Dr. Dre is the most successful figure in hip-hop history, and we don't just mean that from a financial perspective. Literally everything he touches has been a massive success, with effects that rattle the rest of the hip-hop world. As Dr. Dre celebrates his 50th birthday, Music Times breaks his incredible career down into seven simple chapters.
01) Upbringing
Andre Young was born in 1965 and his environment guaranteed that he would find at least a modicum of music involvement. His middle name, Romelle, was a reference to his father's R&B group, The Romells. Although his father would soon be out of the picture, his mother would later marry Warren Griffin. That man's son, and now Dre's stepbrother, would be Warren Griffin III, better known by his hip-hop moniker Warren G. Although G wouldn't become a star until long after Dre got famous in hip-hop, it's clear that the culture of the genre was active within the Young/Griffin household. And, as his music would demonstrate, the neighborhood of Compton had a clear role. Although Andre's mother attempted to move him into schools away from those affiliated with gang activity, there was only so far you could go in Compton without experiencing the effects firsthand.
02) Early Music
Young took to music during the early '80s while in high school, and would later find work at nightclub The Eve After Dark as a DJ. He went by the name Dr. J at first, an homage to basketball player Julius Erving at first, but later switched his name up to Dr. Dre to reflect his own name. It was there where he met Antoine Carraby, better known as DJ Yella in the outfit N.W.A. The pair joined the World Class Wreckin' Cru, an old-school hip-hop group in need of a slick DJ. The single "Surgery," which featured his noticeable scratching ability, made him a star in Compton.
03) N.W.A.
Obviously the first two chapters in this biography were needed to explain how Dre got to where he is today but everyone knows that N.W.A. was the vessel that blew the door off of its hinges. Dre and Yella met O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson and Eric "Eazy-E" Wright, the owner of Ruthless Records. The group's songs, such as "Boyz-n-the-Hood" became the most recognizable sounds in the subgenre of gangsta rap, which was rising in popularity. The single "Fu*k Tha Police" off of N.W.A.'s first LP Straight Outta Compton wasn't political in the same sense as Public Enemy or other popular hip-hop collectives at the time, but there was no doubt that it was at least vaguely political. Ice Cube and company had no interest in negotiating for the rights of the boys in the hood...they would take them the hard way. Nobody agreed with all of its lyrical content but everyone loved its production. And, most importantly, kids loved it.
04) Death Row Records
N.W.A., alas, couldn't last too long. Ice Cube left the group soon after it found success and soon Dre would come into disagreement with Eazy-E. Fortunately however, he had bodyguard and general goon Suge Knight on his side to "convince" Eazy to allow Dre to leave Ruthless and take his recordings to Knight's new imprint, Death Row Records. Dre didn't mess around when he got to Death Row: The label's first release was The Chronic, one of the best-selling and most acclaimed hip-hop albums of all time, featuring hits such as "Fu*k Wit Dre Day" and "Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang." More relevant, each of the album's singles featured Snoop Dogg (a rapper Dre met through his stepbrother Warren G). The rapper would head back to the production side of the table next, producing Dogg's acclaimed Doggystyle album. Death Row started out an epic two-for-two, thanks largely to Dre.
05) Aftermath Entertainment
It's no surprise to anyone now but it quickly became apparent to Dre that Knight couldn't run a record label, even if he could find excellent performers to staff it. Alleging corruption at the top, Dre started his own label under Interscope, which also held Death Row. Admittedly, Aftermath didn't get off to as hot a start as Death Row had, and it was almost two years before Dre found his pot of gold. Working on a tip from Interscope head Jimmy Iovine suggested the producer check out Detroit rapper Eminem. That signing would guarantee Aftermath's continued existence as The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP drove fans and parents nuts just as N.W.A. once had. It allowed Dre the freedom to release 2001 as well. It wouldn't be the last time Iovine would help Dre out...
06) Beats by Dre
Having spent several years producing for Eminem and a multitude of performers (and not his own yet-unreleased Detox), Dre was looking for a new way to become even richer. He's rumored to have been chatting with Iovine when he suggested that he might release a sneaker line. That sounds like pure gold to us...kids love sneakers...but the Interscope head suggested instead that the pair look into headphones. They paired with Monster Audio at first and launched Beats Electronics during 2008, based largely on the Beats by Dre headphone line (Iovine realized that a rapper's endorsement was much sexier than his own). The product, identifiable for its signature "b" logo, began to rival other high-end models. What Beats had was the free advertising of dozens of celebrities, from other rappers to professional athletes, making it one of the most recognizable brands around.
07) Apple
If you had looked at Dr. Dre and Apple 25 years ago, the idea that the pair would one day join forces would be laughable. However the strength of Beats Electronics as a brand enticed the software giant to buy it up for a reported $3 billion, making Dre the first "hip-hop billionaire." The best part is that he didn't lose his stake in the company, but traded up for a seat on the Apple board of directors instead. It's believed that Apple looks to use Dre and Iovine's experience in both branding and music-thought as experts to help develop iTunes Radio. It seems unfair to base out expectations on the rest of Dre's ludicrous career success, but we're eager to see how he (and new coworker Zane Lowe) can shake up the internet radio industry for the better.
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
