’s impossible to live up to the expectations of something like that, and Dr. Dre rightfully shouldn’t try.
