Dr. Dre

Biography: Following increasingly successful stints as the primary musical architect for rap groups World Class Wreckin' Cru and N.W.A, Dr. Dre recorded one of the most successful and influential rap albums to date, The Chronic .Already a sought-after producer, Dre stepped up to the mic himself, along with Nate Dogg , That **** Daz and (then) new discovery, Snoop Doggy Dogg . Dre took N.W.A.'s no-holds-barred gangsta style and ent further with tales of gangbangin', gunplay, womanizing and smokin' the ultra-strong dope--the "Chronic" for which the LP is named. Dre also dissed his former N.W.A. partner and Ruthless label owner Eazy-E , sparking one of rap's most colorful recorded battles. The extremely profane and blunt rapping caused The Chronic to become mandatory listening not only for rap's hardcore fans, but also a new legion of suburban white kids burned out on the hand-wringing angst of millionaire grunge rockers. More important in the long run, though, is Dre's constantly improving production style, which combines old-school grooves, thunderous but simple bass, sparse drum programs and sinewy analog synth lines that accent the drama. Dre became an MTV star as huge as Nirvana , and with that came the prerequisite media circus. In '91, he pleaded no contest to the beating of rap show hostess Dee Barnes. With manager Suge Knight, he formed the ludicrously successful Death Row Records, but left in late 1996 to form his own Aftermath Records. Dre's production work with The Dogg Pound, Snoop, Tupac Shakur, Michel'le and numerous others has been a highlight of '90s rap. Upon his exit from Death Row, the artists he left behind suffered artistically. His own Aftermath label so far has released his solo single "Been There, Done That," in which he renounced gangsta posturing, and the lukewarm compilation of new artists Dr. Dre Presents The Aftermath. the album was not a success and was a letdown to Dre's standards. In 1997 he signed Eminem who is now one of the greatest emcees of all time. In 1999 Eminem released his first album with Dr.dre's Aftermath label and to this day has sold 7 million worldwide. In laate 1999 Dr.dre released his second studio album "2001" which was a huge success and recieved excellent responces from the critics. It went 6x Platinum with singles released such as Still Dre and Forgot About Dre. Dre then began focusing on signe=ing new artists to his label and working with the current ones. He signed artists such as 50 cent, The Game, Eve and Busta Rhymes and has contributed major work to their albums rather than focus on his own.… Expand