Two videos in, and although an official release date hasn’t been set, it looks like Dr. Dre’s Detox is coming for real this time, huh?
The latest clip is for “I Need a Doctor”, which features Eminem and Skylar Grey. Actually, Eminem’s presence on this song is so strong I feel like it should be billed as “Eminem featuring Dr. Dre”, but nevertheless…the video is all about Dre.
Cleverly referencing Dre’s past and accomplishments throughout the seven-minute clip, “I Need a Doctor” is one of the better big-budget videos I’ve seen recently. Clear narrative, and it even tugs at the heartstrings a little bit, although looking at Eminem, it’s hard to believe he was so good in “8 Mile”, because he seems to have one standard facial expression.
I still feel as though the song itself is mediocre. The Eminem verses sound old, and it’s also worth mentioning that Em’s verse on 1999’s “What’s the Difference” largely covered the same topical terrain. Dre’s verse is definitely on the wack side-not sure who wrote it, but Dre should’ve told whoever it was to hit the pen and pad again. However, this is one of those cases where the video actually makes the song a little more tolerable.