The Recipe;c-10152526 said:- It was the launch of snoop and his signature sound
- Introduced melody in hip hop on a wide scale
- Showed an alternate look at black culture in Cal
- Elevated disses
- Spawned Death Row Era
- It was the best selling album at that point
- G Funk sound was all over the culture
- Took Hip Hop to suburban radio
- Elevated skits
- Began the west coat rapper takeover
Just to name a few
I'll agree to some of the points you made, but Niggaz4life was released about 18 months earlier and had the same sound. The main difference is he replaced Ren with Snoop. Also, from what I've deduced, white people claim The Chronic because they don't feel comfortable saying "Niggaz4life".
In fact, every point you made could be applied to No One Can Do It Better and Niggaz4life.
On a side note, I remember that era clearly. I agree that Dre had a different sound from what was going on in the East but they weren't the first rap group to usher in a new sound.
Run DMC had a new sound on their first album
Whodini had a new sound on their first album
Boogie Down Productions had a new sound on their first album
Public Enemy had a new sound on their first and especially their second album
De La Soul had a new sound on their first album
Beastie Boys Paul Boutique had a new sound
A Tribe Called Quest ushered in a new sound with Low End Theory
So saying that Dre had a new sound (Nuthin But A G Thing and Let Me Ride) is true, but that's not the first time somebody came from a different angle.
Lastly, The Chronic wasn't the first posse album. Marley Marl released In Control Volume 1 in the summer of 1988.