"Forgot About Dre" is a song by American rapper

Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...

featuring

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

. Written by Eminem, the collaboration was released as the second single from Dr. Dre's album ''

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

'' (1999).

Background

The song is considered a response to diss tracks by

Death Row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting executio ...

artists on '' Suge Knight Represents: Chronic 2000'', a compilation released by

Suge Knight Marion Hugh "Suge" Knight Jr. ( ; born April 19, 1965) is an American former record executive, former National Football League, NFL player, and convicted felon, who is the co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Knight was a central f ...

that takes its title from Dre's 1992 album ''

The Chronic ''The Chronic'' is the debut studio album by American rapper and producer Dr. Dre. It was released on December 15, 1992, by his record label Death Row Records along with Interscope Records and distributed by Priority Records. The recording ses ...

''. The line "Who you think brought you the oldies,

Eazy-E Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1964 – March 26, 1995), known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. Eazy-E is often re ...

's,

Ice Cube O'Shea Jackson Sr. (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1989 album '' Straight Outta Compton'' contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popu ...

's, and DOC's, the Snoop D.O. Double G's, and the group that said 'Motherfuck the police'?" outlines Dre's importance in the rap world, the theme of the song. Dre also mentions how people said he turned to

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...

and the criticism that

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air (S ...

' supergroup The Firm received about '' The Album'', which Dre produced. Eminem's verse features the bizarre violence and aggression typical of his "Slim Shady" alter ego. In an interview,

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...

said this and Six-Two's verse from " Xxplosive" tied for the best verses on ''2001''. Eminem's lyrics were originally supposed to be performed by

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

. Eminem wrote the lyrics, then recorded himself performing them as “reference vocals” for Snoop. Dre liked how it sounded, so he kept Eminem's version in. The song samples "The Climb" by

No Doubt No Doubt is an American rock band formed in Anaheim, California in 1986. For most of its career, the band has consisted of vocalist and founding member Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal and drummer Adrian Young. Keyboar ...

Music video

The video was directed by Philip G. Atwell and was shot between December 24–26, 1999. It was released on January 9, 2000. The video opens at night with Dr. Dre rapping in front of a newsstand in a city. Eminem raps as he walks through a dark city street. A few explicit lines in Eminem's verse are replaced with a skit in which Eminem answers reporter Jane Yamamoto's questions about a fire he and Dre started. When the video ends, it switches to "Last Dayz" by Hittman where he raps most of the 1st verse. This video won the

MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video was first given out in 1989, and it was one of the four original genre categories added at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards. This award was last given out in 2006, as MTV did not bring it back in 2008 lik ...

in 2000.

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

called "Forgot About Dre" a standout track, praising Eminem's unpredictability. ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' wrote that the song "jogs isteners'memories" as to Dre's accomplishments" and keeps "his legend simmering." According to Chris Massey of PopMatters, "it's the frantic rap of Eminem that truly stands out, perhaps only because he's the freshest voice on board." Greg Tate of '' SPIN'' noted that Dr. Dre uses this song to "make sure all recognize his majesty", with Eminem "standing by him like a cartoon pitbull." "Forgot About Dre" has been widely regarded as one of Eminem's best songs. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' and ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' both ranked the song number three on their lists of the greatest Eminem songs.

Awards and nominations

Track listing

;UK CD single #1 ;UK CD single #2 ;12" vinyl

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 1999 songs 2000 singles Eminem songs Dr. Dre songs Songs written by Eminem Interscope Records singles Aftermath Entertainment singles Song recordings produced by Dr. Dre Song recordings produced by Mel-Man