In his first interview in months, Dr. Dre says his years-in-the-works album "Detox" should be out before the end of the year.

"I'm just now -- over the last couple of months -- starting to feel that it's going to be right and it's something I can be proud of, and everybody is going to love it," the rapper/producer told USA Today. "In a perfect world, I'm shooting for a November or December release."

Dre is particularly enthused by the drum work on the new album, most of which is derived from live instrumentation. "We have an entirely new thing going with the drums that's incredible, and we're still developing that," he said. Guest appearances are on tap from Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and Nas, among others.

The artist reiterated his prior claim that after "Detox" is released, he will "become a hermit" in the studio while producing only up-and-coming acts. "All I want to do is sit in the studio with that person for a year and try to create another masterpiece," he said.

Dre's last album, 1999's "Dr. Dre 2001," has sold 7.23 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.