NWANiggaz4Life

Denser and more polished than Straight Outta Compton, this is where Dr. Dre started bending live-sounding instrumentation into something silkier. "Alwayz Into Somethin'" is often called his first true G-funk beat: a laid-back groove with meandering guitar and synths that pierce the smoke, the launching pad for The Chronic. Made without Ice Cube, who'd walked over royalty disputes, it still hit hard enough to become the first hardcore rap album to top the Billboard 200. The blueprint clicking into place.