[img:$uid]http://i52.tinypic.com/i3fbs9.jpg[/img:$uid]

November 23, 2010

http://www.nme.com/news/dr-dre/53960

[Edited 11/23/10 15:53pm]

makes sense, considering how long it takes him to release albums, he'd be well in his 50's by the time he completes another album... plus he's more of a producer and a reluctant rapper

Rap is pretty much for young acts, unlike other genres. The Rolling Stones, B.B. King, Herbie Hancock, Johnny Mathis, Willie Nelson, etc. can still record and have an audience as senior citizens. They have a more loyal audience and a larger body of work. Most hip hop acts are "1 hit wonders" and here today, gone tomorrow.

Detox was suppose to have been release since 2008. Dre is 3 years behind schedule.

MickyDolenz said:

Rap is pretty much for young acts, unlike other genres. The Rolling Stones, B.B. King, Herbie Hancock, Johnny Mathis, Willie Nelson, etc. can still record and have an audience as senior citizens. They have a more loyal audience and a larger body of work. Most hip hop acts are "1 hit wonders" and here today, gone tomorrow.

But the older ones like Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, & Nas are still active. And rap acts like Public Enemy are still touring despite low album sales in recent years.

West coast rap died when Tupac died. He should had been retire.

it's only logical. He'd be dead before he completed another

NDRU said:

it's only logical. He'd be dead before he completed another

What is the probability that he will finalize another CD before Stevie Wonder?

Ok so lets start a thread for what your "comeback" album is going to be in 2015.

PoppyBros said:

West coast rap died when Tupac died. He should had been retire.

Not quite. Snoop Dogg kept it on life support.

Master P revived snoops career and he's from the south. That doesn't count.

His name will forever be attached to some of the greatest rap songs ever made, but lists of best rappers of all time, if it was just him rapping alone? He'd be pretty low on the list. The collaborations would put him in top 20.

He said he was retiring 12 years ago.

But do you really think he's going to be able to stay out of the mic booth, even if he's doing demos for some up and coming rapper that he plans on producing?

PoppyBros said:

Master P revived snoops career and he's from the south. That doesn't count.

Snoop reunited with Dre 2 more times despite working for Master P.

And by your reasoning, east coast rap died for real because Nas, Jay-Z, & 50 Cent had beats from Dre, Timbaland, and The Neptunes.

I do not believe Dre will retire.

QUESTIONS EVERY AGING RAPPER NEEDS TO ASK THEMSELVES WHEN CONSIDERING RETIREMENT

How do you retire from something you haven't done in years?

Are you still eligible for a rappers pension?

How do you file to collect you emcee security checks?

How do you choose which retirement hood to move to when you can no longer be independent?

What benefits are you entitled as a retired rapper?

Will medicare cover a hip replacement if some fool busts a cap in yo' ass?

TonyVanDam said:

MickyDolenz said:

Rap is pretty much for young acts, unlike other genres. The Rolling Stones, B.B. King, Herbie Hancock, Johnny Mathis, Willie Nelson, etc. can still record and have an audience as senior citizens. They have a more loyal audience and a larger body of work. Most hip hop acts are "1 hit wonders" and here today, gone tomorrow.

But the older ones like Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, & Nas are still active. And rap acts like Public Enemy are still touring despite low album sales in recent years.

Whodini, Sugarhill Gang, Doug E Fresh, Melle Mel, Salt N Pepa also still perform. But they don't get the same kind of big money making tours like Van Halen, Prince, Madonna, or The Eagles do. Rap music has a limited shelf life. The songs can't really be remade like The Beatles' Yesterday or sampled like Funky Drummer by James Brown.

As a producer, Dre's the shit.

As a rapper...not so much.

Cube told him years ago on his NWA dis track "No Vaseline":

"Hey, yo Dre...stick to producin!"

Like I said west coast rap died the same year as Tupac.

I agree with those who say rap has a limited shelf life. Not only does the music not age well, it doesn't seem that the fan base will grow old with it like for instance the Eagles or Stevie Wonder or Bruce Springsteen. You look at their current audiences and who buys their records and you'll see their 60 year old peers in support. I don't think rap works that way. Rap seems to be music that people grow out of and aren't going to keep as the soundtrack to their adult lives in that way. Add to that the difficulty of an old act attracting a young fanbase and it seems the lifespan of a rap career is going to be relatively short.

[Edited 11/23/10 19:51pm]

MickyDolenz makes good points. The rap game really is a young thing....the smart ones got into other things like acting (see Will Smith, IceT, Ice Cube) or making a general ass of themselves whilst getting paid (see IceT and Flav) before they got too old.

Dre has the producing thing up his sleeve and if he can keep the sounds of interest to the current tastes, he can still keep making bank.

It always amuses me when artists talk about quitting....that works precisely until they need a cash infusion!

119 said:

I agree with those who say rap has a limited shelf life. Not only does the music not age well, it doesn't seem that the fan base will grow old with it like for instance the Eagles or Stevie Wonder or Bruce Springsteen. You look at their current audiences and who buys their records and you'll see their 60 year old peers in support. I don't think rap works that way. Rap seems to be music that people grow out of and aren't going to keep as the soundtrack to their adult lives in that way. Add to that the difficulty of an old act attracting a young fanbase and it seems the lifespan of a rap career is going to be relatively short.

[Edited 11/23/10 19:51pm]

The thing with hip hop is that for the most part, it can't be covered. It's too personalized to the rapper/MC. Covering songs help them reach audiences that may not listen to the original act or genre.

He be back. The male ego is a mofo. Hammer is trying to beef w/ JayZ now. Women trip off us.

JonnyApplesauce said:

He be back. The male ego is a mofo. Hammer is trying to beef w/ JayZ now. Women trip off us.

Scarface, Too Short, Ja Rule, Master P, DMX, Jay-Z all claimed that they were gonna retire from rap but did they? Nope.

Dre was always more of a producer than rapper, so it makes sense

Hopefully, he'll still be part of the N.W.A movie.

Identity said:

NDRU said:

it's only logical. He'd be dead before he completed another

What is the probability that he will finalize another CD before Stevie Wonder?

Don't play with my emotions.

Honestly, I was looking forward to Detox in 2006 or 2007 or whenever it was supposed to drop, but my tastes for hip-hop fall a little bit each passing day. I'm sure I'll buy and love the album, who knows how many times I spun Chronic 2k1. I guess my anticipation is just lower, but I'll likely enjoy the music anyways.

On a side note, I just saw that 2k1 was in second place during its debut, with sales of over 500k in its first week. What the hell was number 1 then?

Whenever rap gets stale Dre releases a CD to revitalize the game. Dre is probably the most important figure in Hip Hop, IMHO. His CDs are alway game changers.

Superstition said:

On a side note, I just saw that 2k1 was in second place during its debut, with sales of over 500k in its first week. What the hell was number 1 then?

Issues by Korn.

119 said:

I agree with those who say rap has a limited shelf life. Not only does the music not age well, it doesn't seem that the fan base will grow old with it like for instance the Eagles or Stevie Wonder or Bruce Springsteen. You look at their current audiences and who buys their records and you'll see their 60 year old peers in support. I don't think rap works that way. Rap seems to be music that people grow out of and aren't going to keep as the soundtrack to their adult lives in that way. Add to that the difficulty of an old act attracting a young fanbase and it seems the lifespan of a rap career is going to be relatively short.

[Edited 11/23/10 19:51pm]

1993 sounds fn good to me:

1994? mmm yes

1996 sounds fresh right nowww

Good music is timeless, no matter the genre!