Dr. Dre

Dr. Dre became a father while still in high school. His children include Curtis, La Tonya, Marcel, Andre R. Young Jr., Truth, and Truly. Curtis performs as the rapper Hood Surgeon, while Andre R. Young Jr. died of a drug overdose in 2008. Marcel's mother is singer Michel'le, with whom Dre also worked during the World Class Wreckin' Cru era.

Dr. Dre married Nicole Threatt in 1996. They have two children together, Truth and Truly. Threatt filed for divorce in 2020, and the divorce was recorded as finalized in 2021. Dre's stepbrother is rapper Warren G.

Born André Romelle Young, Dre began working as a DJ in his teens and performed at Los Angeles clubs and parties. In 1984, he joined the electro-hop group World Class Wreckin' Cru, where he developed the stage name Dr. Dre, short for the Master of Mixology. He received a music mixer that year and turned his family home into a studio for experimenting with samples and beats.

In 1985, Dre teamed with Eazy-E, Ice Cube, DJ Yella, MC Ren, the Arabian Prince, and the D.O.C. to form N.W.A. The group's Straight Outta Compton became a breakthrough album for West Coast hip-hop and gangsta rap. Its confrontational track “F* tha Police” provoked widespread controversy, including a warning letter from the FBI to Ruthless Records and its distributor.

Dre's principal contribution to N.W.A. was production. He created dense, hard-hitting arrangements that supported the group's explicit accounts of street life and helped establish a distinctive West Coast sound.

After leaving N.W.A., Dre co-founded Death Row Records with Marion “Suge” Knight in 1991. His first solo album, The Chronic, followed in 1992 and featured Snoop Dogg on “Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang.” The album became a major commercial success and introduced Dre's G-Funk production style to a broad audience.

G-Funk combined gangsta rap with smooth melodies, synthesizers, heavy bass, and samples from 1970s funk, particularly the work of Parliament-Funkadelic. “Let Me Ride” earned Dre the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 1994 ceremony.

Dre released 2001 in 1999. The album produced hits including “Forgot About Dre” and “The Next Episode,” and its success reinforced his reputation as both a rapper and a producer. A planned third solo album, Detox, was delayed for years and ultimately scrapped. He later released Compton: A Soundtrack in 2015, an album connected to the film Straight Outta Compton.

Dre left Death Row Records in 1996 and established Aftermath Entertainment in association with Interscope Records. The label's most significant early successes came through Eminem and 50 Cent. Dre signed Eminem to Aftermath and produced several of his major albums, including The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP.

His production work also included music by Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur, Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z, T.I., and 50 Cent. His work with Eminem contributed to Dre's Grammy for Producer of the Year in 2000, and he later won two additional Grammys in 2009 for collaborations with Eminem.

Dre's long-running creative partnership with Snoop Dogg began with “Deep Cover” and continued through The Chronic, Snoop's Doggystyle, and later performances and recordings. Dre also worked on Tupac Shakur's All Eyez on Me while at Death Row.

In 2008, Dre co-founded Beats Electronics with music executive Jimmy Iovine. The company first became known for Beats by Dr. Dre headphones and later expanded into earphones, speakers, and the Beats Music streaming service. Apple acquired Beats in 2014, and Dre and Iovine joined Apple in executive roles.

Dre and Iovine also supported the creation of the Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation at the University of Southern California. The undergraduate program began in 2014, followed by its first graduate program in 2017.

Dre was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 as a member of N.W.A. He appeared with Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, and other hip-hop performers during the Super Bowl halftime show in 2022.

Dre faced assault charges and a civil suit after an incident involving television host Denise Barnes in 1991. The criminal and civil matters were settled out of court. He also faced assault charges involving producer Damon Thomas and was arrested for battery of a police officer. In 1994, he led police on a high-speed chase while intoxicated, violated probation, and served several months in jail in 1995.

In a 2015 interview, Dre apologized for violence against women in his past and said he regretted his actions. In January 2021, he was hospitalized for an apparent brain aneurysm and thanked his family, friends, fans, and medical team for their support.