Interview with MTv.com

MTV: How does it feel to finally be releasing your new album after several years of playing the background?

Dr. Dre: It feels incredible just to be done. It feels, it feels, damn... it feels incredible, man. It's just an overwhelming experience here. I'm just happy to be out of the studio and not seeing any buttons for a while, you know.

MTV: How'd you finally settle on "Dr. Dre 2001" as your title?

Dre: Yeah, we went through a few titles, and I had a lot of help, you know. [Laughs] Well, it was just a couple of legal problems that we had with the title "Chronic" and what have you, so it's all good. I'm not really that concerned with what's on the outside, in the packaging and all that. I'm really concerned with what comes through the speakers.

MTV: How did it feel to get back with some of your old friends: Snoop, Kurupt, Nate Dogg?

Dre: It felt real good to get back with all the guys from the first 'Chronic' album. When they came in the studio, it was just like we were never apart. It was a weird feeling, like, okay, everybody just came in and grabbed pens and papers and, you know, [started] doing they thang. It was just fun. Lot of laughter, and we had fun doing the songs.

MTV:Tell us why you chose "Still D.R.E." to launch your album.

Dre: "Still D.R.E." It was a song that had me and Snoop on it, and I thought that would be a good way to introduce myself back to the public, and it's just an energetic song. When it comes on in the clubs, people go crazy. Also, when we do it live, people go wild. It's an excellent first single.

MTV: Why did you choose to do the video the way you did, with that nice, simple, classic Dr. Dre feel?

Dre: Well, the reason why I chose to do the video to "Still D.R.E." that way is because a lot of people out in the streets were like, "Yo, when you going to get back to some of that 'Nuthin But A "G" Thang,' 'Let Me Ride' kinda joint?" I was like, "Okay, well, let me try to hit 'em with this and just make it still look a little futuristic." So we had to take it back to the neighborhood, take it back to the cars, you know, the girls dancing, and everybody just having a real fun time.

MTV: You've been dabbling in the directing area with some of Eminem's music videos. How has that been going?

Dre: My directing is getting a lot better, actually. I'm getting ready to direct with a friend of mine, Philip Atwell, [my] new video, called "Forgot About Dre," featuring Eminem. We're getting started on that real soon. And I'm just loving being behind that camera. Hopefully, hopefully it develops into something bigger and better. Movies... ha ha.

MTV: Do you have any film projects in the works at the moment?

Dre: We're talking about it. I've actually written a script, you know. It's basically about my life and music from day one. It's called "Please Listen To My Demo" and it's hot. We'll just see if anybody wants to put some [money] behind [the film] so it can be made.

MTV: Talk about Aftermath's new artist, Hittman, who appears on several tracks on the album.

Dre: Well, Hittman is our next protege. He's the next person that we're going to groom and try to build into a superstar, super hip-hop star. He's incredible. He could sing, his rhymes are ridiculous, and his delivery is incredible. That's why he's heard on the album probably more than I am, you know what I'm sayin'. He's incredible. And he's a real cool, laid-back guy, you know, so I know, outside of the studio, he's not going to do anything to ruin his career.

MTV: Any other Aftermath artists in development?

Dre: Um, well actually, that's it right now. I'm just... I actually cleared the roster to start over and regroup, because I wasn't feeling the way it was going in the beginning of Aftermath, so I think we're on the right road right now.

MTV: So it's just Eminem and Hittman?

Dre: Eminem and Hittman right now. Taking it one step at a time.

MTV: What do you think about the success Eminem has had?

Dre: I mean, the success that Eminem has had, damn. The success that Eminem has had is crazy, but it's deserved, because he's an incredible artist. He's a workaholic. He's wild and crazy, but he's serious when he gets behind that microphone, trust me.

MTV: Talk about some of the so-called "haters" that said Dre was done and that he wouldn't be back.

Dre: Yeah, I mean, there was a lot of haters out there that were saying I was washed up, I fell off, and what have you. That was probably my biggest motivation for this record.nly thing you can do right now is go put your 15 dollars down and buy it and listen to it and enjoy it.

MTV: And finally, do you have any plans for a tour in support of "Dr. Dre 2001?"

Dre: Yeah, we're talking about it. We talked about going on a tour. Me and Snoop have been talking about it, Eminem, me and Cube have talked about it. So I think that's definitely going to happen. There's talk about maybe planning a 40-date tour. Starting sometime in February or March of 2000. And hopefully it will feature myself, Snoop, Eminem, Xzibit, my brother Warren G, and Westside Connection. So we'll see how that comes off.