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. FORMAT: Compact DiscCONDITION: Brand NewGENRE: Rap / Hip HopUPC: 606949004422LABEL: AftermathNO. OF DISCS: 1 TRACKLIST:1 RC & Sid McCoy - Aftermath (The Intro) 2:512 Group Therapy - East Coast / West Coast Killas 4:543 Mel-Man - Shittin' on the World 4:584 RBX - Blunt Time 4:245 Dr. Dre - Been There Done That 5:116 Kim Summerson - Choices 4:467 Miscellaneous - As the World Keeps Turning 4:438 Hands-On - Got Me Open 4:209 King Tee - Str-8 Gone 4:3410 Maurice Wilcher - Please 4:2211 Jheryl Lockhart - Do 4 Love 3:2412 RC - Sexy Dance 4:5513 Who'z Who - No Second Chance 4:5014 Sharief - L.A.W. (Lyrical Assault Weapon) 4:2615 Nowl - Nationowl 4:0616 RC - Fame 4:27
