Dr. Dre started his career as part of an electro group, namely the World Class Wreckin Cru. After that, he left his mark in the influential NWA rap group. It was this group that brought him his first tangible success.
Also, he was one of the founders of Death Row Records. Then the Aftermath Entertainment team, of which he is now the CEO.
Dre's natural musical talent helped him become a leading rap pioneer, his two solo albums "The Chronic" and "2001" were very successful.
He introduced the world to the G-funk style of music that became an instant breakthrough. Interestingly, Dre's career is not limited to just personal milestones.
In fact, he has been the driving force behind the success story of numerous rappers and hip-hop artists. It was he who introduced many future artists to the musical fraternity. These include Snoop Dogg, Eminem и 50 Cent. Undoubtedly, he can be considered the most influential producer in the history of hip-hop.
early life
The first child of Verna and Theodore Young, the future Dr. Dre was born on February 18, 1965. His mother was only 16 at the time of his birth.
In 1968, his mother divorced Theodore Young for another man, Curtis Cryon. The new chosen one had children, two sons named Jerome and Tyri, as well as a daughter, Shameka.
As a small child, the future star was fascinated by music. His family's recording collection included many popular R&B albums from the 1960s and 1970s. The young guy was influenced by: Diana Ross, James Brown, Aret Franklin.
During her mother's second marriage, future star and stepbrother Tyree were raised mainly by their grandmother and Curtis Crayon. Meanwhile, their mother spent a lot of time looking for work.
In 1976, Young began attending Vanguard High School. Shamek's half-sister joined him. However, due to increased violence around the Vanguard School, he transferred to the nearby Roosevelt High School.
Verna later married Warren Griffin, whom she met at her new job in Long Beach. This added three half-sisters and one brother to the family. A half-brother, Warren Griffin III, eventually became a rapper. He performed under the stage name Warren G.
He was almost enrolled in higher education at the Northrop Aviation Company. But poor grades at school prevented this. Therefore, the young man focused on social life and entertainment for most of his school years.
Musical career Dr. Dre
The history of the pseudonym Dr. Dre
Inspired by the song Grandmaster Flash, he frequented a club called Eve After Dark. There he watched many DJs and rappers perform live.
Soon, he became a DJ at the club, initially under the name "Dr. J". The choice of pseudonym determined the nickname of Julius Erving, his favorite basketball player. It was at the club that he met aspiring rapper Antoine Carrabee. Later, Dre became a member of his NWA group.
After that, he took on the pseudonym "Dr. Dre". A combination of the previous alias "Dr. J" and his given name. The young man called himself "Master of Mixology".
In 1984, the artist joined the musical group World Class Wreckin' Cru.
The group became the stars of the electro-hop scene. Such music dominated the hip-hop industry in the early 1980s on the West Coast.
Their first hit "Surgery" stood out. Dr. Dre and DJ Yella also performed mixes for local radio station KDAY.
Throughout his childhood and youth, Dre spent a lot of time on rap music. He often skipped school, which affected his education. However, when he did attend, he got good grades from the teachers.
NWA and Ruthless Records (1986–1991)
In 1986, he met rapper Ice Cube. The musicians collaborated, resulting in new songs for the label Ruthless Records. The label was run by a rapper Eazy-E.
The NWA collective debuted compositions that included profanity and a vivid illustration of the problems of life on the street. The group was no longer shy about talking about political issues. Their lyrics present the full range of hardships they have faced.
The band's first full length album Straight Outta Compton was a major success. The main hit was the song Fuck tha Police. The name guaranteed an almost complete absence of radio stations and major concerts in the playlists.
In 1991, at a Hollywood party, Dr. Dre attacked television presenter Dee Barnes from the Fox it Pump it Up television program. The reason was her dissatisfaction with the news about the feud between NWA members and rapper Ice Cube.
Thus, Dr. Dre was fined $2500. He received a two-year probation and 240 hours of community service. The rapper was featured on public television in the context of fighting violence.
The Chronic and Death Row Records (1992–1995)
After a dispute with Wright, Young left the band at the height of its popularity in 1991. He did it on the advice of Suge Knight's friend. Knight also helped persuade Wright to release Young from his contract.
In 1992 Dr. Dre released his first single Deep Cover. The track was recorded in collaboration with Snoop Dogg. The debut album of Dr. Dre called The Chronic was released on the Death Row label. The musicians created a new style of rap, both in terms of musical style and lyrics.
The Chronic became a cultural phenomenon, its G-funk sound dominating hip-hop music in the early 1990s.
The album was certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1993. Dr. Dre also won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance for his performance on "Let Me Ride".
That same year, Billboard magazine named Dr. Dre bestseller. Album The Chronic - took sixth place in the sales ranking.
In addition to working on his own material, Dr. Dre contributed to Snoop Dogg's debut album. Album Doggystyle became the debut album for the artist Snoop Dogg. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 charts.
In 1995, when Death Row Records signed the rapper 2Pac and positioned him as a major star, Young left the label due to a contract dispute and growing fears that label boss Suge Knight was corrupt, financially dishonest, and out of control.
Thus, in 1996, he formed his own record label, Aftermath Entertainment, directly under Death Row Records' distribution label, Interscope Records.
As a result, in 1997 Death Row Records was going through a bad time. Especially after the death of 2Pac and the racketeering allegations leveled against Knight.
Aftermath (1996–1998)
Dr. Dre presents Aftermath on November 26, 1996. The album was released with the participation of Dr. Dre himself and newly signed artists Aftermath. Includes the solo track Been There Done That, intended as a symbolic farewell to gangsta rap.
The album was not very popular among music lovers. In October 1996, Dr. Dre appeared on the NBC comedy program Saturday Night Live in the United States to perform Been There Done That.
The turning point for the Aftermath album came in 1998. Then Jimmy Iovine, head of Aftermath's parent label, Interscope, suggested that Young should sign a Detroit rapper known as Eminem.
2001 (1999 – 2000)
Dr. Dre's second solo album, 2001, was released in the fall of 1999. It is considered the return of the artist to his roots.
The album was originally called The Chronic 2000, a follow-up to his debut album The Chronic, but was renamed in 2001 after Death Row Records released the compilation in early 1999. Options for the album title were also The Chronic 2001 and Dr. Dre.
The album featured numerous collaborators including Devin the Dude, Hittman, Snoop Dogg, Xibit, Nate Dogg and Eminem.
Stephen Thomas Erlwine of All Music Guide described the album's sound as "adding sinister strings, soulful vocals and reggae to Dr. Dre's style".
The album became very successful. It peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 charts. It has since gone platinum six times. This confirmed the fact that with Dr. Dre still has to be reckoned with despite the lack of major releases in the previous few years.
The album included popular singles Still DRE and Forgot About Dre. Both Dr. Dre performed on NBC Live on October 23, 1999.
Grammy Award
Dr. Dre received a Grammy Award for Producers in 2000. Oh joined the Up in Smoke Tour with such rappers. like Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube.
After the success of 2001, Dr. Dre focused on producing songs and albums for other artists. He produced the single "Family Affair" by R&B singer Mary J. Blige for her album No More Drama in 2001.
Other successful albums he produced in 2003 for the Aftermath label included Queens' debut album by New York rapper 50 Cent. , Get Rich or Die Tryin'.
The album featured the Dr. Dre single "In da Club", co-produced by Aftermath, Eminem Shady Records and Interscope.
Dr. Dre also produced How We Do, rapper The Game's 2005 single from his album The Documentary.
In November 2006, Dr. Dre began working with Raekwon on his album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II.
Among the planned but unreleased albums during Dr. Dre's Aftermath included a feature-length reunion with Snoop Dogg titled "Breakup to Makeup".
Detox: The Final Album
Detox should be Dr. Dre's last album. In 2002, Dre told Corey Moss of MTV News that he wanted Detox to be a concept album.
Work on the album began in early 2004, but later that year he decided to stop working on the album to focus on producing for other artists, but then changed his mind.
The album was originally released in autumn 2005. After several delays, the album was finally supposed to be released back in 2008 through Interscope Records.
Actor career
In 2001, Dr. Dre appeared in the films Bad Intentions. His soundtrack "Bad Intentions" (featuring Knoc-Turn'Al), released by Mahogany, was featured on The Wash soundtrack.
Dr. Dre also appeared on two other songs, On the Blvd and The Wash, along with his co-star Snoop Dogg.
In February 2007, it was announced that Dr. Dre would be producing dark comedy and horror films for New Line-owned Crucial Films, co-written with veteran director Phillip Atwell.
Dr. Dre announced, "It's a natural transition for me as I've made a lot of music videos and I want to get into directing eventually."
Musical influences and style Dre
Dr. Dre has said that his main instrument in the studio is the Akai MPC3000, a drum machine and a sampler.
He mentions George Clinton, Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield as major musical references.
Unlike most rap producers, he tries to avoid samples. As much as possible. Prefers to have studio musicians replay the pieces of music he wants to use. This gives him more flexibility in changing rhythm and tempo.
After founding Aftermath Entertainment in 1996, Dr. Dre recruited co-producer Mel-Man. The music took on a more synth sound. Fewer vocal samples were used.
Mel-Man did not share co-production secrets with Dr. Dre since around 2002. But another Aftermath employee named Focus named Mel-Man as the key architect of Aftermath's signature sound.
In 1999, Dr. Dre began working with Mike Elizondo. He is a bassist, guitarist and keyboardist who has also produced, written and played on records for artists such as Poe, Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette.
Elizondo has since worked on many of Dr. Dre's pieces. Dr. Dre also told Scratch magazine in a 2004 interview that he is formally studying piano theory and music. The main goal is to accumulate enough musical theory to evaluate the results.
In the same interview, he stated that he collaborated with famed 1960s songwriter Burt Bacharach. Dre sent him hip-hop beats in hopes of a personal collaboration.
Work ethic musician Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre has stated that he is a perfectionist and has been known to pressure the artists he records with to give flawless performances. In 2006, Snoop Dogg told Dubcnn that Dr. Dre forced new artist Chauncey Black to re-record one vocal part 107 times. Dr. Dre has also stated that Eminem is a perfectionist and attributes his success on Aftermath to his work ethic.
A consequence of this perfectionism is that some artists who are initially signed to Dr. Dre Aftermath never release an album.
In 2001, Aftermath released the soundtrack to the film Washing.
Personal life Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre dated singer Michel from 1990 to 1996. She frequently contributed vocals to Death Row Records. In 1991, the couple had a son, Marcel.
In May 1996, Dr. Drew married Nicole Threat, who was previously married to NBA player Cedale Threat. Dr. Dre and Nicole have two children: a son named Tras Young (born 1997) and a daughter named Truly Young (born 2001).
He is also the father of rapper Hood Surgeon (real name Curtis Young).
Income artist Dr. Dre
In 2001 Dr. Dre made about $52 million from the sale of a portion of his stake to Aftermath Entertainment. Thus, Rolling Stone magazine named him the second highest paid artist of the year.
Dr. Dre was ranked 44th in 2004 in revenues of just $11,4 million, mostly from royalties and the production of projects such as the G-Unit and D12 albums and Gwen Stefani's "Rich Girl" single.
Dr. Dre today
At the end of 2020, the Cayo Perico Heist update was released for Grand Theft Auto Online, with a glimpse of the rap artist. A year later, the Contract update was released, the plot of which already revolved entirely around Dr. Dre. During this period of time, the artist's previously unreleased tracks were released.
At the beginning of February 2022, Dr. Dre has unveiled new tracks for GTA: Online. Features: Anderson Park, Eminem, Ty Dolla Sign, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Rick Ross, Thurz, Cocoa Sarai, one of the songs also has a Nipsey Hussle verse.
