Dr. Dre, whose real name is Andre Romell Young, is an American record producer, rapper, and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and was the president of Death Row Records. Dr. Dre is known for his contributions to the popularization of gangsta rap subgenre of hip hop. He began his career as a member of the World Class Wreckin’ Cru in 1985 and later found fame with the group N.W.A. During the early 1990s, Dr. Dre was credited as a key figure in the crafting and popularization of West Coast G-funk, a subgenre of hip hop characterized by a synthesizer-based sound. His debut solo album, The Chronic (1992), released under Death Row Records, made him one of the best-selling American music artists of 1993. It earned him a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance for the single “Let Me Ride”, as well as several accolades for the single “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang”. That year, he produced Death Row labelmate Snoop Doggy Dogg’s debut album Doggystyle and mentored producers such as his stepbrother Warren G (leading to the multi-platinum debut Regulate…G Funk Era in 1994) and Snoop Dogg’s cousin Daz Dillinger (leading to the double-platinum debut Dogg Food by Tha Dogg Pound in 1995), and would later mentor other producers including Mel-Man and Scott Storch. In 1996, Dr. Dre left Death Row Records to establish his own label, Aftermath Entertainment. He produced a compilation album, Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath, in 1996, and released his second solo album, 2001, in 1999. During the 2000s, Dr. Dre focused on producing other artists, occasionally contributing vocals. He signed Eminem in 1998 and 50 Cent in 2002, and heavily produced their output while they were signed to Aftermath. He has produced albums for and overseen the careers of many other rappers, including the D.O.C., Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, Knoc-turn’al Kendrick Lamar, and Anderson .Paak. Dr. Dre has won seven Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. Rolling Stone ranked him number 56 on the list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Outside of music, Dr. Dre has acted in films such as Set It Off, The Wash, and Training Day. He is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time.
