Not many producers, in the arena of hip-hop or otherwise, can boldly state that their sonic experiments twice (first with N.W.A, later with The Chronic) transformed the musical landscape. But, then again, every producer is not Dr. Dre. "Although I'm from the west coast, I try to make music that will have a universal appeal," says Dre, whose latest disc Dr. Dre 2001 (Aftermath Entertainment/Interscope Records) is as musically diverse as the constant sounds blaring in his brain. "It's always been my desire to make music for the world."

Although it has been seven years since the release of Dr. Dre's groundbreaking triple platinum The Chronic, a record that Spin magazine voted the eighth best of the decade, its not like the brother has been sleeping on the job. (Spin also voted The Chronic's "Nuthin' But A G-Thang"the best single of the 90's.) Indeed, having constructed such projects as Snoop Dogg's quintuple platinum classic Doggystyle, the bouncy "California Love" for 2Pac and the bugged The Slim Shady LP disc for rapper Eminem, a sophomore solo disc was the furthest thing from Dre's mind. "I've always been just a producer at heart, but my friends and family kept insisting that I do another project."

On Dr. Dre 2001, Cali's own sound scientist has co-produced with Mel-Man twenty-two lowrider soundtracks, designed to thrill the souls of hip-hop macks. "Not trying to sound arrogant, but as a fan of rap, I just wasn't hearing much music that I thought was moving the world," explains Dre. "And that's what I wanted to create."