The reason Dr Dre stopped DJ Premier from working with 50 Cent
DJ Premier is one of hip-hop’s most respected producers. Although he may not receive as much praise as figures such as Timbaland, Pharrell, and Kanye West, he produced some of the most incredible records of the 1990s and was a cornerstone of East Coast hip-hop as the culture entered its golden age.
Premier (real name Christopher Martin) operated out of the iconic D&D Studios, a hip-hop treasure on the fourth floor of a West 37th Street Manhattan building that hosted the likes of Rakim, KRS-One, Jay-Z, Nas and Gang Starr. Here, he made instrumentals daily and collaborated with all the artists passing through the studio.
Despite his Texas roots, Premier contributed significantly to the wholesome jazz-hop movement that emerged from New York in the late 1980s. Often referred to as ‘Preemo’, the musician is highly respected among the greats of hip-hop.
However, during an appearance on HOT 97.0’s Ebro in the Morning radio show, Martin revealed that Dr Dre once blocked him from working with 50 Cent during the early 2000s. Christopher unveiled that the interaction between him and Dre happened just before 50 Cent signed with Shady Records and Aftermath.
According to the Gang Starr member, the project that he was attempting to get Fifty on was a compilation album. Recalling the situation, Martin told Darde, “[Fat Joe] signed me to Terror Squad, and we were supposed to do a project like a compilation album the way Khaled does his, and the first single I was going to drop was a 50 Cent record.”
Martin continued, “This was when everybody wasn’t really messing with 50 to the fullest because he was having too much drama after doing ‘How To Rob,’ and me and Fif hit it off right away and clicked when I got on the phone with him.”
Unfortunately for Premier, Dr Dre shut that down ahead of his and Eminem’s business dealings with Fifty. After signing him, Dre placed all collaborations on hold until 50 Cent had released his debut album.
Speaking to Darden about his disappointment, Martin reflected, “He said he would do the record, and right when it’s about time to do the record, we get a call that Fif can’t do it. I’m like, ‘Why not?’ and they like he’s about to sign to Eminem and Dr Dre, and I’m like, ‘Noooo,’ because we already committed to us, and I talked to Dre and Dre was like ‘Preem, I love you, but he’s not doing any more recording until he does his debut album.’”
Although the Texan never got to work with 50 Cent during his heyday in the early 2000s, Premier and the Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ emcee did collaborate in 2011 on the track ‘Shut Ur Bloodclot Mouth.’
Since then, he has worked with other prominent artists, including Kendrick Lamar, Royce Da 5’9″, Kanye West, Joey Bada$$ and other well-known MCs.