The Passion of Christopher Pierznik

After two classics and sixteen years of rumors, Dr. Dre’s highly anticipated and long-awaited third album has been released.

Only it’s not Detox.

Compton has been unleashed onto the world and, by all accounts, it’s great. But what about the greatest album that never was? Dre has admitted that beats he originally had planned for Detox went to other projects, including Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and good kid, m.A.A.d. city, so the project was already changing way back in 2003. And yes, it would be hard to imagine a project that included tracks featuring 50 Cent from 2004, The Game from 2006, Busta Rhymes from 2008, T.I. from 2010, Jay-Z from 2012, and Eminem from 2014 could sound cohesive (although it would be a fascinating listening experience) and there does come a point when time passes an album by, so I understand Dre’s decision to scrap the project.

But that doesn’t mean we have to forget about Detox all together. Unlike slapped together mixtapes that use blends and previously heard songs (especially The Detox Chroniclez), I have compiled a playlist of tracks that were almost certainly recorded with the intention of being featured on Detox. Some are snippets, some are reference tracks, and some are singles (did you know that “I Need a Doctor” went double platinum?). So here it is in its incompletely complete form.

Detox:

1. “This is Detox [I Am Hip-Hop]” (featuring T.I. & Kobe)

2. “I Need a Doctor” (featuring Eminem & Skylar Grey) (2011)

3. “OG’s Theme” (featuring Ludacris)

4. “Topless” (featuring Eminem & Nas)

5. “Popped Off” (featuring T.I.)

6. “It’s Like That” (featuring Prophet)

7. “Mr. Prescription” (featuring Sly, Nikki Grier & Slim Da Mobster)

8. “Another Chapter” (featuring Nino Bless)

9. “Under Pressure” (featuring Jay-Z)

10. “The Doctor” (featuring Young Knox)

11. “Die Hard” (featuring Eminem)

12. “Coming Back” [Snippet] (featuring T.I.)

13. “Kush” (featuring Snoop Dogg & Akon)

14. “Who’s Your Daddy?” (featuring Bishop Lamont)

15. “Say Dr. Dre” (featuring Crooked I)

16. “Hey Young World” [Snippet]

17. “Topless” [Alternate] (featuring T.I. & Nas)

Christopher Pierznik is the author of seven books, including The Hip-Hop 10 and The Hip-Hop 10 More, all of which can be purchased in paperback and Kindle. His work has appeared on XXL, Cuepoint, Business Insider, The Cauldron, and many more sites. Subscribe to his monthly reading review newsletter or follow him on Facebook or Twitter.