Still D.R.E. - Intellectual

Seeds, stems, and sticks (another word for stems) are all parts of the cannabis plant that, when smoked, do not result in getting high. Unscrupulous weed dealers will often sell this worthless plant matter, hidden in bags of bud, to increase their profit margins

Because Snoop’s weed is of the finest quality, he need not worry about getting ripped off in this manner

Also consonance: stress, seeds, stems, sticks.

Snoop Dogg’s been down with Dr. Dre for years. He was first noticed by Dre in 1990, and it was Dre who helped him release his debut album.

Still calling himself the father of gangsta rap

Dr. Dre repeatedly references the song’s title, by way of JAY-Z’s ghost-written lyrics, detailing age-old habits that are exemplary of an OG: smoking weed, making beats and avoiding cops.

This is also a reference to 1988’s “Fuck tha Police” by N.W.A., Dr. Dre’s first rap group.

At the time of this song’s debut on October 13, 1999, Dre had gone seven years without releasing an album. However, in the meantime, he was still inundated with the responsibilities of a super producer, taking on such iconic projects as November 1993’s Doggystyle by Snoop Dogg, November 1996’s Dr. Dre presents… The Aftermath, and February 1999’s The Slim Shady LP by his then-new protégé, Eminem. He also put out several hits with artists like Blackstreet and 2pac.

Back in 1992, Dre dropped The Chronic, which is regarded as one of the most influential Hip Hop album of all time, as well as one of the most famous.

The album brought popular tracks, such as “Nothin' But a G Thang” featuring Snoop Dogg and “Dre Day”, also featuring Snoop Dogg. The album is considered by the majority of Hip Hop fans as a “classic”, meaning that the album has a huge impact.

The CD that Dre is referring to is “2001” which is the one this song is on.

The Chronic (1992)

2001 (1999).

‘Still waters run deep’ is a proverb which has various meanings, one of which is that there is often great depth and complexity to those who are outwardly quiet. This proverb is used well here, as Dre has released his first album in 7 years, meaning that he has been quiet in the game for a long time.

Referring to Eminem’s debut, The Slim Shady LP which was selling 50,000 copies a week at the time this song was written (it went on to be certified quadruple-platinum).

Jay-Z who wrote the lyrics to this song loves to count things

Jay Z said in his verse on Drake’s song Pound Cake.

I’ve done made more millionaires than the lotto did

This line fits Dr.Dre perfectly.
Since his early days Dre helped dozens of rappers launch their careers. You may never heard artists like Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, Nate Dogg, 50 cent, Game and Kendrick Lamar if Doc didn’t influence, guide and produce them. Of course the biggest of them all is Eminem who isn’t black, but is a creation of Dre.

Kings and aces are components of the standard 52-card deck of French playing cards.

In most card games, including poker, aces are the only cards more valuable than kings and Dre uses this as a metaphor to state how he will stay on top of his rivals now that he’s back on the rap scene.

Considering it had been seven-plus years since Dre had an album out, not many people thought he’d be as good as The Chronic days. A lot had happened in the rap game since then. A lot of new faces. You know, that guy Nas dropped some album and so did Jay Z. Not one but two of the foremost figures in the game were gunned down.

There was no way Dre could compete in a changed rap game, right?

Wrong.

Dre is the CEO of Aftermath Entertainment, which is a record label that has been around since 1996.

As he comes from a very deprived area in Compton and struggled to make it big with the people around him, he plans to get everyone a job in the record labels he owns, so that they would not have to go through the same trouble.

“Lo-lo” is short for “lowriders”, vehicles with adjusted suspension, allowing the body of the vehicle to sit very low to the ground and bounce.

This line was famously referred to—and explained—in season 4 episode 5 of Scrubs:

1999 (95+4=99), referencing the year this album was released.

2001 was not released in the year 2001, but in November of 1999. Thus, Snoop Dogg’s mention of “‘99” makes perfect sense.

The title was originally going to be Chronic 2000 until Suge Knight took the name for a Death Row compilation album. It was then meant to be called Chronic 2001 until Priority Records, an extinct label, threatened to sue for the “Chronic” trademark; Priority later decided on an agreement for both to use the name and let the public decide which album was better.

Dre like a lot of rappers that are associated with the West Coast come from Compton, which is located in central LA in California.

With his history as blowing up as producer and working with NWA, he and his crew almost felt like they represented Compton as if everywhere he went became a party.

This is actually a reference to Daz’s verse on the song Serial Killa off of Snoop Dogg’s landmark debut album Doggystyle.

Here is an explicit reference to his hometown of Compton when the city had one of the highest criminal records in the US at the time.

“Ak-matics” is the street slang for AK-47 assault rifles.

Drive-bys are murders that are carried out from a car, where the murderer drives away after completing the murder.

Smoking weed or marijuana (sticky green) is something that Snoop is famous for and the LA county is known for having some impressive traffic jams, to pass the time he smokes weed.

Dr. Dre’s previous album The Chronic included the song “Fuck Wit Dre Day” – he’s letting you know that Dre Day is still being observed. Furthermore this is a reference to the pay-day. Dr. Dre is getting well paid and if you don’t like him, you have probably have to pay a high price (compare with following line)

213 is the area code for downtown Los Angeles. It is completely surrounded by area code 323. At the time of this song’s release, 213 served small parts of Compton, but the majority of Compton was 310 and has been that way since 1991. Other small parts of Compton use 562 as their area code as well.

213 remains the area code that denotes all of LA county in popular media. For instance, the LA Clippers‘ mascot, “Chuck,” reps “213” on his jersey:

213 was also a rap group composed of Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg and Warren G.

The World Class Wreckin Cru was an electro group which Dr Dre was a member of. “Turn Off the Lights” was their biggest hit, which is extremely brave of Dre to bring up that especially cringey song performed by the group, given that they used to dress like this:

Another song in Particular by the Wreckin Cru which should be mentioned was ”Surgery,” which is written about Dr Dre.

Dre had a brief falling out with Snoop, after Dre had left Death Row. When Dre set up Aftermath, those that stayed in Death Row dissed Dre. Also, Dre had a brief falling out with RBX, and other rappers that he signed to Death Row but never released albums there. The major loss Dre had was with Tupac.

Dre left Death Row the same year Tupac got killed. The most famous line from this beef was the line “Screaming ‘Compton’ but you can’t return” on Toss It Up.

Eazy-E also died in 1995, which really hit Dre because he let money get the best of him. He basically says “Fuck the beef” here.

2Pac

Eazy E

Dre has his career “wrapped” like a mummy, meaning he has his entire sorted out and he knows what he wants and nothing will stop him. “Wrapped like a mummy” is referring to Ancient Egypt where the dead were wrapped in many layers of linen cloth. This practice was to guard a person against evil in the afterlife evil.

Dre’s previous album, The Chronic, was indeed a classic. To be fair, however, it was released almost 7 years prior to this song

In addition to adding one of his greatest works to a song that reads like a resume, Dre may have been attempting to distance himself from Aftermath, a 1996 compilation album with a lot of Dre beats but only one Dre song. Despite Dre’s name being on the album, the album was a big disappointment and did not sell particularly well. By saying his last album was The Chronic, Dre is noting that Aftermath was not a Dre album and not evidence that he had slipped.

In this lyric, Dre is referring to the car used in the music video, specifically the “bass” in his speakers when he’s driving down the block.

This type of speakers with high bass are commonly used in lowriders, a type of “gangsta” cars, popular with West Coast rappers and hip-hop fanatics. Other characteristics include hydraulic pumps used to make the car jump and hop, colorful rims and curb feelers.

In the music video of the song, Dre and Snoop are seen riding around in a lowrider, bumping music from their speakers.

Aftermath is Dre’s record label; he’s saying he makes money (“math”) off his label

This is paying homage to Dre’s adlibs in

/Dr-dre-keep-their-heads-ringin-lyrics,

Where he says “back up in that ass for the 199 to the nickel.”

Jay-Z received publishing credit on this track, and in 2012, Snoop Dogg commented that Jay-Z penned “all” of this song’s lyrics.

In 2019, Dr. Dre said that it had taken Jay-Z less than 24 hours to write the song.

In a 2014 interview, Hittman expressed disappointment that an East Coast rapper penned Dre’s comeback anthem and said he heard Jay was paid “like a hundred grand to write it”.

After Snoop Dogg’s first two Albums, Doggystyle and Tha Doggfather with Dr. Dre, Snoop came back to feature on a few songs on Dr. Dre’s second Album, 2001, thus the line “Well, hell, me and Snoop, we dippin' again”.

A reference to Snoop Dogg’s “Serial Killa”:

I said, “If you ain’t up on thangs
Snoop Dogg is the name, Dogg Pound’s the game”

Despite Dre not dropping an album in years, he was coming out hard on The Chronic 2001. He isn’t afraid to say he’s ahead of the rest even though it’s been years since The Chronic.

Though he was out of the visible hip hop realm for a long time between The Chronic and 2001, Dre was still working, keeping in tune with the industry and listening for new artists to sign and work with.

During this time he signed and produced Eminem, one of the most popular artists of all time. Not bad.

Though Dre raps in this song, a look at the credits reveals a certain S. Carter is behind the rhymes

Though Dre hasn’t denied most of his lyrics are written for him, he’s about production and delivering the lyrics in a gangster way, and he does just that.

“Check me out” can mean that he wants you to hear whether or not he’s still got it.

He doesn’t mind young black folk getting money or hooking up his friends with busy work. Dre is Dre. Everyone still wants a Dr. Dre beat.

Consider this: This song came out in 1999, and at the time of this writing, 2013 – Dre is still relevant to Rap. In fact he’s Kendrick Lamar’s mentor and executively produced Good Kid, MAAD City. How’s that for getting money without putting another album out?

Dre’s career almost ended when he left the record label “Death Row” and Eazy-E, on “No Vaseline” and “Real Muthaphukkin Gs”, respectively.
He also had a disappointing sophomore solo album, The Firm.

Right when he was about to retire, he “rose to his feet” and became better then ever.