Dr. Dre's 1992 Classic 'The Chronic' to Be Archived by Library of Congress

Dre's debut studio album joins releases by Cheap Trick, Whitney Houston, and more among the latest round of honorees.

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The Chronic, Dr. Dre's celebrated 1992 debut studio album, is being archived in the Library of Congress.

Wednesday, the National Recording Registry announced Dre's classic as being among the latest musical releases to be considered "worthy of preservation" due to their importance of a cultural, historical, or aesthetic nature.

"The National Recording Registry is the evolving playlist of the American soundscape," Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a press release. "It reflects moments in history captured through the voices and sounds of the time. We received over 800 nominations this year for culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant recordings to add to the registry. As genres and formats continue to expand, the Library of Congress is committed to working with our many partners to preserve the sounds that have touched our hearts and shaped our culture."

The Chronic is joined in the latest assortment of honorees by Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" single, Selena's Ven Conmigo album, Tina Turner's Private Dancer album, Cheap Trick's Cheap Trick at Budokan album, Glen Campbell's Wichita Lineman single, and more.

Though it's just as likely to never happen as it is to suddenly spring into existence, late last year saw the announcement of Dr. Dre and Kanye West linking up for a sequel to the latter's Jesus Is King album. 

Back in 2017, Dre and Jimmy Iovine's complementary career paths were dissected in fascinating detail for HBO's The Defiant Ones series. Watch that immediately if you haven't already. 

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