Dr. Dre sobriquet of Andre Romelle Young is a prominent American rapper, Musician, Songwriter, Record producer, Audio Engineer, Record executive, and Actor. He is also known for his sharp entrepreneurial skills which made him earn a large fortune over time.
Dr. Dre is also known as the “Godfather of Gangsta Rap” who changed the culture of hip-hop music forever. He is also one of the wealthiest and successful hip-hop artists of the past three decades.
Dr. Dre’s career in the 1980s is considered to be very prolific that changed the entire dynamics of hip-hop music.
As an entrepreneur, Dr. Dre is the founder and the CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics and previously was the co-founder of Death Row Records.
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Dr. Dre Career Highlights
Dr. Dre has earned public recognition over time with the help of his dedication and excellent taste in music. Some of the best achievements Dr. Dre made over time are:
- Dre one of the biggest achievement was been declared as the Hustler of the Year in 2014. He was awarded by BET Hip Hop Awards for his commendable performance.
- He has also been felicitated by the Grammy Awards in the category Best Rap Solo Performance for his rap ‘Let Me Ride’ in 1994.
- Dre’s growing fame and a million following made him earn another Grammy Awards for the second time. He was awarded for his rap “Forgot About Dre” in 2001 as the best rap performance by a Duo or Group.
- His other award-winning rap was “Keep Their Heads Ringing” in 1995 by the MTV Music Video Awards.
- Winning millions of hearts from his rap “ Forgot About Dre” in 2000 Dr. Dre backed another award from MTV Music Video Awards in the category Best Rap Video.
- In 2014 Dr. Dre sold Beats By Dre to Apple for almost $3 billion.
Dr. Dre Career
In the mid-’80s Andre Young took the stage name Dr. Dre. To earn his living Dre used to work at a local club, Eve after dark. Also, he followed his passion by performing and playing as a hip hop DJ at the parties in Los Angeles south-central district.
In 1986 Dr. Dre founded Niggaz Wit Attitude (N.W.A) with the help of his fellow members Easy-E and Ice Cube. The group’s album ‘Straight Outta Compton’s a huge success and was a breakthrough for their career as a hip hop artist.
This gave a kickstart to his career in hip hop music. After leaving N.W.A Dre co-founded Death Records and later Aftermath Entertainment. In the early years of the 21st-century Dr. Dre career as a producer flourished immensely.
In 2015 Dre released his album “Compton” inspired by the album ‘Straight Outta Compton’ which revealed the story of the group N.W.A. In 2016 Dre was felicitated with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a dedicated member of N.W.A.
Apart from his career in music Dre was also a successful business. He established Beats Electronics with the help of Jimmy Iovine a music executive. His company sold headphones, earphones, speakers, and other items.
Dr. Dre Early Life
Andre Romelle Young was born on February 8 in 1965. He was raised mostly by his mother in South Central Los Angeles. As a young boy, Dre was passionate about music and frequently visited nightclubs.
He learned to DJ and soon in 1984 became a member of the hip hop group World Class Wrecking’ Cru. He founded Niggaz Wit Attitudes with the help of his fellow mates Ice Cube and Eazy-E.
Their album “Straight Outta Compton” earned tremendous success and a large fan following. The group sold hundreds of millions of albums and eventually in music history had certified double platinum.
The debut album gave a vivid description of street violence and drug dealing. Dr. Dre work as a member of the group N.W.A was of a producer, creation of background music, multi-layered sonic collages to back the lyrics used by the group.
In 1992 Dre left the group due to the growing bitter relations within the team. He also co-founded Death Row Records with Marion Knight and released his first solo album “The Chronic”.
His solo album earned multiplatinum success and helped him enter the mainstream of hip hop. In 1996 Dre left Death Row Records and founded “Aftermath Entertainment.
His albums “Forgot About Dre” and “Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath” are some of the grammy-winning albums. With time Dre started worked with many other hip hop artists.
He is also credited with having launched the careers of other eminent hip hop artist such as Snoop Dogg and Eminem. He is regarded as one of the richest rappers in the world despite all the shortcomings.
Dr. Dre Personal Life
Dre and his 15 year old girlfriend named Cassandra Joy Greene when he was only 16 years old. They together had a son named Curtis is a rapper and performs under the name Hood Surgeon. It is claimed that he did not meet his son until the boy was 20 years old.
In 1983 Dre had a daughter named La Tanya Danielle Young. It is claimed that Dre also had a relationship with singer Michel’le who worked with him in the World Class Wrecking Cru and they together had a son named Marcel.
Further in 1988 Dre and his girlfriend Jenita Porter had a son who was named after his father AndreYoung Jr. Unfortunately, Andre died in August 2008 due to an overdose of drugs.
Dre married Nicole Young in 1996 and later in 2020 she filed for a divorce, They have two children a son named Truice and a daughter named Truly. Reports claim that his wife could be entitled to a large share of his fortune after their divorce.
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Conclusion
Despite all the obstacles Dre is one of the richest rappers in the world. His estimated net worth is said to be around $820 million with more than hundreds of millions of albums sold worldwide and a million fan following.
Famous not only for his raps but also for his philanthropic acts Dre has won a million hearts.
Dre teaches us a lesson that things are always changing so does the goals and priorities. It is important to focus on what your heart truly desires at the end. Everything you work on should be done with dedication and immense love.