Dr. Dre shifted directions drastically halfway through 1996, leaving Death Row Records and abandoning gangsta rap, claiming that he had "Been There, Done That." So, Dre founded a new record label, Aftermath, and built an artist roster consisting entirely of new, unproven talent. He also decided not to concentrate on rap, signing urban R&B acts as well as hip-hop. Aftermath's initial release was the various-artists compilation Dr. Dre Presents...The Aftermath and one listen proves that Dre wasn't kidding when he said he wasn't interested in gangsta anymore. There are a number of rappers on The Aftermath, even a handful of hardcore rappers, but nothing fits into the standard G-funk template. The true revelation of the album is Dre's skill for urban R&B and soul, all of which sounds fresh and exciting compared to several of the fairly pedestrian hip-hop tracks. Despite the success of these urban productions, none of the actual performers make much of an impact -- the tracks are impressive only because they demonstrate Dre's musical versatility and skill. In fact, the two tracks that really stand out -- Dre's stately, sexy "Been There Done That" and the powerful "East Coast/West Coast Killas," which features cameos by B-Real, KRS-One, Nas, and RBX -- are a combination of terrific production and personality, which is usually what results in great singles. But that doesn't mean that The Aftermath is a washout. Instead, it's a promising fresh start for Dre that is full of potential and enough great music to make it a vital listen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Tracks
Track Title
Composers
Performers
Time
Aftermath (The Intro)
Dr. Dre, Richard Vick, Melvin Bradford, Ruben Cruz
Chris "The Glove" Taylor (Mixing), Brad Haehnel (Assistant Engineer), Ryan Arnold (Engineer), Mario Castellanos (Photography), Dr. Dre (Vocals (Background)), Jheryl Lockhart (Vocal Arrangement), Jheryl Lockhart (Performer), Steve Robbins (Engineer), Keston Wright (Engineer), Lamont Hyde (Mixing), Rose Griffin (Producer), Group Therapy (Performer), Jheryl Lockhart (Vocals (Background)), D-Ruff (Vocals (Background)), Dr. Dre (Producer), Steve Robbins (Mixing), Maurice Wilcher (Producer), Cassandra McCowan (Vocals (Background)), Sid McCoy (Vocals), Lamont Hyde (Engineer), Mel Man (Producer), Chris "The Glove" Taylor (Assistant Producer), Rafa Sardina (Assistant Engineer), Ian Dalsemer (Assistant Engineer), Brian Gardner (Mastering), Kim Summerson (Vocals (Background)), DJ T. (Scratching), Stu-B-Doo (Keyboards), Kirdis Tucker (Creative Director), Trini Alvarez (Assistant Engineer), Michael Benabib (Photography), King Tee (Performer), Dr. Dre (Executive Producer), Dr. Dre (Mixing), Mel-Man (Performer), Maurice Wilcher (Keyboards), Joe Pirrera (Engineer), Chris "The Glove" Taylor (Keyboards), C-Love (Stylist), Glen Mosley (Producer), Tim Carter (Hair Stylist), Floyd Howard (Producer), Bud'da (Producer), Rodney Duke (Producer), RC (Vocals), Nicole Johnson (Vocals (Background)), Keston Wright (Mixing), Mario Castellano (Photography), Alex Singleton (Keyboards), RC (Vocals (Background)), Kim Summerson (Performer), Ruben Cruz (Vocals (Background)), Nicole Johnson (Vocals), Paul Foley (Digital Editing), Brad Haehnel (Mixing), RBX (Performer), Camara Kambon (Keyboards), Flossy P (Vocals (Background)), Chris "The Glove" Taylor (Producer), Mike Lynn (Vocals (Background)), Alvin McGill (Engineer), Victor Hall (Photography), Victor Johnson (Guitar), Whoz Who (Vocals (Background)), Stu-B-Doo (Assistant Producer), King Tee (Rap), Bernie Grundman (Mastering), Jabari Palmer (Assistant Engineer), Mel-Man (Producer), Bruce Williams (Project Coordinator), Stu-B-Doo (Performer), Maurice Wilcher (Performer), Larry Chatman (Project Coordinator), Stan the Guitar Man (Guitar), Fred Z. (Assistant Engineer), Carl "Butch" Small (Percussion), Kimble (Stylist), Hands-On (Vocals (Background)), Maurice Wilcher (Vocals (Background)), Gretchen Anderson (Production Coordination), Ewart A. Wilson, Jr. (Producer), Richard Huredia (Assistant Engineer), Caprice Green (Hair Stylist), Richard Huredia (Engineer), Gloria Elias (Make-Up), Flossy P (Producer)
Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath is a compilation album by Dr. Dre. It was released in 1996 after leaving Death Row Records, and was the first release on his then newly established Aftermath Entertainment. In spite of Dr. Dre's name being on the album, and it being certified platinum,[1] it received mixed reviews and was not amongst the year's more commercially successful releases.
Featured on the album are a bevy of novice acts who were among the earliest signees of Aftermath—many of whom quickly became disassociated with the label without having ever seen their own projects come to fruition. Dr. Dre is only sparsely heard on the album—performing just one track, "Been There, Done That", which became the disc's most noted. Another one of the album's stand-out moments is the Dr. Dre-produced track, "East Coast/West Coast Killas", performed by Nas, RBX, KRS-One, and B-Real, under the banner of "Group Therapy". The track (and its multi-coastal line-up) was an answer to, and snubbed, the existing East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry of the day.
