Six months after the "fiasco" of their promotional tie-in with Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy, Dr Pepper is again associating with a much-delayed "masterpiece" – Dr Dre's Detox.
Whereas last time the US soft drink manufacturer gave away thousands of cans, this time they are playing it safe and just airing a commercial. In the new advert, Dre shills for his fellow "doctor" while acknowledging the long wait for Detox. "Scientific tests prove when you drink Dr Pepper slow, the 23 flavours taste even better," he explains. "For me, slow always produces a hit."
Dre then plays a few seconds from Shit Popped Off, an unreleased song expected to feature on the album.
Dr Dre's last album was 2001, released (confusingly) in 1999. One of hip-hop's most famous producers, Dre has spent the last 10 years working with artists like Eminem, 50 Cent and Raekwon – and nursing the Detox myth. Originally promised for a 2005 release, almost every major hip-hop artist (and many minor ones) have been reported to cameo on Detox, including Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, Nas, the Game, Lloyd Banks, Mary J Blige, Busta Rhymes, TI, Ice Cube and, er, Fergie from Black Eyed Peas.
The album is slated for a late 2009 release, and as Dre protege Dawaun Parker told Rolling Stone, "at this point, people aren't even sure what they want [Detox] to sound like. They want to hear some kind of frequency that doesn't exist".
If Dr Pepper isn't careful, music fans may soon associate their product with abject, mind-melting disappointment.
