The Life and Career of Dr. Dre

Hip Hop Beginnings

André Romelle Young was born on February 18th, 1965 in Compton, California. His involvement with hip-hop began in his late teens when he started DJ-ing at local clubs and house parties. It was around this time that he adopted the stage name Dr. Dre and soon joined the electro-hop group, World Class Wreckin’ Cru.

N.W.A.

He later hooked up with gangsta rap group, N.W.A, who became known for their explicit lyrics and angry portrayals of urban youth. Their 1988 record, Straight Outta Compton, was released on Ruthless Records, a label co-founded by fellow N.W.A. member, Eazy-E. Despite a lack of radio airplay, the album found success thanks to the controversial protest song, “Fuck Tha Police.”

Number-One Album for N.W.A

After rapper Ice Cube’s departure from N.W.A., the group released Niggaz4Life, a record that became infamous for its misogynistic lyrics. Dr. Dre produced and performed much of this album, which hit number one on the Billboard 200 chart in 1991.

Death Row Records

That same year, Dre left N.W.A to form Death Row Records with Suge Knight. In 1992, his first solo single, “Deep Cover,” was released for the soundtrack of the film of the same name.

Solo Debut "The Chronic"

This was followed by his debut solo record, The Chronic, which went to number three on the Billboard 200. The Gangsta-funk effort earned positive reviews from critics and is considered one of the 90’s most influential records. It spawned singles such as the Grammy-winning, “Let Me Ride,” and the high-charting, “Nothin’ but a ‘G’ Thang.”

Producing with Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube

Dr. Dre’s influence was heard on much of the mainstream hip hop that came out in the next few years. He took over production duties on Snoop Doggy Dogg’s first release, Doggystyle, and reunited with Ice Cube on the track, “Natural Born Killaz.”

Aftermath

After leaving Death Row Records, Dre launched his own label, Aftermath Entertainment, in 1996. The compilation, Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath dropped that same year, and featured songs from Aftermath artists and Dr. Dre himself. It received mixed reviews and was not considered a commercial hit.

Featured Performances

However, Dr. Dre did find success as a featured artist on the number one singles, “No Diggity” by Blackstreet and “California Love” by 2Pac, the latter of which he also produced.

Eminem
A few years later, Dre signed Eminem to his new label, Aftermath. The two went on to collaborate on a number of tracks on Eminem’s debut, The Slim Shady LP, with the most notable being, “Guilty Conscience.” Despite its controversial lyrics, The Slim Shady LP became one of the most popular albums of 1999.

Sophomore Effort

Dr. Dre’s sophomore record, 2001, came out in 1999. The highly successful effort hit the second spot on the Billboard 200 chart during its first week of release. Featuring more of his G-funk sound, 2001 yielded three singles, the popular, “Still D.R.E.,” the Grammy-winning, “Forgot About Dre,” and the hit, “The Next Episode.”

Producing

Dre spent most of the next decade producing for numerous acts. Key singles include The Game’s “How We Do,” Eve’s “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” and Mary J. Blige’s “Family Affair.” In addition, he went on to produce and co-produce songs for rappers 50 Cent and Eminem, both of whom released several extremely commercially successful records.

"Detox

Plagued by delays and unintentionally leaked tracks, the follow-up to his second solo album, Detox, took Dr. Dre years to release. The first official track from Detox, called “Kush,” came out in late 2010, and the album was slated for a street date the next year.

Acting

Outside of music, Dre has acted in films such as the crime thriller, “Set It Off,” the hip-hop comedy “The Wash” and the crime drama, “Training Day.” He has dabbled in the business side of things as well, by releasing his own brand of high-performance headphones called Beats by Dr. Dre and by appearing in a commercial for Dr. Pepper.

Successful Rapper and Producer

His perfectionism and work ethic turned Dr. Dre into the successful rapper and record producer that he is today. With his west coast G-funk style of rap, he subsequently changed the sound of hip hop forever.