26 years ago today (Jan 29, 2000): Dr. Dre ft. Eminem dropped ‘Forgot About Dre’—the ultimate comeback record! Em wrote the whole thing to defend Dre from haters, originally for Dre & Snoop, but Dre kept Em’s fire verses. Who forgot about Dre? Not us! 🎤💯 #ForgotAboutDre #DrDre #Eminem #HipHopAnniversary” #NostalgiaVibes
Forgot About Dre” by Dr. Dre feat. Eminem is one of hip-hop’s most iconic comeback anthems, and today (January 29, 2026) marks its 26th anniversary since its release as a single back in 2000. It dropped on January 29, 2000 (some sources note January 22 for wider promo, but January 29 is widely celebrated as the key date), as the second single from Dre’s massively successful album 2001 (also known as The Chronic 2001).
By the late ‘90s, Dr. Dre had been quiet as a solo artist after leaving Death Row Records in 1996 and founding Aftermath Entertainment. People were doubting him—critics and rivals said he was washed up, that he hadn’t dropped a real hit in years, or that he’d gone too “pop.” There were even diss tracks aimed at him on a Suge Knight compilation called Suge Knight Represents: Chronic 2000, mocking Dre’s legacy.
Enter Eminem, who Dre had recently discovered and signed to Aftermath (thanks to that famous demo tape from Jimmy Iovine). Em was pissed off seeing people disrespect his mentor, so he wrote an entire song defending Dre’s influence and legacy. Dre has said in interviews that Eminem originally wrote it for Dre and Snoop Dogg to do together. Em even recorded reference vocals himself to show how it should sound over the beat.
Dre loved Em’s delivery and energy so much that he decided to keep Eminem on the track instead of giving it to Snoop. Dre produced the beat (with co-production from Mel-Man), building it around those fierce verses. The result? A razor-sharp declaration that Dre was still the king who brought the world N.W.A, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, The D.O.C., Snoop Dogg, and classics like “Fuck tha Police.” Lines like “Nowadays everybody wanna talk like they got somethin’ to say / But nothin’ comes out when they move their lips / Just a bunch of gibberish” hit hard at fake rappers and doubters.
Eminem’s verse brings that classic Slim Shady chaos—wild, violent imagery, double-time flows, and humor—while the chorus (Em on hook) is super catchy and aggressive: “Nowadays everybody wanna talk like they got somethin’ to say / But nothin’ comes out when they move their lips / Just a bunch of gibberish / And motherfuckers act like they forgot about Dre.”
It became a massive hit, peaking high on charts and winning a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 2001.
• Helped revive Dre’s career as a rapper (after focusing on producing) and boosted 2001 to diamond status.
• The music video (directed by Philip G. Atwell, shot late 1999) is gritty and cinematic—Dre at a newsstand, Em walking dark streets, a fake news skit censoring explicit lines, and it ends with a teaser for Hittman’s “Last Dayz.” It won MTV’s Best Rap Video.
• Kendrick Lamar once called Em’s verse (and another on the album) the best on 2001.