Natural musical talent helped him become a leading rap artist. His two solo albums The Chronic and 2001 were a great success. Dr. Dre introduced the G-funk style of music to the world, which became an instant breakthrough. His music became the driving force for the development of dozens of rappers and hip-hop artists. He can be considered the most influential producer in the history of hip-hop. In addition, learn about the genius of digital art, Victor Acevedo. Read more on los-angeles.pro.
Biography
Andre Romell Young was born on February 18, 1965 in California. At the time of his birth, his mother was only 16 years old. When the son was 3 years old, the mother divorced his father for another man – Curtis Crayon. The new chosen one had two sons, Jerome and Tyree, as well as a daughter, Shameka. In childhood, Andre was fascinated by music. His family’s record collection included many popular hip-hop albums. He was influenced by Diana Ross, James Brown, Aretha Franklin and others. In 1976, Young went to Vanguard High School. He was joined by his half-sister Shameka. However, due to the increasing violence at this school, he transferred to a neighboring high school. Later, Andre was almost enrolled in a higher educational institution at the Northrop Aviation Company. However, poor grades at school prevented him from entering. Therefore, the boy decided to focus on entertainment and various social benefits during his school years.
He often visited clubs in his teens. There, he watched rappers performing live. Soon, he became a DJ at the club under the name Dr. J. Andre was looking for another pseudonym for a long time, until he remembered his favorite basketball player, Julius Erving. He decided to take the pseudonym Dr. Dre. This is a combination of his previous pseudonym Dr. J and his name.
Musical career
At the age of 19, Dr. Dre became a member of the musical group World Class Wreckin ‘Cru. The band’s musicians became stars of the electro-hip-hop style. This music dominated the hip-hop scene in the early 1980s on the West Coast. In 1986, he met rapper Ice Cube. The musicians began to collaborate. As a result, new songs appeared for the label Ruthless Records. The first tracks were included in the band’s album Straight Outta Compton. It received thousands of positive reviews. The main hit was the composition Fuck tha Police. The name guaranteed the almost complete absence of the track in the playlists of radio stations and major concerts. Young left the group at the peak of its popularity in 1991. He did this on the advice of his friend Suge Knight.
In 1992, Dr. Dre released his first single, Deep Cover. The track was recorded in collaboration with rapper Snoop Dogg. The debut album, The Chronic, was released on the Death Row Records. The musicians managed to create a new style of rap, both in terms of musical style and lyrics. The album became a cultural phenomenon. Its G-funk sound dominated hip-hop music of the early 1990s. In 1993, the Recording Industry Association of America certified the album as multi-platinum. Dr. Dre also received the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance for the composition Let Me Ride. In the same year, Billboard magazine named Dr. Dre’s music the best-selling. The Chronic took sixth place in the sales ranking. In addition to working on his own material, Dr. Dre took part in creating an album for Snoop Dogg. The album Doggystyle became the artist’s debut album. After its release, it could be seen at number one on the Billboard 200 charts. In addition to Snoop, the studio team called The Dogg Pound included future G-funk stars such as Dat Nigga Daz, Rage, Nate Dogg, Kurupt, Warren G, RBX and Bushwick Bill. MTV began to show clips for rap songs. Dr. Dre was nominated for a Grammy Award in two categories and received one statuette for Let Me Ride in the nomination Best Rap Performance. Thus, the West Coast found its musical emperor.
In 1996, the world heard another album by the artist called Aftermath. The album was not very popular among music lovers. The turning point for it came in 1998. Then, Jimmy Iovine, the head of the Aftermath label, suggested that Young sign the Detroit rapper known as Eminem to his label.
Dr. Dre’s second solo album, 2001, was released in the fall of 1999. It is considered a return to his classic sound. The album featured contributions from Devin the Dude, Hitman, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, Nate Dogg and Eminem. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic Guide described the album’s sound as ‘adding sinister strings, soulful vocals and reggae to Dr. Dre’s signature style’. The album was a huge success. It peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. It has since been certified platinum six times. In 2000, Dr. Dre won a Grammy Award for Producer of the Year. The artist also received 5 more Grammy Awards for his duets with 2Pac, Blackstreet, Eminem and Snoop Dogg. After that, Dr. Dre was more involved in production, occasionally participating in joint tracks.
Work as a producer
After the success of his albums, Dr. Dre focused on writing songs and albums for other artists. He produced the single Family Affair by singer Mary J. Blige for her album No More Drama in 2001. Dr. Dre also produced How We Do, a single by rapper The Game from the album The Documentary. In 2006, Dr. Dre worked with Raekwon on his album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II. As for the production itself, some of the albums he has worked on have become multi-layered. This list includes Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Eminem, The Game and others.
Dr. Dre said that his main instrument in the studio was the Akai MPC3000, a drum machine and a sampler. Unlike most rap producers, he tries to avoid samples and prefers to have studio musicians overdub the music he wanted to use. This gave him more flexibility in the rhythm and tempo of the music.
Dr. Dre has repeatedly stated that he is a perfectionist and is known to pressure the artists he works with to produce flawless results. In 2006, Snoop Dogg reported 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. As a result of this perfectionism, some artists who initially sign with Dr. Dre’s label never release albums.
Personal life
From 1990 to 1996, Dr. Dre dated singer Michel’le. In 1991, the couple had a son, Marcel. The marriage did not last long. In May 1996, Dr. Dre married Nicole Threatt. They had two children: a son, Truice Young, and a daughter, Truly Young. In 2020, it became known that the wife left her husband and filed for divorce. The woman cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the divorce. The couple was married for 24 years.
In 2001, Dr. Dre earned about $52 million from the sale of part of his share of Aftermath Entertainment. Rolling Stone Magazine named him the second highest-paid artist of the year. In 2004, Dr. Dre also took 44th place with income of $11.4 million.