The long-awaited Detox may be looming, but acclaimed producer Dr. Dre has been secretly working on his first instrumental album.
Detox has remained in limbo since initial announcements in the early 2000s. A release date became more credible last year when several tracks leaked featuring Nas and T.I. Earlier this year, an unfinished version of Dre’s “Under Pressure” with Jay-Z leaked to a mixed reception.
A reason for the recent delays is Dre’s work on his first instrumental album. The Aftermath founder says he’s already secured a title inspired by our solar system.
“An instrumental album is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. I have ideas for it. I want to call it The Planets,” Dre told Rap Basement in a red-carpet interview. “It’s my interpretation of what each planet sounds like. I’m gonna go off that. Just all instrumental.”
Although this is Dre’s first time mentioning the project, Dre disclosed that’s he’s been working on it in his “spare time” since 2008. Not just relying on creative imagination, Dr. Dre disclosed that he’s studied astronomy to get a more accurate feel of his subject matter.
“I’ve been studying the planets and learning the personalities of each planet,” he explained. “I’ve been doing this for about two years now just in my spare time so to speak. I wanna do it in surround sound. It’ll have to be in surround sound for Saturn to work.”
At press time, Detox does not have a set calendar date.
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Remember way back in April when “Under Pressure” first leaked? If the reception had been overwhelmingly positive we would’ve got the album by now. But because fans didn’t take towards Dre’s Kraftwerk-inspired vision, it’s back to the drawing board.
It’s no secret that Dr. Dre is a perfectionist. It was a great character trait for him with his two Chronic albums. But now it appears to be hindrance stifling Dre from taking a risk. Fans are notorious for giving lukewarm receptions to album leaks and then doing a 180 when they hear the whole album and completely digest the vision. After years of work on Detox, Dr. Dre should show a little more faith his work thus far.
But I will admit, this Planets project sounds like a much better fit for the “Under Pressure” instrumental we heard.
So will Detox drop this year? I think we’ll have a better picture by mid-September, but I will go out on a limb and say yes. Dr. Dre has been more visible and talkative about the mythical album this year than at any point in the last decade. Now what it will actually sound like is anyone’s guess.
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