Forgot About Dre

The track's harmonic content is built on a looped sample from No Doubt's 'The Climb,' which provides the tonal and melodic foundation. Like most of Dre and Mel-Man's production on 2001, the arrangement prioritizes rhythmic density and forward momentum over chord movement — the harmonic environment is deliberately static, keeping the focus on flow and syllable placement. No chord or key data could be verified from an external source; all characterizations here are inferred from training knowledge.

The song was written in response to diss tracks aimed at Dr. Dre on Suge Knight Represents: Chronic 2000, a Death Row compilation whose title was itself a swipe at Dre's 1992 debut The Chronic. Dre's verse catalogues his contributions to West Coast rap — N.W.A, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, the D.O.C., and Snoop — as a rebuttal to accusations that he had gone soft or turned pop. Eminem wrote all the lyrics for the track, including his own verse, and recorded a full performance as a reference guide for Snoop Dogg. Dre preferred what he heard and kept it.

Released January 29, 2000 as the second single from 2001, the track was Dre's direct answer to Death Row artists who had dissed him on Suge Knight's Chronic 2000 compilation. Eminem wrote his verse to be recorded as reference vocals for Snoop Dogg, but Dre kept Eminem's performance, and the resulting track won the Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 43rd Awards. Rolling Stone and The Guardian both ranked it number three on their lists of the greatest Eminem songs.