How a guy from Compton became a major figure in hip-hop culture

Dr. Dre - one of the most famous and successful rappers and producers of our time, is also considered the father of g-funk music (West Coast hip-hop style, originated in the 1990s in California, USA). His life path was hard and thorny, but thanks to all the difficulties we know Dr. Dre the way he is now.

Childhood and youth

Andre Romell Young (the musician's real name) was born on 18 February 1965 in the crime-ridden city of Compton. (Los Angeles County). Verna Young gave birth to a son at 16 from Theodore Young, who was fascinated by the work of the musical of The Romells. It was in honour of the band's name that Andre got your middle name. After the birth of their son, the parents formed a union. However, when young André was 3 years old, his parents divorced due to disagreements in the family.

Verna contributed significant contribution in the development of André's musical talent. When the boy was only 4 years oldhe played DJ role at family parties. His mother would give him a small list of tracks for the young rapper to play at the party. Verna was impressed by how skilfully her son spun the film, demonstrating various tricks. Even then, the mother noticed his talent.

The musician lived in a dysfunctional town where drug dealing and violence were rampant. In 1976. Andre went to school for the first time "Vanguard Junior High School."However, it soon had to be changed to "Roosevelt Junior High School" because of the high level of gang activity. The musician's mother then married Curtis Crayon. Their couple was born three daughters and one son. The talent for music has not only been passed on to Dr. Dre, but also to his younger brother Warren G.who is currently a popular West Coast rapper.

In 1979. The young musician studied at Centennial High School, which he was later forced to change due to poor academic performance. Andre then transferred to Fremont High School, where he attended until the end of school. In his later high school years, the musician decided to try for an airline job, however, after an unsuccessful attempt, André became . disc jockey and worked there until he finished high school.

In 1981. Dre's girlfriend Lisa Johnson said she's expecting a baby. At the time, the musician just turned 16. The boy was named Curtis. Dre's son was taken into care by the child's mother, and for 20 years Andre did not see him.

Musical career

At first, the rapper it's been tough. He worked hard and hardly ever rested. And all this in order to get where he is now. At the beginning of his journey. it was very hard to get into the radio stations.

At the age of 17. The musician started visiting local clubs, where he watched various DJs and rappers perform. Soon, inspired by their creativity, Andre got a job as a DJ in one of the clubs. Then he took a pseudonym Dr J. J in honour of The nickname of beloved basketball player and legend Julius Irving (known as Dr. J.). Andre's fame quickly spread around the area and soon he was invited to join a group of DJs World Class Wreckin' Cru. The members of the band wore specific costumes similar to doctor's suits. Soon the singer changed his alias to Dr. Dre - a mixture of the previous name and his first name. Andre felt that he was doing what he should be doing, as if he had found his place.

However, when the musician reached the age of 21 years oldhe decided to retire from DJing with grander plans for the future. In 1986. Andre met a rapper Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson). Together they recorded a couple of songs for a rap label called Ruthless Records.

Despite the ambitious plansDre didn't have the money to realise them. The rapper soon found like-minded people and a few others who were willing to provide funds for what he was doing wanted to do. One of them was Eric Lynn Wright (known by the alias Eazy-E). Eric was a local drug dealer who tried to make his way into music, but had little success, until I got in touch with Dr Dre. Together they organised a band where they invited a couple of other DJs. The name of the band was N.W.A. "Niggas With Attitudes".

The musicians wrote songs in the style of gangster rap. Their tracks were filled with violence, poverty, debauchery and drugs. N.W.A. quickly gained popularity due to its specificity and dissimilarity to the predecessors of the genre. A special mention should be made of the album "Straight Outta Compton" and its song "Fuck The Police."which quickly became famous without any radio and television adverts.

Later, due to certain monetary disagreements. Dr. Dre and Ice Cube had to leave the band. Shortly after leaving. Andre began his partnership with a well-known businessman, gangster, and label owner Death Row Records Sugar Knight. In 1991. Andre recorded his first single, which was included on the soundtrack of the film Undercover. The soon-to-be-released debut album "The Chronic." was a real breakthrough. It was in it that the performer demonstrated a new, independently created rap music style Not only in terms of instrumentation, but also content.

In 1992. Dr. Dre created a track called "Let Me Ride"for which he won a music award "Grammy for best solo rap performance.. In addition to being an author, Dr. Dre has proven himself as a producer, having taken on a popular music album Snoop Dogg's "Doggystyle."which instantly reached number one on the weekly American music magazine Billboard. In addition to this, Dre has had a hand in the albums of numerous rappers such as Eminem, 50 Cent, 2Pac and others. In 1994, Dr. Dre also produced tracks for films such as "Above the Rim" и "Murder Was the Case".

Dre's activity in his contract with Shug Knight was not prolonged. Already in 1995. Dre has started a collaboration with Tupac. Later, André decided to start his own label, which he called . "Aftermath Entertainment". The label subsequently played an important role in the rapper's life, multiplying his popularity several times over.

Third solo album "Detox." has been long awaited by Dre fans from all over the world. This is a compilation that the musician has been working on for many years. The release date was postponed many times, but fans never waited for its release of the "mythical" album.

Now let's listen to some of Dr. Dre's most recognisable songs.

NWA "Straight Outt.a Compton", 1988

The song "Straight Outta Compton." is the lead single from the debut album. N.W.A. with the same title. This track made it to the 19th place in About.com's Top 100 Rap Songs ranking. After the release, the song was banned on many radio stations, so it hit the charts only 27 years later from the date of release.

Dr. Dre "Keep Their Heads Ringing", 1995.

In 1995, a song was released "Keep Their Heads Ringing"which is on the album "Friday.". The track was co-produced with Nancy Fletcher and was awarded to MTV VMAS for best rap video.

Dr. Dre & 2Pac "California Love," 1995.

"California Love." - one of the two songs on the album "All Eyez on Me"produced by Dr Dre. The release of the track is associated with Tupac's release from prison after a one-year sentence. The appearance of "California Love" caused a real storm of emotions among fans. The first two weeks the single did not leave the top of the chart Billboard Hot 100and has also been nominated for many music awards.

Dr. Dre & Snoop Dog "Next Episode", 1999

"Next Episode" - single from the album "2001"This track features a lot of references to another Dr Dre creation - another Dr Dre track - which is a collaboration with Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg and Kurupt. This track contains many references to another Dr Dre creation - "The Dre". "California Love.". The original version of the lyrics and beat of the song looked different than it does now. The title itself was also slightly different - the cover of the track had the inscription "Tha. Next Episode".