Dr. Dre returns with ‘Kush,’ first single from long-awaited ‘Detox’
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It took more than a decade, but the seemingly impossible has happened: A new Dr. Dre single has officially arrived.
Not that Pop & Hiss doesn’t trust Dre, but learning that the legendary producer was finally releasing a track from his oft-delayed album, “Detox,†was met with a little skepticism. After all, we’ve heard some of ‘Detox’ before, and it was selling soda-pop.
But what do you know, the notoriously perfectionist producer actually came out of hibernation, albeit forced.
After “Kush,†the Snoop Dogg- and Akon-assisted track hit the Net early Tuesday in an unmastered, prefinished form, Dre unleashed a more definitive edition. The cut was sent to radio and is now available for purchase on iTunes. Listeners can also stream it on his website.
The single is sure to be a breath of fresh air to Dre fans -- unless they are busy partaking in the song’s theme. Dre followers have waited more than 10 years for the album, reportedly his final. ‘Detox’ has become rap’s own version of Guns ‘N Roses’ “Chinese Democracy,†an album that feels more myth than reality, although the G’NR effort did eventually make it to retail.
In a radio interview with host Big Boy on Power 106 (105.9), he mentioned he didn’t intend for ‘Kush’ to come out, at least not yet, and hopes it doesn’t give listeners the impression that “Detox†is all about blunt smoking, as classic of a Dre and Snoop theme as it is.
“It’s about weed smoking, and I don’t want people to think that’s what my album’s about,†he said. “This is actually the only song with that type of content in it. But it seems that everybody likes it. So we’re going to go ahead and push with it.â€
‘Detox’ has gone through an exhaustive list of reported release dates for at least the last six years, and earlier this year an unmixed version of the originally planned first single ‘Under Pressure,’ featuring Jay-Z, leaked online. He vented his frustrations in a cover story with Vibe Magazine, and has reportedly pulled the track -- and the other demo cuts that have hit the Net -- from the album.
Dre has also said that he is crafting an instrumental album of the solar system, which he wants to title “The Planets.†The album, which he says will be his interpretations of how each planet sounds, will be surround-sound ready, if it happens.
Dre, of course, hasn’t exactly been dormant. The artist has been busy producing for the likes of Eminem and 50 Cent, among others. He also co-founded the successful high-performance headphone line, Beats by Dr. Dre.
-- Gerrick D. Kennedy
twitter.com/GerrickKennedy
