«Dr Dre's »The Chronic« designated a »sonic treasure" by the US government

Dr. Dre's iconic masterpiece, The Chronic, will be preserved by the federal government as a «sonic treasure» alongside other recordings by M. Rogers, Tina Turner and Village People.

Last Thursday, the Library of Congress, the U.S. Library of Congress, has announced that the albums will be added to the National Recording Registry, a registry created in 2000 that adds 25 American-made works each year for preservation. The library dubbed this year's list «The ultimate stay-at-home reading list» because of the national quarantines triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.

Although most of this year's National Register entries come from classical, opera or Broadway recordings, The Chronic is certainly the most surprising. Released in 1992, it's considered one of the best gangsta rap albums of all time, The Chronic not only made Dr. Dre a household name, but also that of Snoop Dogg who collaborated on 11 of the album's 16 tracks.

«In addition to exemplifying the »G Funk« style of hip-hop production, [The Chronic] solidified the West Coast dominance of the genre, and its influence would be heard for years to come.», reads on the official description of the Library of Congress. «The Chronic is considered one of the most important and influential albums of the 1990s and is regarded by many fans and peers as the best-produced hip-hop album of all time.»

Other groundbreaking works added to the register this year include Fred Rogers' Mister Rogers, Tina Turner's Private Dancer and the YMCA single from Village People.