Dr Dre is undeniably one of the biggest moguls in hip hop and has so many hits to his name. With his career beginnings as part of the World Class Wreckin’ Cru, the tycoon (real name Andre Young) adapted and worked his way to the top with multiple endeavours.
Starting in the early 1980s as a DJ for the electro group World Class Wreckin’ Cru, Dre was the primary producer and rapper of the gangsta rap crew N.W.A by the end of the decade. Shortly after the crew’s disbandment, Dre founded Death Row Records with Suge Knight and continued to grow from there, meeting Snoop Dogg along the way.
Dr Dre was introduced to Snoop Dogg through his step-brother, Long Beach rapper Warren G, in 1992. Looking to sign artists to his newly formed label, Death Row Records, Dre was highly intrigued when he heard Snoop Dogg on a 213 demo Warren G was playing for him. In fact, Dre was so fascinated he told his step-brother to bring Snoop down to the studio.
Before long, Snoop Dogg was signed to Death Row as their prodigy child teenager that same year. Dre introduced Snoop to the world as his protégé on the legendary track ‘Deep Cover’ in 1992, and since then, the two have gone on to make iconic and legendary music together but also with other artists.
Snoop and Dre worked alongside each other during the 1990s on Death Row Records and with Dre’s ingenious churned-out G-funk classics. Whether it’s The Chronic or Doggstyle, both artists are legendary, which is why they have both been so successful.
One of their greatest collaborations is on Dr Dre’s 1999 track ‘Still Dre’. The track was the lead single for Dre’s album 2001 and is one of Dr Dre’s most successful tracks ever. Many hip hop fans often say that Dre is entirely responsible for the beat. However, the beat was actually a three-person effort and, despite its simplicity, was made by Scott Storch, Dre and Mel-Man in conjunction.
The lyrics were written in just 30 minutes by Jay-Z, who was considered the best lyricist in hip hop at the time, and Snoop Dogg has praised the Brooklyn rapper several times for the amazing job he did. The single was recorded at A&M Studios near Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, which was built by Charlie Chaplin in 1917.
The much-loved music video, which has over 1 billion views on YouTube, was directed by Hype Williams and features a number of appearances. Eminem, Xzibit, Warren G, The D.O.C. and Funkmaster Flex all feature in the video, which sees Snoop Dogg and Dre driving lowrider cars which are a big part of L.A. culture.
The 2001 album went on to peak at number two on the Billboard 200 and has since been certified six times platinum in the US and four times platinum in the UK, making it one of Dr Dre’s most successful albums of all time. Dr Dre and Snoop performed the track at the So-Fi Stadium during their Superbowl LVI halftime performance. You can watch the music video below.
