Just what the doctor ordered: Dr. Dre has dropped six new songs featuring collaborators new and old, including Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Anderson .Paak, Busta Rhymes, Rick Ross, and more. The tunes are destined for the new GTA Online expansion, The Contract. Dre and .Paak starred in the trailer for the upcoming episode, and the new release “ETA” served as its soundtrack.
Even when played quietly, Dre’s music is always rolling loud, although these latest offerings are more mid than top shelf. But you can still catch an old-school buzz when that minor-key sample on “Gospel” kicks in, especially as the good doctor trades bars with Eminem and The D.O.C.
It’s not clear when any of these cuts were recorded, but “Gospel” is fairly new, judging by Em’s line, “You fucking with the original, flow sick/ And anybody can get it, COVID.” Apart from that, the track could easily slide into the long back half of 2001, or its much-hyped but eventually cancelled follow-up, Detox.
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Not all of the new songs are turn-of-the-millennium throwbacks. “ETA” is a sonic cousin to Dre’s 2015 album Compton, especially because it boasts that project’s breakout star, Anderson .Paak. A richly-textured soul sample sets the scene for a nostalgic look at hometowns and the passage of time. Dre raps about meeting one of his oldest friends at the famed Compton Swap Meet, saying, “I remember me and Dogg, Swap Meet, Dickies on.” .Paak responds, “When was that? In ’93?” Dre sighs, “You probably wasn’t evеn born.”