Rappers Are Masters At Branding (Part III): The Chronic Edition

“1, 2, 3 & to the 4”

The Chronic is one of the most important rap albums in history & it turned 20 last week. If that's not enough to celebrate, then light one because it’s about to be Christmas. Plus, this is the last SNOBHOP post for 2022. So yeah, real vibes this week.

You good? Great. Let’s get it.

1992 was a monumental year for Hip-hop, and this album provides yet another example of how rappers are masters at branding. While we typically don’t think of rappers as scholars, they don’t really need degrees to understand the principles underpinning branding (positioning, brand assets, etc.)

All of which brings us to The Chronic…

It was 1992.

Dr. Dre left N.W.A. after a financial dispute with Ruthless Records. Following that, Dre engaged in a publicized beef with Eazy E, and news broke that Dre would create a new label with Suge Knight named Death Row Records. His career was in limbo without a foreseeable way forward.

It was a do or die situation.

It was no secret that he was a talented producer, but without N.W.A. could Dre hold his own for an entire album? What about his plans after that? After seeing how artists get finessed by record companies how long could he justify being an artist himself?

Dre navigated the tense waters surrounding him successfully because he understood brand positioning.

Lesson #1: Revisit Your Brand Positioning When Changes Happens

With The Chronic, Dr. Dre’s biggest challenge was that he needed to establish his identity as a solo artist. The market was crowded, the diss records were flying, and he had recently left one of the biggest brands in music at that time. Think about it like this…

N.W.A. was like Coca-Cola.

It had the most brand awareness, everyone loved it, and its trademark product: “F**k the Police,” was just like Coke Red — it was the marquee product.

The Chronic had to show the world that Dre was in essence challenger brand — a force to be reckoned with even without the backing of his old crew.

And with that positioning, he needed a marquee product (i.e. a record) that could stand up to whatever diss records targeted him for leaving Ruthless Records.

Dre found that with “F With Dre Day”

“F with Dre Day” gave a raw depiction of life on the west coast and pushed a new myth into the mainstream. It was the perfect song to kick off Dre’s solo venture and with his young protege snoop dogg doing a lot of the heavy lifting his legend as a producer began to take shape.

Speaking of Snoop, that brings us to lesson #2

Lesson #2: Extend The Life of Your Brand Through Endorsements

The reality is this…

In any area of pop culture whether it’s music, film, sports, or fashion no one is a star forever. In Hip-hop, the average star is around for about 3 years. If you’re a superstar your peak could last anywhere from 5-10 years, and if you’re an icon you might be around 20 years - but there’s only a handful of icons out there.

What’s clear is that Dr. Dre understood that his debut solo album was the perfect place to prepare for his future, and he did so using the power of his brand to become an ENDORSER.

By co-signing Snoop, he showed the world his genius as a producer (and future label exec)

let’s reground ourselves in some marketing principles for a sec.

There are a few different kinds of endorsements that exist in world of brand strategy. You’ve got: strong endorsements, shadow endorsements, branded houses, houses of brands etc.

The Chronic was a parent company.

Parent company’s typically endorse the brands their under via linked names, token endorsements or shadow endorsements. In this case, The Chronic served as a shadow endorsement for Snoop Dogg.

What Dr. Dre instinctively knew from his time at Ruthless is that he needed to extend his brand, even if he didn’t quite think of himself as one yet. And that’s the formula he’s used throughout his whole career — however it started with Snoop.

Lastly, the Biggest Lesson is this…

Lesson #3: You Can Change The Culture Just by Being Grounded in You

While the west coast was known for its lifestyle, and toughness, The Chronic helped give the coast a signature sound powered by G-funk (short for gangsta funk).

With The Chronic Dre introduced new products to the market, and his first single “Nuthin’ But a G Thang” gaved the world a different way to think of what Hip-hop could sound like, look like, feel like.

The reason this album worked as branding tool for is because it feels very honest. When you think about who’s consuming the chronic and reflect on their day to day, this album hits very close to home. And yes, pun intended.

And for those who aren’t in California — those who are looking to learn more about the brand’s myth of California living, The Chronic felt raw & relatable enough for them to trust Dre’s version of events.

THE AFTERMATH

The Chronic is another masterclass in branding.

The lessons above are why Dr. Dre has a career spanning 30 years, and it's why he can do a superbowl halftime show almost composed of artists that he brought into the game.

I’m lowkey waiting on the final chapter to his Chronic series — the mythical “Detox” album and hopefully one day it’ll drop. If I ever get to work on the album, I’ll let you guys know.

Thank you for an amazing 2022. See you next year.

Peace.