Black History Music Pt. 1

In celebration of Black History Month, the Ear Candy Update intends to celebrate landmark recordings by black artists that have shaped the collective consciousness, mentality, and sense of cool the world over. First up. Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic.”

This established the West Coast G-Funk sound. This was everything for two years after its release. Everyone you know can rap the hits word for word, regardless of skin tone. It was inescapable. The old heads nodded in time with the Parliament-Funkadelic samples, the new heads tipped one back as (then) young prodigy Snoop Dogg laid down his laid-back rhymes.

Even the uncool kids had this record. THAT'S how cool it was. It was omnipresent and MTV couldn't play it enough. Remember when that was a thing? This is the exact moment Hip Hop ceased to be "dangerous" in the eyes of the conservatives and became a cash machine.

Rock and Roll leans on caskets. So does Hip Hop, except this album leaned on funk and soul (as most people should) as heavily as Congress leans on the Constitution. Out of this maelstrom of bass lines and funky licks, Dr. Dre established himself as the force among producers and visionaries - his vision and platinum ears establishing a new benchmark for what could be.

I don’t need to defend this. Listen to “Nuthin’ But a “G” Thang” and you’ll know.