Dr. Dre

Dr. Dre is often considered the most influential rapper/producer of his time. With his straight-out-of-Compton attitude, Dre created his own style of hip-hop; one that went beyond flashy colorful clothes and fickle imagery, and coined the term and the sound that has become commonly known as gangsta-rap. In the tradition of bands like Cypress Hill and Parliament, Dre crafted his own subculture of sound. His G-funk ethic has been carried on in acts such as Snoop Doggy Dogg, Warren G and Ice Cube. His work in the famous N.W.A. collaboration, starring fellow rappers Eazy E and Ice Cube, revolutionized the rap industry forever.

Dr. Dre was born Andre Young in 1965. He was reared by his mother and grandmother in a Compton housing project. At an early age Young was subjected to the gang influences of his environment, forming a rough and tough exterior that would later manifest itself in his music. Young became interested in hip-hop in the early 1980s and recorded several demos of his own productions. He also played clubs and house parties, making a name for himself in South Central Los Angeles. This is where he later collaborated with Ice Cube writing and producing material for Eazy E and his Ruthless Records enterprise. Eventually this partnership lead to the super-funk gangsta trio, N.W.A. (Niggaz With Attitude). By the time they had released their second album, Straight Outta Compton, N.W.A., with Dre's innovations, became nefarious for their hard core sound and controversial content. (They received a warning from the Federal Bureau of Investigation upon the release of their single "Fuck tha Police."

After the release of the successful 1990 EP 100 Miles and Runnin' and its follow-up, Efil4zaggin ("Niggaz 4 Life" spelled backward), Dre made efforts to leave N.W.A. (Ice Cube departed the year before). By this time, Dre and partner Suge Knight were working on their own project, Death Row Records. When the manager of N.W.A refused to let Dre out of his contract, however, Knight allegedly threatened his life in order to win the commodity that Dre had become.

On his own in 1992, Dre released his first solo album, The Chronic, and began an alliance with Snoop Doggy Dogg, who helped the album gain its multi-platinum status. Singles like "Nuthin' but a G-Thang" and "Let Me Ride," exploited Dre's edgy, bold G-funk sound and, in the next four years, the album's influence on the industry became overwhelmingly apparent. Among his Death Row productions are the 1993 Snoop debut Doggystyle which made Snoop a household name. The success of Warren G.'s "Regulate" and Ice Cube's "Natural Born Killaz" are also credited to Dr. Dre.

In a protest against long-time friend and partner Suge Knight, Dre left Death Row Records in 1996 and formed another label, Aftermath Records. His first effort Dr. Dre Presents...The Aftermath was released in 1996 and featured several other rap artists. "Been There Done That" became a hit single.

Dre's most recent album, Dr Dre 2001, dropped in November 1999.

RollingStone.com