This is the timeline I found
Part 1
2002: Dr. Dre goes on record for the first time about Detox, saying the project is going to be a concept album. "...what I decided to do was make my album one story about one person and just do the record through a character's eyes," Dre told MTV. "And everybody that appears on my album is going to be a character, so it's basically going to be a hip-hop musical." He also went on to say Detox would drop by the summer of 2003. "It's probably going to take me like a year to get it all the way together." It's rumored that Denzel Washington will be narrating the album.
December 2002: Dre pushes the release to late 2003 in order to focus on Ice Cube’s upcoming album (which never materialized).
Fun side note, he also said he was busy in the studio producing for Truth Hurts, Rakim and Shaunta, which is essentially a one sentence edition of "what happened to?"
2003
March 2003: Dre tells XXL that he gave the "cream of the crop" Detox beats to 50 Cent for Get Rich or Die Tryin. Interscopecontinues to suggest that the album could drop by the end of the year.
January 2004: Aftermath confirms that the now "late" (Dre first said it would drop summer of 2003) album will actually drop at the end of 2004. Scott Storch, who worked extensively on the album because in 2004 having Scott Storch produce a large part of a mega album was a thing that totally happened, said that Detox will be, "the most advanced rap album musically and lyrically we'll probably ever have a chance to listen to." Additional collaborators are listed as Mary J. Blige, Eve and Game, along with Denaun Porter, Nottz, and Hi-Tek contributing production.
August 2004: Dr. Dre announces that he's putting Detox on hold to focus on producing for his own artists, most prominently focusing on Game's debut album, Documentary, as well as Eminem, Busta Rhymes and Eve's projects. (Oh yeah, Busta and Eve were signed to Aftermath, I almost forgot.)
November 2004: Eminem’s Encoredropped. On the title track, Em says, “And don’t worry ‘bout that Detox album. It’s coming. We’re gonna make Dre do it.” Dre changes his mind and says Detox is back on. On Game's "Higher," released shortly after, he publically announces that we should "look out for Detox."
2005-2007
July 2006: Scratch magazine runs a cover story on Detox, call it “hip-hop’s unreleased masterpiece… coming soon?” In the piece producer Focus... is quoted as saying, “We were doing psychedelic Sixties rock music with dark chords," and producer Imsomie “Mahogany" Leeper says the theme was similar to the 1998 movie Very Bad Things, saying, "The road Dre led me down was like, 'I'm thinking of making the album like a movie, like having 16-bar jazz pieces, live instruments.’” It's revealed that The Documentary, Obie Trice’s Cheers and Usher’s “Throwback” from Confessions all originally were intended for Detox.
September 2007: Dre tells the L.A. Timesthat he's now eight years deep into Detox, saying, "I was really hoping to have it out this year, but it's going to have to be pushed back a while because of some other things I've got to work on.” Later, in an interview with Power 106, he says that new protege Bishop Lamont will be heavily featured. Lamont is believed to take the role of Snoop on Chronic or Hittman on Chronic 2001.(Lamont later confirmed his split from Aftermath/Interscope in January 2010.)
2008: Now seven years since Dre first threw out a release date, and four years since his last announcement that the album was back on, many have started doubting that Detox will ever drop. But in a Rolling Stone interview, Snoop insisted otherwise. "That record is real, it’s coming. I was starting to doubt it myself and then I went up in there and he played so much music for me it knocked my head off.” Dre says that “in a perfect world, I’m shooting for a November or December release" and confirms that Nas, Jay Z, and Lil Wayne will be on the album.
February 2009: “Topless” featuring T.I. and Nas leaks, along with “This Is Detox” featuring T.I. and Kobe.
May 2009: The first official Detox release is played during a Dr. Pepper commercial, Dr. Dre confirms that the album will be coming out in 2010, now that he's finished producing Eminem's Relapse and 50 Cent's Before I Self Destruct. Holy shyt, THIS ALBUM MIGHT ACTUALLY COME OUT.
In separate interviews, 50 Cent says said he’d heard eight records and that Dre has under a dozen finished, Eminem says, “There’s probably 10 records.” Anthony Hamilton and Drake are rumored to be featured on the project.
October 2009: Dre tells ABC News he had been working on Detox for 10 years, and that he wanted to get it done by the end of the year to release it in 2010.
2010: Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine jointly announce that the first official single from Detox, "Under Pressure" featuring JAY-Z, will be coming soon. The song leaks and they drop it from the album, but the interest around "Under Pressure" appears to motivate Dre and Interscope. They drop two more official singles ("Kush" and "I Need a Doctor") complete with official videos and launch a million dollar marking campaign (I still remember the Detoxbillboard in LA).
"I Need a Doctor" goes double platinum and he performs the song at... HOLY shyt THIS ALBUM ACTUALLY SERIOUSLY IS GOING TO COME OUT!
Side Note: I just realized "Under Pressure" was co-produced by Scott Storch. Does that mean that beat was originally made during the original 2004 sessions?
Side Note No. 2: Kendrick drops "Look Out for Detox."
2011
A number of prominent leaks hit the web, including “Syllables” featuring Eminem, Jay, Dre, 50 and Stat Quo, which we later found out was recorded in 2007 for Detox. In addition, “Mr. Prescription” featuring. Sly, Nikki Grier, and Slim Da Mobster leaks, “Chillin” featuring Swizz Beatz leaks and Ludacris' “OGs Theme” reference track leaks.
May 2011: "Die Hard" featuring Eminem premieres during an episode of Fight Camp, is possibly Detox' third official single.
November 2011: Dre announces that he's taking a break from music after he wraps up producing for Kendrick Lamar's GKMC and Slim the Mobster (who's no longer even on Aftermath). "I feel like I’m gonna take a little bit of a break. I’m never gonna stop music, it’s like air to me. So I’mma take a little bit of a break. Enjoy some time with the family til I get that itch to get back in.”
Part 1
2002: Dr. Dre goes on record for the first time about Detox, saying the project is going to be a concept album. "...what I decided to do was make my album one story about one person and just do the record through a character's eyes," Dre told MTV. "And everybody that appears on my album is going to be a character, so it's basically going to be a hip-hop musical." He also went on to say Detox would drop by the summer of 2003. "It's probably going to take me like a year to get it all the way together." It's rumored that Denzel Washington will be narrating the album.
December 2002: Dre pushes the release to late 2003 in order to focus on Ice Cube’s upcoming album (which never materialized).
Fun side note, he also said he was busy in the studio producing for Truth Hurts, Rakim and Shaunta, which is essentially a one sentence edition of "what happened to?"
2003
March 2003: Dre tells XXL that he gave the "cream of the crop" Detox beats to 50 Cent for Get Rich or Die Tryin. Interscopecontinues to suggest that the album could drop by the end of the year.
January 2004: Aftermath confirms that the now "late" (Dre first said it would drop summer of 2003) album will actually drop at the end of 2004. Scott Storch, who worked extensively on the album because in 2004 having Scott Storch produce a large part of a mega album was a thing that totally happened, said that Detox will be, "the most advanced rap album musically and lyrically we'll probably ever have a chance to listen to." Additional collaborators are listed as Mary J. Blige, Eve and Game, along with Denaun Porter, Nottz, and Hi-Tek contributing production.
August 2004: Dr. Dre announces that he's putting Detox on hold to focus on producing for his own artists, most prominently focusing on Game's debut album, Documentary, as well as Eminem, Busta Rhymes and Eve's projects. (Oh yeah, Busta and Eve were signed to Aftermath, I almost forgot.)
November 2004: Eminem’s Encoredropped. On the title track, Em says, “And don’t worry ‘bout that Detox album. It’s coming. We’re gonna make Dre do it.” Dre changes his mind and says Detox is back on. On Game's "Higher," released shortly after, he publically announces that we should "look out for Detox."
2005-2007
July 2006: Scratch magazine runs a cover story on Detox, call it “hip-hop’s unreleased masterpiece… coming soon?” In the piece producer Focus... is quoted as saying, “We were doing psychedelic Sixties rock music with dark chords," and producer Imsomie “Mahogany" Leeper says the theme was similar to the 1998 movie Very Bad Things, saying, "The road Dre led me down was like, 'I'm thinking of making the album like a movie, like having 16-bar jazz pieces, live instruments.’” It's revealed that The Documentary, Obie Trice’s Cheers and Usher’s “Throwback” from Confessions all originally were intended for Detox.
September 2007: Dre tells the L.A. Timesthat he's now eight years deep into Detox, saying, "I was really hoping to have it out this year, but it's going to have to be pushed back a while because of some other things I've got to work on.” Later, in an interview with Power 106, he says that new protege Bishop Lamont will be heavily featured. Lamont is believed to take the role of Snoop on Chronic or Hittman on Chronic 2001.(Lamont later confirmed his split from Aftermath/Interscope in January 2010.)
2008: Now seven years since Dre first threw out a release date, and four years since his last announcement that the album was back on, many have started doubting that Detox will ever drop. But in a Rolling Stone interview, Snoop insisted otherwise. "That record is real, it’s coming. I was starting to doubt it myself and then I went up in there and he played so much music for me it knocked my head off.” Dre says that “in a perfect world, I’m shooting for a November or December release" and confirms that Nas, Jay Z, and Lil Wayne will be on the album.
February 2009: “Topless” featuring T.I. and Nas leaks, along with “This Is Detox” featuring T.I. and Kobe.
May 2009: The first official Detox release is played during a Dr. Pepper commercial, Dr. Dre confirms that the album will be coming out in 2010, now that he's finished producing Eminem's Relapse and 50 Cent's Before I Self Destruct. Holy shyt, THIS ALBUM MIGHT ACTUALLY COME OUT.
In separate interviews, 50 Cent says said he’d heard eight records and that Dre has under a dozen finished, Eminem says, “There’s probably 10 records.” Anthony Hamilton and Drake are rumored to be featured on the project.
October 2009: Dre tells ABC News he had been working on Detox for 10 years, and that he wanted to get it done by the end of the year to release it in 2010.
2010: Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine jointly announce that the first official single from Detox, "Under Pressure" featuring JAY-Z, will be coming soon. The song leaks and they drop it from the album, but the interest around "Under Pressure" appears to motivate Dre and Interscope. They drop two more official singles ("Kush" and "I Need a Doctor") complete with official videos and launch a million dollar marking campaign (I still remember the Detoxbillboard in LA).
"I Need a Doctor" goes double platinum and he performs the song at... HOLY shyt THIS ALBUM ACTUALLY SERIOUSLY IS GOING TO COME OUT!
Side Note: I just realized "Under Pressure" was co-produced by Scott Storch. Does that mean that beat was originally made during the original 2004 sessions?
Side Note No. 2: Kendrick drops "Look Out for Detox."
2011
A number of prominent leaks hit the web, including “Syllables” featuring Eminem, Jay, Dre, 50 and Stat Quo, which we later found out was recorded in 2007 for Detox. In addition, “Mr. Prescription” featuring. Sly, Nikki Grier, and Slim Da Mobster leaks, “Chillin” featuring Swizz Beatz leaks and Ludacris' “OGs Theme” reference track leaks.
May 2011: "Die Hard" featuring Eminem premieres during an episode of Fight Camp, is possibly Detox' third official single.
November 2011: Dre announces that he's taking a break from music after he wraps up producing for Kendrick Lamar's GKMC and Slim the Mobster (who's no longer even on Aftermath). "I feel like I’m gonna take a little bit of a break. I’m never gonna stop music, it’s like air to me. So I’mma take a little bit of a break. Enjoy some time with the family til I get that itch to get back in.”
At these tracklists, this shyt needs to leak now.
