Everybody’s got to appreciate the musical genius synonymous with the name Dr. Dre. Throw in some Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes and Anderson .Paak for a modern twist and you’ve got a fantastically nostalgic hip-hop track in “ETA.” 

Old school rap to the max, Dre’s latest release perfectly encapsulates the sound of playing Grand Theft Auto in the early morning hours and cruising the streets of Los Santos. Fitting, as the track is part of the rap legend’s collaboration with Rockstar Games’ “The Contract” update for GTA Online. But honestly, while it is a great jam for the game’s soundtrack, “ETA” is worthy of anyone’s old school hip hop playlist.

Sampling The Edwards Generation’s “You’re the One for Me,” the number is reminiscent of the early-mid ‘90s sound which defined the careers of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. R&B inspired instrumentals back the track giving it an awesome throwback vibe so authentic that anyone would be forgiven for thinking it was put out last century. If not for .Paak’s heavy feature, I probably would’ve thought the same.

Needless to say, the verse work on “ETA” is rock solid. Interpersing callbacks to Dre and Snoop’s roots in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s with references to Reaganomics, Compton’s Rosecrans Avenue and Los Angeles’ Kenneth Hahn Park. Contrast this with some commentary on the modern music industry’s quick-fame model through “TikTok and dances,” it combines for a bittersweet reflection of hip hop history.

Still, for me Snoop Dogg’s work on an awesomely rhythmic chorus steals the show:

“Weave through the weeds /

Smoke trees where my seeds grow /

Let ’em try to press /

Get shot like a free throw.”

Throw it on, slow it down and get lost in the collaboration of some of the contemporary masters of rap. “ETA” is an injection of classic hip-hop into the modern mainstream a celebration of where the genre has been, a testament to the staying power of its icons and a promotion of the latter-day torch bearers.