On this date in 1992, Dr. Dre released his debut solo album The Chronic on his own Death Row Records imprint, which was distributed by Priority Records. This album introduced the world to the Death Row experience, G-Funk infused Hip Hop and the one and only Snoop Doggy Dogg.
Recorded in Death Row Studios in L.A., The Chronic album was created under the influence of some of the most powerful marijuana in the United States during that time, hence, the title. It was also fueled by Dre’s relentless passion to show his former crewmates from N.W.A. that he could make it on his own as well as prove to the world that he could do more than just make dope beats.
Timeless tracks where Dre shined on the lyrical side include “Let Me Ride”, “Nuthin’ But A “G” Thang” along with Snoop, and “The Day The Niggaz Took Over”, where Daz, Dre, and RBX went in about racial tensions during the 1992 L.A. riots.
Even with its conceptual perfection and trailblazing sound, which left an open market for artists like The Dogg Pound, 213, and Warren G., The Chronic is still Dre’s second best-selling album behind The Chronic: 2001, which went sextuple platinum.
Salute to everyone at Death Row Records who contributed to this gangsta rap classic! Cali love!!
Despite the fact that the Hip Hop community lost this giant in the game over two decades ago, the legacy of Eazy-E will always be seen, heard and celebrated by the culture of Hip Hop.
Eazy-E was born Eric Lynn Wright on this date in 1964 in Compton, California. As most of his gang-infested Compton neighborhood, Eazy adopted the street life and began a career in selling drugs in the early 80s. Wright earned as much as $250K selling drugs, but quickly reinvested his street profits into the music business, thus starting Ruthless Records.
Not long after, Eazy linked up with O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson, Andre “Dr. Dre” Young and Lorenzo “MC Ren” Paterson and founded “the world’s most dangerous group”, N.W.A. This multi-platinum, Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame group catapulted Eazy’s status to the “godfather of gangster rap”.
Even though the world said goodbye to Eazy in 1995 after his short battle with AIDS, his musical genius continues to live on and influence future generations of Hip Hoppers.
On 8/8/88, Ice Cube, MC Ren, DJ Yella, Eazy E, along with the legendary Dr. Dre from the World Class Wreckin’ Crew put together the second N.W.A. album called Straight Outta Compton. This album came on the heels of Eazy E’s debut release, Eazy E, and The Posse, which led Eazy E and his Ruthless Records label partner Jerry Heller to put out another release exploiting the gang culture that saturated the West Coast, giving birth to what is known as “gangsta rap’. Their debut release, N.W.A. And The Posse was already certified and had anticipating fans around the world the second time around.
Some of the most lethal, straight no chaser lyrical assaults can be heard on tracks like the “Dopeman” remix, “Gangsta Gangsta,” and the anti-cop anthem “Fuck The Police.” What made this album so unique was that it rose to platinum status with no radio play or major promotion. The album even drew attention from the federal government, with the FBI and U.S. Secret Service sending letters to Ruthless about the violent message of “Fuck The Police.” N.W.A.’s popularity with the law increased their fan base and record sales. This album was also when Dr. Dre was officially recognized as the legendary producer he has evolved into today. Careers from both coasts and everywhere in between was created from the Straight Outta Compton prototype.
The Source salutes Cube, Ren, Dre, the Wright family, DJ Yella, and the Arabian Prince for this unforgettable masterpiece!
Three decades have passed since Ice Cube dissed his former crew members from N.W.A. on “No Vaseline”, but according to Twitter, the Sir Jinx/Ice Cube-produced track from Cube’s Death Certificate LP is now being highlighted as the best diss record of all time.
Hip Hop heads unanimously named “No Vaseline” as the most vicious diss record to date, with Cube throwing shots at the late Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, DJ Yella and Ruthless Records former CEO Jerry Heller. With lines like, “Yella Boy’s on your team, so you’re losin’ / Ay yo Dre, stick to producin’ / Callin’ me Arnold, but you been-a-d*ck / Eazy-E saw your ass and went in it quick,” and “Half-pint bitch, f*ckin’ your homeboys / You little maggot, Eazy-E turned f*ggot,” Ice Cube made one of the most successful exit to solo artist transformations in Hip Hop history.
No Vaseline is the only right answer. He went for all the blood and basically destroyed what was left of NWA.
“No Vaseline” and it’s not even close. Not trying to take anything away from tracks like “Hit Em Up”, “Ether”**, “Story of Adidon”, or “Killshot”, but — “No Vaseline” is one dude coming for four dudes, and he =annihilated= them. https://t.co/LLTUfb5D3b
On this date in 1991, “the world’s most dangerous group dropped their second and final album as a group, ironically titled Efil4zaggin on the Ruthless/Priority imprint.
On the heels of Ice Cube departing from N.W.A. on a sour note to embark on a solo career, the now four-man group was slowly disbanding, but managed to churn out one last full length album. Dr. Dre and D.O.C. left the group to help form Death Row Records shortly after this project was released. The album offered up three singles; the memorable “Always Into Somethin”, “Appetite For Destruction”, which featured an Ice Cube sub and “The Days Of Wayback”. Because of the group’s success, the LP did eventually reach platinum status.
Salute to Dre, Yella, Ren and Eazy for giving us a piece of Hip Hop history!
31 years ago, Eazy muthaf**kin’ E made his debut on the White House lawn.
While other rappers of the time were totally against President George Bush and his staunch law and order policies, Eazy-E, along with his manager Jerry Heller, spent $1250 a plate to attend the Republicans Inner Circle dinner.
This private, members-only dinner may have cost Eazy a whopping $2500 for two plates, but that type of publicity couldn’t be bought. Speculation has it that Eazy and Jerry’s attendance at the White House during the Bush administration kept the FBI off of N.W.A’s backs after the controversy over their “Fuck The Police” single.
On this date 29 years ago, Gusto and the gang shows us what gangsta Hip-Hop is all about.
In 1993, Chris Rock, Allen Payne and Charlie Murphy gave their own take of how things go down behind the scenes with gangsta rappers vs. real-life gangsters in the comedy flick CB4. Directed by and starring Rock, CB4 was a parody that pokes fun at “the world’s most dangerous group” N.W.A. and features several Hip Hop notables including Ice-T, Ice Cube, Flavor Flav and the late Eazy-E.
Murphy, who played the role of “Gusto”, is a certified “G’ who is “three generations deep in gangsterdom.” Rock, who plays up and coming rapper Albert Brown from “LoCash” California, jack Gusto’s gangster look, background and persona, becoming MC Gusto after the “gangsta” Gusto went to prison. The group that Rock’s character formed, who were called CB4, which stood for gangsta Gusto’s prison location ‘Cell Block 4″, took the rap world by storm until reality hit; Gusto gets out of jail.
Salute to Rock, Charlie Murphy (RIP), Allen Payne and even Daddy-O of Stetsasonic, who was the rapper for CB4’s hits “Straight Outta LoCash” and “Sweat From My Balls.” CB4 is definitely a comedic learning tool and will forever be a piece of Hip-Hop history!
Today we celebrate the birth of one of the most influential figures in Hip-Hop. Not only was this man the first rap billionaire, but he was also an instrumental part (literally and figuratively) in the creation of a new sub-genre of rap known as G-Funk. The living legend is described is none other than Dr. Dre.
Andre Romelle Young was born in Compton, California on February 18, 1965. He was the first child born to Theodore and Verna Young. His father had a history in music and was a member of an amateur R&B group called The Romells from which Dre gets his middle name.
In 1986, Dre met O’Shea Jackson aka Ice Cube while collaborating on some music for Ruthless Records. Ruthless Records was a famous record label founded by N.W.A. member Eazy-E and west coast rapper Ice-T. These two are widely credited with starting the gangster rap movement on the West Coast. This meeting and the addition of MC Ren birthed one of the greatest music groups of all time, N*ggaz With Attitude.
After a disagreement with Eazy-E, Dre decided to leave N.W.A. to build his own musical empire. Due to advice given to him by his close friend and fellow rapper, The D.O.C., and his bodyguard at the time, Suge Knight, Dre became the flagship artist of Death Row Records, a label started by Knight in 1992. On Death Row Records, Dre released his first solo album titled The Chronic. This album cemented Dr. Dre’s place as one of the top rappers out of California. While working with Death Row, Dre produced the majority of new artist Snoop Dogg’s music helping him in his rise to superstardom, along with tracks for 2Pac who was also a label member.
In ’96 due to a disagreement between Knight and Dre, Dre left Death Row to build his own label called Aftermath Records. This changed the path of Dre’s career forever. The growth began when the head of Interscope Records, Jimmy Iovine, suggested that Dre sign white rapper Eminem. The success of Eminem’s music made Dr. Dre not only one of the most respected rappers/producers in the game but also one of the more powerful moguls.
Dr. Dre was set to release his third album Detox in 2007 but decided to not and instead produce for other artists. Since then Dre has been mostly behind the scenes shaping the current state of rap music. Most recently he produced the uber-successful N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton, which has created a rise in N.W.A. support from a new generation. His third studio album, Compton, was released shortly after the film and finally ended the long wait for more work from Dre.
The life and career of Dr. Dre is one that has been able to make Rap and Hip Hop what they are today. Without his influence, who knows where rap music would be today. From everyone at The Source, Happy Birthday Dr. Dre, may you have many more success filled years.
