Dr. Dre began his career in music as a member of the World Class Wreckin' Cru and he later found fame with the influential gangsta rap group N.W.A, which popularized the use of explicit lyrics in rap to detail the violence of street life. His 1992 solo debut The Chronic, released under Death Row Records, led him to become one of the best-selling American performing artists of 1993. In 1996 he left Death Row to found his own label Aftermath Entertainment, producing a compilation album, Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath, in 1997 and releasing a solo album titled 2001 in 1999.
During the 2000s he focused his career on production for other artists, while occasionally contributing vocals in other artists' songs. Rolling Stone named him among the highest-paid performers of 2001 and 2004. Dr. Dre also had acting roles in the 2001 films The Wash and Training Day. In 2011, his final solo studio album, Detox, is set to be released following much delay and speculation.
Early life
The first child of Verna and Theodore Young, Dr. Dre was born as AndrΓ© Romelle Young on February 18, 1965. His mother was only 16 years old at the time of his birth, after being impregnated by teenage boyfriend Theodore, whom she later married. Young's middle name, "Romelle", came from Theodore Young's unsigned, amateur R&B singing group The Romells. In 1968 his mother divorced Theodore Young for another man, Curtis Crayon, and had other children with him, including two sons named Jerome and Tyree (both of whom are now deceased)[8][9] and daughter Shameka.[10] As a young child, Young was fascinated with vinyl records spinning on phonographs; his family's record collection included many popular R&B albums of the 1960s and 1970s, from such singers as Diana Ross, James Brown, and Aretha Franklin. According to an interview with the Los Angeles Times, his mother Verna found R&B music to be a relief from the two jobs she had to work daily.[11] Despite economic troubles, she continued to encourage Young not to give up in life. During Verna's second marriage, Young and his step-brother Tyree were raised primarily by their grandmother and Curtis Crayon, as their mother spent much time in search of work.[12]
In 1976 Young began attending Vanguard Junior High School and had a new sister named Shameka. However, due to gang violence around Vanguard, he transferred to nearby Roosevelt Junior High School.[13] Verna later married Warren Griffin, whom she met at her new job in Long Beach,[14] which added three new stepsisters and one new stepbrother to the family. The stepbrother, Warren Griffin III, would eventually become a rapper under the stage name Warren G.[15]
Young attended Centennial High School in Compton during his freshman year in 1979 but transferred to Fremont High School due to poor grades. On December 15, 1981, Young fathered a son with Lisa Johnson, however Curtis Young was not brought up by his father and they only met when Curtis had become rapper Hood Surgeon about 20 years later.[16] He was nearly enrolled to an apprenticeship program at Northrop Aviation Company until poor grades at school made him ineligible. Therefore, he focused on social life and entertainment for most of his high school years.[17]
Music career
World Class Wreckin' Cru (1984β1985)
Inspired by the Grandmaster Flash song "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel", he often attended a club called The Eve After Dark to watch many DJs and rappers performing live. Thus, he became a DJ in the club, initially under the name "Dr. J" based on the nickname for Julius Erving, his favorite basketball player. At the club, he met aspiring rapper Antoine Carraby, later to become member DJ Yella of his group N.W.A.[18] Soon afterwards he adopted the moniker Dr. Dre, a mix of previous alias Dr. J and his first name, referring to himself as the "Master of Mixology".[19] He later joined the musical group World Class Wreckin' Cru under the independent Kru-Cut Records in 1984. The group would become stars of the electro-hop scene that dominated early 1980s West Coast hip hop, and their first hit "Surgery" would prominently feature Dr. Dre on the turntables and sell 50,000 copies within the Compton area.[20] Dr. Dre and DJ Yella also performed mixes for local radio station KDAY, boosting ratings for its afternoon rush-hour show The Traffic Jam.[21]
Due to the amount of time Dr. Dre was spending on his rap music he frequently skipped school, affecting his education. His absences also jeopardized his position as a diver for his school's swim team. However, when he did attend he received good grades in certain classes. After high school, he attended Chester Adult School in Compton following his mother's demands for him to get a job or go to school. After brief attendance at a radio broadcasting school, he relocated to the residence of his father and residence of his grandparents before returning to his mother's house.[22] He later dropped out of Chester to focus on performing at the Eve's After Dark nightclub.[23]
N.W.A and Ruthless Records (1986β1991)
In 1986 he met rapper Ice Cube, who collaborated with Dr. Dre to record songs for Ruthless Records, a rap record label run by local rapper and drug dealer Eazy-E. N.W.A however, along with fellow west coast rapper Ice T, debuted with rhymes including profanity and gritty depictions of crime and life on the street. No longer constricted to racially charged political issues pioneered by rap artists such as Public Enemy or Boogie Down Productions, N.W.A shot out with hardcore and realistic perspective of street violence and local black gangster lifestyle. Propelled by the hit "Fuck tha Police", the group's first full album Straight Outta Compton became a major success, despite an almost complete absence of radio airplay or major concert tours and warnings from the FBI.[2] The FBI sent letters to Arabian Prince, Ice Cube and Eazy-E urging them to stop releasing their music as a response to the large amount of complaints they had received about the group's lyrical content and use of expletives.[24]
After Ice Cube left N.W.A over financial disputes, Dr. Dre produced and performed for much of the group's second album Efil4zaggin. He also produced tracks for a number of other rap acts on Ruthless Records, including Above the Law, and The D.O.C. for the album No One Can Do It Better.[25] In 1991 at a music industry party in Hollywood, he assaulted television host Dee Barnes of the Fox television program Pump it Up, after he felt dissatisfied by a news report of hers on the feud between the remaining N.W.A members and Ice Cube. Thus, Dr. Dre was fined $2,500 and given two years' probation and 240 hours of community service, as well as a spot on an anti-violence public service announcement on television.[26][27]
The Chronic and Death Row Records (1992β1995)
After a dispute with Wright, Young left the group at the peak of its popularity in 1991 under the advice of friend, and N.W.A lyricist, The D.O.C. and his bodyguard at the time, Suge Knight. Knight, a notorious strongman and intimidator, was able to have Wright release Young from his contract and, using Dr. Dre as his flagship artist, found Death Row Records. In 1992 Young released his first single, the title track to the film Deep Cover, a collaboration with a rapper whom he met through his own stepbrother and rapper Warren G, Snoop Dogg.[2] Dr. Dre's debut album was The Chronic under Death Row Records. Young ushered in a new style of rap, both in terms of musical style and lyrical content.[28]
On the strength of singles such as "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang", featuring protegΓ© Snoop Doggy Dogg and hits like "Let Me Ride" and "Fuck wit Dre Day (and Everybody's Celebratin')" (known as "Dre Day" for radio and television play), The Chronic became a cultural phenomenon, its G-funk sound dominating much of hip hop music for the early 1990s.[2] In 1993 the Recording Industry Association of America certified the album multi-platinum,[29] and Dr. Dre also won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance for his performance in "Let Me Ride".[30] For that year, Billboard magazine also ranked Dr. Dre as the eighth best-selling musical artist, The Chronic as the sixth best-selling album, and "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" as the 11th best-selling single.[3]
Besides working on his own material, Dr. Dre produced Snoop Dogg's debut album Doggystyle, which became the first debut album for an artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 album charts.[31] Young also produced other West Coast rap albums of Death Row Records, including Dogg Food by Tha Dogg Pound and the album Regulate...G Funk Era by his stepbrother Warren G. In 1994 Dr. Dre produced the soundtracks to the films Above the Rim and Murder Was the Case and the single "No Diggity" by Blackstreet. He collaborated with fellow N.W.A member Ice Cube for the song "Natural Born Killaz" in 1995.[2]
In 1995, just as Death Row Records was signing rapper 2Pac and positioning him as their major star, Young left the label amidst a contract dispute and growing concerns that label boss Suge Knight was corrupt, financially dishonest and out of control. Thus, in 1996, he formed his own label Aftermath Entertainment directly underneath the distributor label for Death Row Records, Interscope Records.[2] Consequently, Death Row Records suffered poor sales by 1997, especially following the death of 2Pac and the racketeering charges brought against Knight.[32]
Move to Aftermath Entertainment (1996β1998)
The Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath album, released on November 26, 1996, featured songs by Dr. Dre himself as well as by newly signed Aftermath artists, and a solo track "Been There, Done That", intended as a symbolic farewell to gangsta rap.[33] Despite being classified platinum by the RIAA[34], the album was not very popular among music fans.[2] In October 1996 Dr. Dre appeared on the sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live, broadcast on the NBC television network in the United States, to perform "Been There, Done That".[35] In 1997 Young produced several tracks on Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ, and Nature Present The Firm: The Album; although the album went platinum, it was met with similarly negative reviews from critics. Rumors began to abound that Aftermath was facing financial difficulties.[36]
The turning point for Aftermath came in 1998, when Jimmy Iovine, the head of Aftermath's parent label Interscope, suggested that Young sign the white Detroit rapper Marshall Mathers, artistically known as Eminem, to Aftermath. Young produced three songs and provided vocals for two on his controversial album, ("My Name Is", "Guilty Conscience" and "Role Model") in 1999.[37]
2001 (1999β2000)
Dr. Dre's second solo album, 2001, released in the fall of 1999, was considered an ostentatious return to his gangsta rap roots.[38] It was initially titled The Chronic 2000 to imply being a sequel to his debut album The Chronic but was re-titled 2001 after Death Row Records released an unrelated compilation album earlier in 1999. Other tentative titles included The Chronic 2001 and Dr. Dre.[39] The album featured numerous collaborators, including Devin the Dude, Hittman, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, Nate Dogg and Eminem. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of the website All Music Guide described the sound of the album as "adding ominous strings, soulful vocals, and reggae" to Dr. Dre's style.[38] The album was highly successful, charting at number two on the Billboard 200 charts[40] and has since been certified six times platinum,[29] thus reaffirming a recurring theme featured in its lyrics, stating that Dr. Dre was still a force to be reckoned with, despite the lack of major releases in the previous few years. The album included popular hit singles "Still D.R.E." and "Forgot About Dre", both of which Dr. Dre performed on NBC's Saturday Night Live on October 23, 1999.[41] Dr. Dre won the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year in 2000,[2] and joined the Up in Smoke Tour with fellow rappers Eminem, Snoop Dogg, and Ice Cube that year as well.[42]
During the course of the popularity of 2001, Dr. Dre was involved in several lawsuits. Lucasfilm Ltd., the film company behind the Star Wars film franchise, sued him over the use of the THX-trademarked "Deep Note".[43] The Fatback Band also sued Dr. Dre over alleged infringement of its song "Backstrokin'" in his song "Let's Get High" from the 2001 album; Dr. Dre was ordered to pay $1.5 million to the band in 2003.[44] The online music file-sharing company Napster also settled a lawsuit with him and heavy metal rock band Metallica in the summer of 2001, agreeing to block access to certain files that artists do not want to have shared on the network.[45]
Focus on production (2001βpresent)
Following the success of 2001, Dr. Dre focused on producing songs and albums for other artists. He produced the single "Family Affair" by R&B singer Mary J. Blige for her album No More Drama in 2001.[4] Other successful albums that he produced for Aftermath have included the major-label debut album by Queens, New York-based rapper 50 Cent, Get Rich or Die Tryin', in 2003. The album featured the Dr. Dre-produced hit single "In da Club", as a joint production between Aftermath, Eminem's boutique label Shady Records and Interscope.[46] Dr. Dre also produced "How We Do", a 2005 hit single of rapper The Game from his album The Documentary.[47]
Another copyright-related lawsuit came upon Dr. Dre in the fall of 2002, when Sa Re Ga Ma, a film and music company based in Calcutta, India, sued Aftermath Entertainment over an uncredited sample of the Lata Mangeshkar song "Thoda Resham Lagta Hai" on the Aftermath-produced song "Addictive" by singer Truth Hurts. In February 2003, a judge ruled that Aftermath would have to halt sales of Truth Hurts' album Truthfully Speaking if the company would not credit Mangeshkar.[48] In April 2003 rapper Ja Rule released a mixtape of freestyle raps criticizing Dr. Dre and his associated artists 50 Cent and Eminem.[49] At the Vibe magazine awards show in November 2004, Dr. Dre was attacked by a fan named Jimmy James Johnson, who was asking for an autograph. Johnson, in September 2005, was sentenced to a year in prison and ordered to stay away from Dr. Dre until 2008.[50] For an issue of Rolling Stone magazine in April 2005, Kanye West praised Dr. Dre as among the greatest performing artists of all time.[51]
In November 2006 Dr. Dre began working with Raekwon on his album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II.[52] He also contributed to the rap albums Buck the World by Young Buck[53] and Curtis by 50 Cent.[54] Other upcoming albums that he is involved with includeThe Reformation by Bishop Lamont,[55] The Nacirema Dream by Papoose,[56] Here I Am by Eve,[57] and L.A.X. by The Game.[58] Among planned but unreleased albums during Dr. Dre's tenure at Aftermath have included a full-length reunion with Snoop Dogg titled Breakup to Makeup, an album with fellow former N.W.A member Ice Cube which was to be titled Heltah Skeltah, an N.W.A reunion album, and a joint album with fellow producer Timbaland titled Chairmen of the Board.[59][25][60]
Detox: Final album
Detox is to be Dr. Dre's final album.[7] In 2002, Dre told Corey Moss of MTV News that he intended Detox to be a concept album.[6] Work for the album dates back to early 2004,[61] but later in that year he decided to stop working on the album to focus on producing for other artists but then changed his mind; the album had initially been set for a fall 2005 release.[62] After several delays, the album was finally scheduled to be released sometime in 2008 by Interscope Records, which has not set a firm release date for the album as of September 2007.[7] Producers confirmed to work on the album include Bernard "Focus" Edwards Jr.,[63] Hi-Tek,[64] J.R. Rotem,[65] RZA,[66] Jay-Z,[67] and Warren G.[68]
Film career
In 2001 Dr. Dre appeared in the movies The Wash and Training Day.[69] A song of his, "Bad Intentions" (featuring Knoc-Turn'Al) and produced by Mahogany, was featured on The Wash soundtrack.[70] Dr. Dre also appeared on two other songs "On the Blvd." and "The Wash" along with his co-star Snoop Dogg. In February 2007 it was announced that Dr. Dre would produce dark comedies and horror films for New Line-owned company Crucial Films, along with longtime video director Phillip Atwell. Dr. Dre announced "This is a natural switch for me, since I've directed a lot of music videos, and I eventually want to get into directing."[71]
Musical influences and style
Dr. Dre has said that his primary instrument in the studio is the Akai MPC3000, a drum machine and sampler, and that he uses as many as four or five to produce a single recording. He cites George Clinton, Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield as primary musical influences. Unlike most rap producers, he tries to avoid samples as much as possible, preferring to have studio musicians re-play pieces of music he wants to use, because it allows him more flexibility to change the pieces in rhythm and tempo.[59] In 2001 he told Time magazine, "I may hear something I like on an old record that may inspire me, but I'd rather use musicians to re-create the sound or elaborate on it. I can control it better."[72] Other equipment he uses include the E-mu SP-1200 drum machine and other keyboards from such manufacturers as Korg, Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Moog, and Roland.[73]
After founding Aftermath Entertainment in 1996, Dr. Dre took on producer Mel-Man as a co-producer, and his music took on a more synthesizer-based sound, using fewer vocal samples (as he had used on "Lil' Ghetto Boy" and "Let Me Ride" on The Chronic, for example). Mel-Man has not shared co-production credits with Dr. Dre since approximately 2002, but fellow Aftermath producer Focus has credited Mel-Man as a key architect of the signature Aftermath sound.[74]
In 1999 Dr. Dre started working with Mike Elizondo, a bassist, guitarist, and keyboardist who has also produced, written and played on records for female singers such as Poe, Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette,[75] for his album 2001. Elizondo has since worked for many of Dr. Dre's productions.[76][77] Dr. Dre also told Scratch magazine in a 2004 interview that he has been studying piano and music theory formally, and that a major goal is to accumulate enough musical theory to score movies. In the same interview he stated that he has collaborated with famed 1960s songwriter Burt Bacharach by sending him hip hop beats to play over, and hopes to have an in-person collaboration with him in the future.[59]
Work ethic
Dr. Dre has stated that he is a perfectionist, and is known to pressure the artists with whom he records to give flawless performances.[59] In 2006 Snoop Dogg told the website Dubcnn.com that Dr. Dre had made new artist Chauncey Black re-record a single bar of vocals 107 times.[78] Dr. Dre has also stated that Eminem is a fellow perfectionist, and attributes his success on Aftermath to his like-minded work ethic.[59]
A consequence of this perfectionism is that some artists that initially sign deals with Dr. Dre's Aftermath label never release albums. In 2001, Aftermath released the soundtrack to the movie The Wash. featuring a number of Aftermath acts such as Shaunta, Daks, Joe Beast and Toi. To date, none have released full-length albums on Aftermath and have apparently ended their relationships with the label and Dr. Dre. Other noteworthy acts to leave Aftermath without releasing albums include King Tee, 2001 vocalist Hittman and 1980s rap icon Rakim.[79]
However, over the years word of other collaborators has surfaced. During his tenure at Death Row Records, it was alleged that Dr. Dre's half brother Warren G and Tha Dogg Pound member Daz made many uncredited contributions to songs on his solo album The Chronic and Snoop Doggy Dogg's album Doggystyle (Daz received production credits on Snoop's similar-sounding, albeit less successful album Tha Doggfather after Young left Death Row Records).[80]
It is known that Scott Storch, who has since gone on to become a successful producer in his own right, contributed to Dr. Dre's second album 2001; Storch is credited as a songwriter on several songs and played keyboards on several tracks. In 2006 he told Rolling Stone:
"At the time, I saw Dr. Dre desperately needed something," Storch says. "He needed a fuel injection, and Dr. Dre utilized me as the nitrous oxide. He threw me into the mix, and I sort of tapped on a new flavor with my whole piano sound and the strings and orchestration. So I'd be on the keyboards, and Mike [Elizondo] was on the bass guitar, and Dr. Dre was on the drum machine".[81]
Current collaborator Mike Elizondo, when speaking about his work with Young, describes their recording process as a collaborative effort involving several musicians. In 2004 he claimed to Songwriter Universe magazine that he had written the foundations of the hit Eminem song "The Real Slim Shady", stating, "I initially played a bass line on the song, and Dr. Dre, Tommy Coster Jr. and I built the track from there. Eminem then heard the track, and he wrote the rap to it."[77] This account is essentially confirmed by Eminem in his book Angry Blonde, stating that the tune for the song was composed by a studio bassist and keyboardist while Dr. Dre was out of the studio but later programmed the song's beat after returning.[82]
Furthermore, in the September 2003 issue of The Source, a group of disgruntled former associates of Dr. Dre complained that they had not received their full due for work on the label. A producer named Neff-U claimed to have produced the songs "Say What You Say" and "My Dad's Gone Crazy" on The Eminem Show, the songs "If I Can't" and "Back Down" on 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin', and the beat featured on Dr. Dre's commercial for Coors beer.[79]
Although Young studies piano and musical theory, he serves as more of a conductor than a musician himself, as Josh Tyrangiel of Time magazine has noted:
Every Dre track begins the same way, with Dre behind a drum machine in a room full of trusted musicians. (They carry beepers. When he wants to work, they work.) He'll program a beat, then ask the musicians to play along; when Dre hears something he likes, he isolates the player and tells him how to refine the sound. "My greatest talent," Dre says, "is knowing exactly what I want to hear."[72]
Although Snoop Dogg retains working relationships with Warren G and Daz, who are alleged to be uncredited contributors on the hit albums The Chronic and Doggystyle, he states that Dr. Dre is capable of making beats without the help of collaborators.[83] It should be noted that Dr. Dre's prominent studio collaborators, including Scott Storch, Elizondo, Mark Batson and Dawaun Parker, have shared co-writing, instrumental, and more recently co-production credits on the songs where he is credited as the producer.
It is also widely acknowledged that most of Dr. Dre's raps are written for him by others, though he retains ultimate control over his lyrics and the themes of his songs. As Aftermath Producer Mahogany told Scratch: "It's like a class room in [the booth]. He'll have three writers in there. They'll bring in something, he'll recite it, then he'll say. 'Change this line, change this word,' like he's grading papers."[84] As seen in the credits for tracks Young has appeared on, there are often multiple people who contribute to his songs (although it should be noted that often in hip hop many people are officially credited as a writer for a song, even the producer). As a member of N.W.A, The D.O.C. wrote lyrics for him while he stuck with producing.[85] Popular rapper Jay-Z ghostwrote lyrics for the single "Still D.R.E." from Dr. Dre's album 2001.[39]
Discography
* 1992: The Chronic
* 1999: 2001
* 2008: Detox
Awards and nominations
* "Let Me Ride"βGrammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance - 1994
* "California Love"βGrammy Award Nomination as Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (with 2Pac and Roger Troutman) - 1997.
* "No Diggity"βGrammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (with Blackstreet and Queen Pen) - 1998
* "Forgot About Dre"βGrammy Award for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group - 2001 | (with Eminem)
* "Still D.R.E."βGrammy Award Nomination Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (with Snoop Dogg) and The Source Awards Nomination Single of the year (2000)
* The Marshall Mathers LPβGrammy Award for Best Rap Album - 2001 (with Eminem)
Personal life
Marriages and family
From 1990 to 1996 Dr. Dre dated singer Michel'le, who frequently contributed vocals to Death Row Records albums. In 1991 the couple had a son, Marcel. In May 1996 Dr. Dre married Nicole Threatt, who was formerly married to NBA player Sedale Threatt.[86] Dr. Dre and Nicole have two children together: a son named Truth (born 1997) and a daughter named Truly (born 2001).[87] He is also the biological father of rapper Hood Surgeon (real name Curtis Young), impregnating his mother, Lisa Johnson, at 16 when he was 17.[88]
Income
In 2001, Dr. Dre earned a total of about $52 million from selling part of his share of Aftermath Entertainment to Interscope Records and his production of such hit songs that year as "Family Affair" by Mary J. Blige. Rolling Stone magazine thus named him the second highest-paid artist of the year.[4] Dr. Dre was ranked 44th in 2004 from earnings of just $11.4 million, primarily from production royalties from such projects as albums from G-Unit and D12 and the single "Rich Girl" by singer Gwen Stefani and rapper Eve.[5]
Filmography
Year Title Role
1992 Niggaz4Life: The Only Home Video Himself
1994 Set It Off Black Sam
2000 Up In Smoke Tour Himself
2001 Training Day Paul
The Wash Sean
Bitch Please
Dr. Dre Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nu-uh, nu-uh nuh, no, he didn't
They didn't do it again (What-what, you what?)
You shitted on these niggas two times, Dr. Dre?
Oh, fo' sho'
Uh-uh, naw, you smell that?
This is special right here (What-what, what-what-what?)
Yeah, it's a toast to the boogie, baby
Yeah, you know, what's crackin', Dre?
Just let me lay back and kick some old simplistic pimp shit
On Slim's shit, and start riots like Limp Bizkit
Throw on "Guilty Conscience" at concerts
And watch mosh pits
'Til motherfuckers knock each other unconscious
(Watch out, nigga!)
Some of these crowds that Slim draws is rowdy as Crenshaw
Boulevard, when it's packed and full of cars
Some of these crowds me and Snoop draw
Is niggas from Crenshaw, from Long Beach to South Central
Whoa, not these niggas again
These grown-ass ignorant men with hair-triggers again (Shit)
You and what army could harm me?
D.R.E. and Shady with Doggy from Long Beach (Westside)
Came a long way to makin' these songs play
It'll be a wrong move to stare at me the wrong way
I got a long Uz' and I carry it all day
Sometimes it's like a nightmare just bein' Andre
But I
Somehow, some way
Hello nigga, you know about Dogg-ay (Snoop Dogg)
Now let me cut these niggas up
And show 'em where the fuck I'm comin' from
I get the party crackin' from the shit that I be spittin', son
Hit-and-run, get it done, get the funds, split and run
Got about fifty guns
And I love all of 'em the same, bang-bang (Word up)
Damn, baby girl, what's your name?
I forgot, what'd you say it was?
Damn, a nigga buzzed (Fucked up)
Hangin' in the club with my nephew Eminem (What's up Slim)
(What up, Cuz? What up, Snoop!)
The Great White American Hope
Done hooked up with the king of the motherfuckin' West Coast
Baby
And you don't really wanna fuck with me
Only nigga that I trust is me
Fuck around and make me bust this heat
That's the devil, they always wanna dance
I'm the Head Nigga In Charge, I'm watchin' you move
You're found dead in your garage
With ten o'clock news coverage
Gotta love it 'cause I expose the facade
Your little lungs is too small to hotbox with God
All jokes aside, come bounce with us
Standin' over you with a 12 gauge, about to bust
It's like ashes to ashes and dust to dust
I might leave in a bodybag, but never in cuffs
So who do you trust? They just not rugged enough
When things get rough I'm in the club shootin' with Puff
Bitch, please! You must have a mental disease
Assume the position and get back down on your knees
Come on
And you don't really wanna fuck with me
Only nigga that I trust is me
Fuck around and make me bust this heat
That's the devil, they always wanna dance
And you don't really wanna fuck with me
Only nigga that I trust is me
Fuck around and make me bust this heat
That's the devil, they always wanna dance
Aww, naww, big Slim Dogg
Eighty pound balls, (What?) dick six inch long (Mm)
Back up in the heezy, baby
He's Shady (He's so crazy!)
Give me the mic, let me recite 'til Timothy White
Pickets outside the Interscope offices every night
What if he's right? I'm just a criminal
Makin' a livin' off of the world's misery
What in the world gives me the right to say what I like?
And walk around flippin' the bird
Livin' the urban life, like a white kid from the burbs
Dreamin' at night of screamin' at Mom, schemin' to leave
Run away from home, and grow to be as evil as me
I just want you all to notice me, and people to see
That somewhere deep down there's a decent human being in me
It just can't be found, so the reason you've been seeing this me
Is 'cause this is me now, the recent dude who's being this mean
So when you see me dressin' up like a nerd on TV
Or heard the CD usin' the fag word so freely
It's just me bein' me; here, want me to tone it down?
Suck my fuckin' dick, you faggot! You happy now?
Look here, I start some trouble everywhere that I go (That I go)
Ask the bouncers in the club 'cause they know ('Cause they know)
I start some shit, they throw me out the back door (The back door)
Come back and shoot the club up with a .44 (a .44)
And you don't really wanna fuck with me
Only nigga that I trust is me
Fuck around and make me bust this heat
That's the devil, they always wanna dance
And you don't really wanna fuck with me
Only nigga that I trust is me
Fuck around and make me bust this heat
That's the devil, they always wanna dance
2001 and forever
Slim Shady
Dr. Dre
Snoop Dogg
X to the Z
Nate Dogg
Come on, yeah
The lyrics of "Bitch Please II" by Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Snoop Dogg are full of raw, edgy, and provocative lines that capture the essence of their rap style. The song is a continuation of the "Bitch Please" track from Snoop Dogg's "No Limit Top Dogg" album, and features the three prominent rappers trading rhymes and delivering their individual brands of verbal assaults.
The song starts with the trio exchanging greetings and acknowledging the success of Dr. Dre's previous hits. Eminem then takes the lead on the verse and announces his intentions to wreak havoc at concerts and generate mosh pits. He also highlights the rowdiness of the crowds that attend his and Snoop's shows, and the potential for violence. Snoop takes over on the second verse and brags about his street credibility, love of guns, and ability to get the party started. The chorus is a repeated warning to those who dare to challenge them, emphasizing their trust only in themselves and their willingness to use violence to defend their honor. Eminem's subsequent verse delves into his own insecurities, his struggles as a white rapper in a predominantly African-American industry, and his need to be recognized, all while maintaining his controversial persona. The song ends with a list of iconic rappers and their contribution to the rap scene, affirming the status of "Bitch Please II" as a statement of dominance and relevance.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, what up, Detroit?
Greetings, Detroit! How are you?
Nu-uh, nu-uh nuh, no, he didn't
No, no, no, he did not
They didn't do it again (What-what, you what?)
They did not repeat their actions (What-what, what did you say?)
You shitted on these niggas two times, Dr. Dre?
Did you disrespect these individuals two times, Dr. Dre?
Oh, fo' sho'
Oh, for sure
Uh-uh, naw, you smell that?
No, no, do you detect that odor?
This is special right here (What-what, what-what-what?)
This is something extraordinary (What-what, what-what-what?)
Yeah, it's a toast to the boogie, baby
Yes, let's raise our glasses to the rhythm, darling
To the boogie-oogie-oogie
To the dance, dance, dance
Yeah, you know, what's crackin', Dre?
Yes, you know, what's happening, Dre?
Just let me lay back and kick some old simplistic pimp shit
Allow me to relax and present some straightforward pimp talk
On Slim's shit, and start riots like Limp Bizkit
On Slim's music, and incite chaos like Limp Bizkit did
Throw on 'Guilty Conscience' at concerts
Play 'Guilty Conscience' during live performances
And watch mosh pits
And observe the violent crowd reactions
'Til motherfuckers knock each other unconscious
Until individuals violently knock each other out
(Watch out, nigga!)
(Be careful, my friend!)
Some of these crowds that Slim draws is rowdy as Crenshaw
Some of the audiences that Slim attracts are as wild as Crenshaw
Boulevard, when it's packed and full of cars
Boulevard, when it's crowded with vehicles
Some of these crowds me and Snoop draw
Some of the audiences that Snoop and I attract
Is niggas from Crenshaw, from Long Beach to South Central
Consists of individuals from Crenshaw, from Long Beach to South Central
Whoa, not these niggas again
Oh no, not these individuals once more
These grown-ass ignorant men with hair-triggers again (Shit)
These foolish, impulsive adult men once again (Damn)
You and what army could harm me?
You and who else could bring me harm?
D.R.E. and Shady with Doggy from Long Beach (Westside)
Dr. Dre and Eminem with Snoop Dogg from Long Beach (representing the Westside)
Came a long way to makin' these songs play
We have come a long way in creating these songs
It'll be a wrong move to stare at me the wrong way
It would be a mistake to look at me in a disrespectful manner
I got a long Uz' and I carry it all day
I have a large Uzi gun and I carry it throughout the day
Sometimes it's like a nightmare just bein' Andre
Sometimes it feels like a bad dream just being Andre
But I
However, I
Somehow, some way
In one way or another
Hello nigga, you know about Dogg-ay (Snoop Dogg)
Hello, friend, you know about Snoop Dogg
Now let me cut these niggas up
Now allow me to criticize these individuals
And show 'em where the fuck I'm comin' from
And demonstrate the origin of my perspective
I get the party crackin' from the shit that I be spittin', son
I initiate the party excitement with the lyrics I deliver, son
Hit-and-run, get it done, get the funds, split and run
Engage in a swift and successful operation, collect the funds, and escape
Got about fifty guns
I possess approximately fifty firearms
And I love all of 'em the same, bang-bang (Word up)
And I have an equal affection for all of them, bang-bang (Indeed)
Damn, baby girl, what's your name?
Wow, young lady, may I inquire about your name?
I forgot, what'd you say it was?
I apologize, what did you say your name was?
Damn, a nigga buzzed (Fucked up)
Wow, I am intoxicated (Extremely intoxicated)
Hangin' in the club with my nephew Eminem (What's up Slim)
Spending time in the club with my nephew, Eminem (How are you, Slim)
(What up, Cuz? What up, Snoop!)
(Hello, cousin? Hello, Snoop!)
The Great White American Hope
The great white American aspiration
Done hooked up with the king of the motherfuckin' West Coast
Has collaborated with the ruler of the West Coast
Baby
Darling
And you don't really wanna fuck with me
And you truly do not want to engage in conflict with me
Only nigga that I trust is me
The only person I trust is myself
Fuck around and make me bust this heat
Attempt to provoke me and I might shoot you
That's the devil, they always wanna dance
That's evil, they always crave chaos
I'm the Head Nigga In Charge, I'm watchin' you move
I am the dominant figure, observing your actions
You're found dead in your garage
You are discovered deceased in your garage
With ten o'clock news coverage
With media coverage at 10 o'clock news
Gotta love it 'cause I expose the facade
You have to appreciate it because I reveal the false front
Your little lungs is too small to hotbox with God
Your tiny lungs cannot handle smoking with a supreme being
All jokes aside, come bounce with us
Setting aside humor, come party with us
Standin' over you with a 12 gauge, about to bust
Standing above you with a 12-gauge shotgun, ready to fire
It's like ashes to ashes and dust to dust
It is similar to the cycle of life and death
I might leave in a bodybag, but never in cuffs
I might depart in a body bag, but never in handcuffs
So who do you trust? They just not rugged enough
So who can you rely on? They are simply not tough or resilient
When things get rough I'm in the club shootin' with Puff
When situations become difficult, I am in the club partying with Puff
Bitch, please! You must have a mental disease
Woman, please! You must suffer from a mental disorder
Assume the position and get back down on your knees
Take the submissive position and kneel down once more
Come on
Let's go
Aww, naww, big Slim Dogg
Oh no, big Slim Dogg
Eighty pound balls, (What?) dick six inch long (Mm)
Courageous and confident, (What?) well-endowed with a six-inch penis
Back up in the heezy, baby
Back up in the place, darling
He's Shady (He's so crazy!)
He is Shady (He is incredibly unpredictable!)
Give me the mic, let me recite 'til Timothy White
Give me the microphone, allow me to perform until Timothy White
Pickets outside the Interscope offices every night
Protesters outside the Interscope headquarters each night
What if he's right? I'm just a criminal
What if he is correct? I am simply a lawbreaker
Makin' a livin' off of the world's misery
Earning a living from the suffering of the world
What in the world gives me the right to say what I like?
What justifies my freedom to express myself however I please?
And walk around flippin' the bird
And walk around giving the middle finger to others
Livin' the urban life, like a white kid from the burbs
Living the city life, resembling a white child from the suburbs
Dreamin' at night of screamin' at Mom, schemin' to leave
Having dreams of yelling at Mom, plotting to escape
Run away from home, and grow to be as evil as me
Flee from one's family, and become as wicked as I am
I just want you all to notice me, and people to see
I simply desire to receive attention from all of you, for people to acknowledge my presence
That somewhere deep down there's a decent human being in me
That somewhere within me, there exists a kind-hearted individual
It just can't be found, so the reason you've been seeing this me
However, it cannot be discovered, thus the reason why you observe this side of me
Is 'cause this is me now, the recent dude who's being this mean
Is because this is the person I am presently, the recent individual who acts cruel
So when you see me dressin' up like a nerd on TV
So when you witness me dressing like a geek on television
Or heard the CD usin' the fag word so freely
Or heard the CD where I use the derogatory term for homosexuals so casually
It's just me bein' me; here, want me to tone it down?
It is simply me expressing my authentic self; here, would you like me to reduce the intensity?
Suck my fuckin' dick, you faggot! You happy now?
Perform oral sex on my penis, you derogatory term for a gay person! Are you satisfied now?
Look here, I start some trouble everywhere that I go (That I go)
Listen, I initiate conflict wherever I visit (That I go)
Ask the bouncers in the club 'cause they know ('Cause they know)
Inquire with the bouncers at the club because they are aware ('Cause they know)
I start some shit, they throw me out the back door (The back door)
I cause commotion, and they eject me out the rear exit (The back door)
Come back and shoot the club up with a .44 (a .44)
Return and shoot up the club with a .44 caliber gun (a .44)
And you don't really wanna fuck with me
And you truly do not want to engage in conflict with me
Only nigga that I trust is me
The only person I trust is myself
Fuck around and make me bust this heat
Attempt to provoke me and I might shoot you
That's the devil, they always wanna dance
That's evil, they always crave chaos
2001 and forever
The year 2001 and beyond
Slim Shady
Slim Shady (Eminem)
Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
X to the Z
Xzibit
Nate Dogg
Nate Dogg
Come on, yeah
Let's go, yeah
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Alvin Joyner, Andre Young, Marshall Mathers, Melvin Bradford, Michael Elizondo, Calvin Broadus
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@PaperChaserCEO
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@christopherranallo1310
Ayyy ahhhh ayyy ahhh
@daj_6ix
Bro would be canceled instant
@nickjohnson1620videos
β@@christopherranallo1310 8 CNN 11qzs
@nickjohnson1620videos
β@@christopherranallo1310 8 CNN 11qzs
@nickjohnson1620videos
β@@christopherranallo1310 8 CNN 11qzs
@Andrey_SamZnaeshKakoi
Best guest Xzibit verse of all time. X killed this beat like a GOD!
@MarcusDailyMedia
Bitch Please 2.
@Sadslantyface
Iβm gonna see him w a bunch of ogs like Bone thugs n harmony, ice cube, Method and Redman, Cypress hill, and berner
@Psicosis-19
Nate Dogg dΓ‘ndole ese toque al final π