Dr. Dre’s Music Career and Legacy

In a moving speech at ASCAP’s 23rd annual Rhythm and Soul Music Awards in 2010 after receiving a lifetime achievement award, Dr. Dre told the audience, “I’m living an incredible life. Making a living doing what I love and having people love it. I can’t even explain what that feels like.”

Indeed, Andre “Dr. Dre” Young is living an incredible life. Over the course of his extraordinary 32-year career, he has evolved many times. DJ, producer, rapper, actor, CEO, entrepreneur, philanthropist, you name it. His life and career have been impressive and robust, and we have a feeling that there’s much more in store.

How Dr. Dre Was Born

Born February 18, 1965, in Compton, CA, Dre moved around frequently with his mother after his parents split up.

He received a mixer for Christmas one year and began working for several hours a day on his music after creating a studio in his home. He deejayed at an LA club where he met Antoine “DJ Yella” Carraby and began going by the name of Dr. Dre, the Master of Mixology, inspired in part by NBA star Julius “Dr. J.” Erving. Dre eventually joined the group World Class Wreckin’ Crew with Yella and began performing and recording with the Compton-based ensemble.

N.W.A. & Life in Compton

It wasn’t until Dre met O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson and Eric “Eazy-E” Wright that his life completely changed.

In 1985, he formed the group N.W.A. (Niggaz With Attitudes) with Yella, Ice Cube, Eazy-E, and three other rappers, MC Ren, Arabian Prince, and the D.O.C. (the latter two would eventually leave the group). It was with N.W.A. that Dre would make music that reflected life on the streets in Compton.

Sure, their lyrics were unapologetic, abrasive, and explicit, but they effectively explored the harsh realities — police brutality and racism —that each member was all too familiar with. In 1988, their iconic album “Straight Outta Compton,” which featured the defiant track “Fuck Tha Police,” sold over 2 million copies and birthed the genre “gangsta rap.”

Solo Era

The next few decades would solidify Dre’s stardom and include some of the biggest hits of his career.

After leaving N.W.A. in 1991, he released “The Chronic” album a year later on Death Row Records with Suge Knight as the executive producer. Featuring hits such as “Nuthin But a G Thang” (featuring then little-known rapper Snoop Dogg), “Let Me Ride,” and “Dre Day,” the album went 3x Platinum. “The Chronic” has been lauded as one of the best albums in hip-hop history.

Dre released his second solo album in 1999, titled “2001,” on his new label Aftermath, and won a GRAMMY Award for Producer of Year. The album has sold over 7 million copies to date.

Dre’s Influence

Over the years, Dr. Dre has been instrumental in the careers of Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and 50 Cent. He also produced tracks for many artists, including Jay-Z, Tupac Shakur, Nas, Mary J. Blige, and Gwen Stefani.

He has also contributed music to several movie soundtracks, including “Friday,” “Kingdom Come,” and “The Wash” (in which he also starred).

Continued Success

In 2008, Dre founded Beats Electronics with record producer Jimmy Iovine and released the hugely popular and beloved Beats by Dre Studio headphones. In 2014, Dre sold Beats for $3 billion to Apple (the largest acquisition in the tech giant’s history) and increased his net worth to roughly $800 million. He and Lovine — with whom he also runs the Jimmy Lovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology, and the Business of Innovation — now hold executive roles at Apple.

Last August, Dre enjoyed even more success after the release of the N.W.A. biopic, “Straight Outta Compton.” The movie did extremely well at the box office and inspired Dre’s third album, “Compton: A Soundtrack.”

In 2013, Dre told Esquire, “I believe in reincarnation, and I believe I’ve lived quite a few lives.”