Dr. Dre
(b. Andre R. Young)
Dr. Dre is without a doubt the most influential hip hop producer the West Coast- and probably the entire rap world- has ever seen, and is the undisputed creator of the music style called 'G-Funk'. He began his musical career in 1985 as a member of the R&B/ dance act called 'The World Class Wreckin' Crew'. At the same time, he was gaining notoriety and respect around South and South Central L.A. as a party D.J.. Eazy-E discovered Dre in '86 and immediately recognized his talents. Eazy then asked Dre to become part of the group he was forming, and Dre also recognized the potential of success and agreed.
He was featured from the beginning of N.W.A. as a D.J. who occasionally grabbed the mic, just as he would at the parties he hosted. In 'Straight Outta Compton' he improved on both his skills on the mic and on the Wheels of Steel. One cut on this album, 'Compton's in the House' featured impressive rapping skills by Dre and co-member M.C. Ren, who passed the mic back and forth with as much ease and grace as the Harlem Globtrotters could pass a basketball. This was a hip hop tag team to be reckoned with, and for the first time, Dre was truly accepted as an authentic M.C. Also his producing skils were gaining nationwide attention, and together with D.J. Yella he brought forth an LP which opened many eyes and ears on the East Coast. Dre also produced songs and albums for other artists, such as his girlfriend at the time Michel'le. This LP was in many people's eyes, also the birth of swingbeat, an upbeat, danceable style of R&B with hip hop influences.
N.W.A.'s 2nd LP ,'Efil4Zaggin', was basically the birthplace for G-Funk, a G'd-out version of P(Parliament)-Funk, recognizable by heavy, constantly changing basslines with high-end keyboard riffs. Already at this point, Dre was considered a super-producer. And his lyrical skills were once again not to be fucked with, as was his delivery- baritone and evil, quite different from his delivery in his younger days. On Efil4Zaggin', just like on 'Straight Outta CPT', Dre & Ren are the rap equivalent of Vincent Vega & Jules Winfield in 'Pulp Fiction' . On 'Real Niggaz', Dre says a few words about his former co-member Ice Cube with the words"We started off with too much cargo, so I'm glad we got rid of Benedict arnold."
By the end of 1991, however, Dre decided to quit the- up to that point- most successful rap group in history, shouting the same accusations that Cube did 2 years back, about the group's Jewish manager, Jerry Heller. Little did he then realize that his decision to go solo was to be an enormous turning point in his life, as well as rap music as a whole. With his G-Funk invention in his pocket, as well as years of experience in the music business and of being at the top of the game, Dre set out to create a new gang of M.C.'s which would rock the world. In early '92, Dre met up with a tall, skinny, almost Dog-faced rapper from Long Beach who called himself Snoop Doggy Dogg. Dre realized right away the potential that Snoop had and he knew that this would be the start of something good. These two combined forces, Dre rapping & producing and Snoop rapping, on the title track of the 'Deep Cover' soundtrack. The way these two exchanged verses reminded many of how Dre and Ren used to, except now there was a greater contrast in delivery, making it even more enjoyable to listen to. Quickly Dre, along with former gangbanger/drugdealer Marion 'Suge' Knight, decided to form Death Row Records, signing Snoop as their All-Star Rookie. There was one legal problem, though, and that was that Dre was still contractually bound to Eazy's Ruthless Records, which did not allow him to form a new label. What truly happened next is only known by few, but allegedly Suge stormed into Eazy's office late one night, armed with a few henchmen and a baseball bat, looking for a way to convince Eazy to release Dre from his contract. Needless to say, Eazy was convinced.
Death Row Records was undeniably the label which would take gangsta rap to its highest point. Its first release was Dre's first LP with his name on top, entitled "The Chronic". This was the mother of all rap albums, the pure essence of what is west coast gangsta shit. The Atomic Bomb. Like nothing else. On this LP, mic skills were flexed (besides, of course Dre & Snoop) by Kurupt the Kingpin and Dat Nigga Daz who together formed The Dogg Pound, as well as The Lady of Rage,RBX, The D.O.C. and singing by Nate Dogg and Jewell. The album's main topic was reflected in its title- smokin Chronic weed, basically the strongest weed that money can buy in Cali. Another recurring theme was taking blows at Dre's former homeboy Eazy-E, in which Snoop assisted. (These agressive feelings were felt as a result of a judicial settlement was reached after the 'baseball bat incident' which legally relased Dre from contractual duties towards Ruthless, but gave Eazy a small take in Death Row's revenues.) This album's success far surpassed that of the other former N.W.A. members' solo efforts, and was the foundation for many more successful releases on Death Row Records, inlcuding Snoop's 'Doggystyle", The Dogg Pound's "Dogg Food", and several movie soundtracks, all featuring unbelievably creative production by Dre. The Death Row era was also the period when Dre's beef with Cube was squashed. Together they did a cut on the "Murder Was The Case" soundtrack called "Natural Born Killers". By 1995, the worth of the Death Row empire was estimated at $200 million, and Dre, the co-founder, owned half of it. at the end of '95, one of the world most outspoken rappers was signed to Death Row: 2 Pac. His first release on the "Row" was again higlighted by Dre's magic at the mixing boards.
In '96, however, something happened, which in almost all eyes at the time was viewed as an odd and at the same time disastrous move- Dre leaves Death Row. The musical genius, believed to be at least 50% of the label's success formula, abandons his 4-year old child, the most important rap label in history. WHY??? Many believed that this split would be both the downfall of Death Row, and even the demise of Dre. Dre justified his action by saying something that many other rappers, especially on the East Coast had been saying for a while- gangsta rap is on its way out. Death Row, whose entire weight was basically held up by the strength of its gangsta rappers, threatened to sink should gangsta rap lose its appeal. Dre, who knew that Suge would not budge on the Row's policy of sticking with the gangsta shit, did not want to go down with the boat once it sank. Gangsta rap had been perceived in a bad light for so long by politicians, record labels and even black activists such as Delores C. Tucker, and Dre as well finally grew tired of the style which he had been true to for the last 10 years. He wanted to do something different.
So once again, Dre, now carrying more experience and achievements in his pockets than ever, decided to start anew. So what do you get after dropping an Atomic Bomb? The Aftermath. A record label which at the time that this is being written is still in its infancy, Aftermath Entertainment features a variety of artists in a variety of different stlyes of music- from hardcore west coast rap to mellow R&B. "The Aftermath", the label's debut LP, is an introduction to the label's cast of talents, a montage of all these styles. Dre's newest journey is not over yet and the future is always uncertain, but judging from Dre's unbelievably successful past, Aftermath Entertainment just might provide the next revolution in rap music. Who Knows?
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(LP-1992) |
(Bootleg LP-1994) |
(Bootleg LP-1996) |
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The Aftermath (LP-1996) |
(LP- 1999) |