Top 25 Hip-Hop Songs of the 2000s: #16 Dr. Dre “The Next Episode”

With the number 16 pick of our "Top 25 of the 2000s" countdown, RefinedHype.com and DJBooth.net are proud to select...Dr. Dre's "The Next Episode"!

Perhaps the most influential figure in hip-hop in the '90s, Dr. Dre has been somewhat mysteriously absent as a solo artist for the majority of this decade, but in 2000 he was dropping hits like "The Next Episode". While not an enormous commercial hit - the track peaked at number 23 on the charts - to this day it remains one of the most iconic beats from a man who certainly has no shortage of classic production in his catalog. "It's Dr. Dre mother**kers!" It certainly is. It certainly is.

First I have to acknowledge that we're pushing the time line on this one. While "Chronic 2000" was technically released in 1999, "The Next Episode" officially dropped as a single in 2000. The real point is, we couldn't do this list without Dr. Dre, but if we didn't include "The Next Episode" I don't know what we would have included. Not only is the track Dre's last real solo hit (amazing but true), the track also features two other hip-hop icons, Snoop and Nate Dogg, the latter whom managed to transform the track into a stoner anthem with his "Smoke weed everyday" ad-lib at the end. Long story short, Dr. Dre is one of the biggest producers in hip-hop history, and any countdown of the decade that didn't include him would have been a sham.

"The Next Episode" also easily passes the First 3 Seconds Test, meaning that once the song comes at a party everyone in the crowd knows exactly what song it is and is already yelling in appreciation. In fact, "The Next Episode" may be the greatest First 3 Seconds song in hip-hop history; let me think about it...um...yeah, I'll stand by that. All it takes are the first few bars of that bouncing, eminently west coast beat and any hip-hop fan in earshot is losing their mind. That's all the proof you need.

For a complete list of the Top 25 picks so far click here.

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