Dr. Dre released his solo debut album The Chronic December 15, 1992 under  released under Death Row Records,  and distributed by Interscope Records. It made him one of the best-selling American music artists of 1993.

The album earned him a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance for the single "Let Me Ride", as well as several accolades for the single "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang".

On The Chronic, he included both subtle and direct insults at Ruthless and its owner, former N.W.A member Eazy-E. Although a solo album, it features many appearances by then-emerging American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg, who used the album as a launch pad for his own solo career.