"Still D.R.E." is a song by American rapper-producerDr. Dre, featuring fellow American rapperSnoop Dogg. It was released in 1999, as the lead single from Dre's multi-platinum second studio album,2001 (1999). The single debuted and peaked at number 93 on theBillboard Hot 100 in 1999 before re-entering and peaking at number 23 in 2022. It was more successful in theUnited Kingdom, where it reached number 6. The song has been performed live numerous times by both Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. Notable performances include the 2000Up in Smoke Tour and as the final song in theSuper Bowl LVI halftime show on February 13, 2022, alongside fellow American rappersEminem,Mary J. Blige,Kendrick Lamar and50 Cent, withAnderson .Paak on drums.
Dr. Dre released his highly acclaimed debut solo albumThe Chronic in 1992. After this, Dre went seven years without releasing an album. During this time he featured on theBillboard Hot 100 chart-toppers "California Love" and "No Diggity", while also producingSnoop Dogg andEminem's debut studio albumsDoggystyle andThe Slim Shady LP, respectively. The stakes were higher for the sequel toThe Chronic, so Dre recruitedJay-Z to ghostwrite lyrics for the former's comeback single, "Still D.R.E.". "At first, he wrote about diamonds and Bentleys," Dre toldBlaze magazine in 1999. "So I told Jay to write some other shit. Jigga sat for 20 minutes and came back with some hard-ass, around-the-way L.A. shit."[1] In an interview onThe Breakfast Club, Snoop Dogg elaborated on Jay-Z's contributions on the song. "He wrote Dre’s shit and my shit and it was flawless," he said. "It was 'Still D.R.E.' and it was Jay-Z and he wrote the whole fucking song."[2]
The music video, directed byHype Williams, consists mainly ofThe D.O.C., Snoop Dogg and Dre driving and riding inlowrider cars (a reference to the "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" music video fromThe Chronic album). It features several cameos:Eminem chasing a group of women across a beach,[3]Xzibit driving a lowrider,Funkmaster Flex with Dre, andWarren G riding with several women.[4] In the background the individual throwing up the W with the crowd next to Snoop Dogg and Dre right next to thelowrider car was Coldhard from theChicago-based rap groupCrucial Conflict. The music video was released for the week ending on October 3, 1999. The video performance was officially uploaded viaVevo to Dre'sYouTube Channel on 27 October 2011.
The music video hit one billion YouTube views in February 2022.[4]
