The one thing Dr Dre wants to be remembered for
Dr Dre is one of the most famous rappers of all time, but, arguably, it is not his rapping for which he will be remembered. This is something even the man himself seems to recognise.
Dre is obviously a more-than-capable rapper, but few would consider him to be among the best or the most innovative. Where he truly excels is in production, and, beyond music, in business. He can reasonably claim to be a master of both.
Dre’s ability as a producer was clear right from the beginning. He led production on NWA’s two albums, 1988’s Straight Outta Compton and 1991’s Niggaz4Life, but it was only when he went solo that the scope of his abilities was laid bare. For his first solo effort, he shifted tack entirely.
The Chronic helped to hone and popularise the G-funk sound that would soon come to dominate hip-hop, and the way Dre achieved it was quite novel. While hip-hop had relied so much on sampling up until this point, Dre had decided to embrace live instrumentation in the studio. In doing so, he pushed the boundaries of hip-hop production.
While sampling wasn’t absent from The Chronic, Dre employed the services of live musicians to work in the studio. This created a much more lush sound that was specifically reminiscent of George Clinton’s P-funk sound, which Clinton had developed through his Parliament-Funkadelic collective. Dre clearly sought to become a producer in the mold of figures like Clinton.
“I want to be known as the producer’s producer,” Dre was quoted as saying by The Guardian in 2014. “I may hear something on an old record that inspires me, but I’d rather use musicians to re-create the sound or elaborate on it. I can control it better.”
Dre’s innovations in hip-hop production did, indeed, prove to be hugely influential for many who came later. Kanye West, for one, has cited Dre as an inspiration, specifically highlighting his song ‘Xxplosive’ from 2001 as informing his “entire sound.” Clearly Dre’s desire to be known as a “producer’s producer” has been achieved.
Dre’s reputation among those musicians who have worked under him is quite fearsome. He is a strict producer, known for insisting on multiple takes. It could be tough for those he collaborates with, as Nate Dogg once revealed. “When Dre walked in, it was time to work,” he said. “All work and no play.”
At its most intense, Dre’s desire to produce music has an obsessive quality to it. As he revealed to Esquire in 2013, “I’ve gone 79 hours without sleep, creating. When that flow is going, it’s almost like a high. You don’t want it to stop. You don’t want to go to sleep for fear of missing something.” But, clearly, it’s this drive that has made Dre such a legendary producer. He’ll be remembered for it.