Dr. Dre’s 1992 classic The Chronic is finally arriving to streaming services and on the most appropriate day — 4/20. According to press release from Entertainment One, the historic record will be able to stream across a variety of platforms.
“Fans now have another reason to celebrate on what has become a national holiday, celebrating all things cannabis-related – where legally allowed and in moderation of course,” eOne Global President of Music & Live Chris Taylor said the release. “Working with the Death Row catalogue is like working with the legendary recordings of Elvis, Chuck Berry and the Beatles. These historic artifacts should be heard by all music lovers and we are so happy Dr. Dre has opened this door so everyone can experience the brilliance of this seminal work.”
Until now, The Chronic has been exclusively available on Apple Music and only since 2015. Dre’s decision to keep the album off streaming services was maintained in a 2011 lawsuit against Death Row Records. After winning the suit, Dre was allowed to decide if and how The Chronic would be distributed digitally, as well as earn 100 percent of the proceeds from any online sales. Currently, only Dre’s 2001 and Compton albums are available to stream on other providers.
The news arrives after The Chronic was added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. Last month, Dre’s solo debut was selected among 25 recordings by the Librarian of Congress and the Library’s National Recording Preservation Board that were deemed “worthy of preservation” and added to the prestigious archives.
“We received over 800 nominations this year for culturally, historically or aesthetically significant recordings to add to the registry,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a press release at the time. “As genres and formats continue to expand, the Library of Congress is committed to working with our many partners to preserve the sounds that have touched our hearts and shaped our culture.”
Get ready to stream The Chronic on April 20.