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 André 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 (1984–1985)
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 (1986–1991)
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 (1992–1995)
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 protegé 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 (1996–1998)
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 (1999–2000)
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 (2001–present)
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"—Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance - 1994
* "California Love"—Grammy Award Nomination as Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (with 2Pac and Roger Troutman) - 1997.
* "No Diggity"—Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (with Blackstreet and Queen Pen) - 1998
* "Forgot About Dre"—Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group - 2001 | (with Eminem)
* "Still D.R.E."—Grammy 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 LP—Grammy 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
Bitches Aint Shit
Dr. Dre Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bitches ain't shit but hoes and tricks
Lick on these nuts and suck the dick
Gets the fuck on after you're done
Then I hops in my coupe to make a quick run
Bitches ain't shit but hoes and tricks
Gets the fuck on after you're done
Then I hops in my coupe to make a quick run
I used to know a bitch named Eric Wright
We used to roll around and fuck the hoes at night
Tight than a motherfucka with the gangsta beats
And we was ballin' on the motherfuckin' Compton streets
Peep, the shit got deep and it was on
Number one song after number one song
Long as my motherfuckin' pockets was fat
I didn't give a fuck where the bitch was at
But she was hangin' with a white bitch doin' the shit she do
Suckin' on his dick just to get a buck or two
And the few ends she got didn't mean nothin'
Now she's suing 'cause shit that she be doin' ain't shit
Bitch can't hang with the streets, she found herself short
So now she's takin' me to court
That's real conversation for yo' ass
So recognize and pass to Daz
Now as I'm rollin' with my nigga Dre in Eastwood
Fuckin' hoes, clockin' dough, up to no good
We flip flop and serve hoes like flap jacks
(But we don't love them hoes) Bitch, and it's like that
This is what you look for in a ho who got cash flow
You run up in them hoes and grab the cash
And get your dash on
While you're chillin' with your homies and shit
And how my niggas kick the anthem like this, biatch
Bitches ain't shit but hoes and tricks
Lick on these nuts and suck the dick
Gets the fuck on after you're done
Then I hops in my coupe to make a quick run
To the store, to get me a 4-0
Snoop Doggy Dogg paged, that must mean more hoes
So I head down the streets to Long Beach
Just so I could meet a freak
To lick me from my head to my feet
And I'm here, now I'm ready to be done up
Nothin' but homies around so I puts my gun up
Bitches on my nuts like clothes, ha
But I'm from Tha Pound and we don't love them hoes
How could you trust a ho? (why?)
'Cause a ho's a trick
I don't love them tricks (why?)
'Cause a trick's a bitch
And my dick's constantly in her mouth
Turnin' them trick-ass hoes the fuck out, now
I once had a bitch named Mandy May
Used to be all in them guts like every day
The pussy was the bomb, had a nigga on sprung
I was in love like a motherfucker lickin' the pearl tongue
The homies used to tell me that she wasn't no good
But I'm the maniac in black, Mr. Snoop Eastwood
So I figure niggas wouldn't trip wit' mine
Guess what? Got gaffled by one time
I'm back to the motherfucking county jail
Six months on my chest, now it's time to bail, uh
I get's released on a hot sunny day
My nigga D.O.C. and my homey Dr. Dre
Scoop in a coupe, Snoop we got news
Your girl was trickin' while you was draped in your county blues
I ain't been out a second
And already gotta do some motherfuckin' chin checking
Move up the blocks as we groove up the block
See my girl's house, Dre, pass the Glock
Kick in the do', I look on the flo'
It's my little cousin Daz and he's fuckin' my ho, yo (bitches ain't shit)
I uncocked my shit, I'm heart-broke but I'm still loc'ed
Man, fuck a bitch
Bitches ain't shit but hoes and tricks
Lick on these nuts and suck the dick
Gets the fuck on after you're done
Then I hops in my coupe to make a quick run
Bitches ain't shit but hoes and tricks
Lick on these nuts and suck the dick
Gets the fuck on after you're done
Then I hops in my coupe to make a quick run
(Bitches ain't shit) Ooh yeah, oh-oh-oh yeah
I don't give a fuck about a bitch (bitches ain't shit)
But I'll let her know that she can't fade this
'Cause I'm doing my own thing (bitches ain't shit)
Down with the swing (can't trust these hoes)
I'm hangin' with Death Row like it ain't no thing
I say you know can't deal (bitches ain't shit)
'Cause I'm a bitch that's real
Motherfuckers need to step back, hell yeah
They need to chill (tell these motherfuckers)
Because I don't give a fuck (bitches ain't shit)
And I don't give a fuck
And I don't give a fuck
I don't give a fuck
And now I gotta do some (tell these motherfuckers)
I gotta do some shit that's clean (bitches ain't shit)
But when I'm on a dick, hell yeah, I get real mean, ha
Like a washing machine
I can wash the clothes
All the hoes knows
That I'm on the flow, ho
But they can't hang with my type of swang (bitches ain't shit)
I ain't tryin' to say I suck every ding-a-lang
But just the juicy ones
With he tip of the tongue
And then they're sprung
And with their nuts hung (and with their nuts hung)
Bitches ain't shit (bitches ain't shit)
The lyrics of Bitches Ain't Shit by Dr. Dre, Daz, and Snoop Dogg are very controversial and explicit. The main theme is about the perception of women as mere objects and the use of them for sexual pleasure without any emotional connection. The chorus repeats the phrase "Bitches ain't shit but hoes and tricks," stating that women are not worthy of respect and are only good for satisfying sexual desires. The rapper talks about how he used to be with a woman named Eric Wright and how they would go around picking up women at night. He also talks about how he was not affected by the woman's actions as long as his pockets were filled with money. However, he later finds out that she was with someone else and was using him for money, which leads to a court case.
The second part of the song talks about how the rapper and his friends serve women like "flapjacks" and do not have any emotional attachment to them. They do not trust women and see them as only "tricks" who are using them for their money. The song ends with the rapper talking about how he is proud that he does not give a "fuck" about women and does not care about how others see him.
Overall, the song sends a very controversial message about women and their worth. It perpetuates harmful stereotypes and encourages the objectification of women for the sake of male pleasure.
Line by Line Meaning
Bitches ain't shit but hoes and tricks
Women are only seen as promiscuous and deceptive individuals
Lick on these nuts and suck the dick
Perform sexual acts on me to satisfy my desires
Get's the fuck out after you're done
Leave immediately after engaging in sexual activity
And I hops in my ride to make a quick run
I quickly leave in my car to attend to other matters
I used to know a bitch named Eric Wright
I was acquainted with a woman named Eric Wright
We used to roll around and fuck the hoes at night
We used to roam and engage in sexual activities with promiscuous women during nighttime
Tight than a motherfucker with the gangsta beats
Exceptionally skilled and talented in producing gangster-style music
And we was ballin' on the motherfuckin' Compton streets
We were financially successful and influential in the streets of Compton
Peep, the shit got deep and it was on
Pay attention, things escalated significantly and a serious situation arose
Number 1 song after number 1 song
Continuously achieving great success with hit songs one after another
Long as my motherfuckin' pockets was fat
As long as I had a lot of money in my possession
I didn't give a fuck where the bitch was at
I didn't care about the woman's whereabouts
But she was hangin' with a white bitch doin' the shit she do
But she was spending time with a Caucasian woman engaging in similar immoral behavior
Suckin' on his dick just to get a buck or 2
Performing oral sex on him in exchange for money
And the few ends she got didn't mean nothin'
The small amount of money she earned was insignificant
Now she's suing cause the shit she be doin' ain't shit
Now she's taking legal action against me because her actions hold no value
Bitch can't hang with the streets, she found herself short
The woman cannot cope with the harsh reality of street life and has fallen short
So now she's takin' me to court
Therefore, she is now legally taking me to court
It's real conversation for your ass
This is a genuine discussion aimed at enlightening you
So recognize and pass to Daz
Acknowledge and relay this message to Daz
Now as I'm rollin' with my nigga Dre and Eastwood
As I am hanging out with my comrades Dre and Eastwood
Fuckin' hoes, clockin' dough up to no good
Engaging in sexual activities with promiscuous women while earning money through illegal means
We flip flop and serve hoes like flap jacks
We change our approach quickly and exploit women as if they are easily disposable
(But we don't love them hoes) Bitch, and it's like that
We do not have any emotional attachment to these women, and that is the way it is
This is what you look for in a ho who got cash flow
This is the behavior you expect from a promiscuous woman who has a steady income
Ya run up in them hoes and grab the cash
You exploit these women and take their money
And get your dash on
Then make a quick exit
While you're chillin', with your homies and shit
While you are relaxing and spending time with your friends
And how my niggaz kick the anthem like this, bitch!
And this is how my friends and I express our sentiments through this song, bitch!
To the store, to get me a 4-0
To the shop, to purchase a 40-ounce bottle of beer
Snoop Doggy Dogg paged, that must mean more hoes
Snoop Doggy Dogg contacted me, indicating that there are more promiscuous women available
So I head down the street to Long Beach
Therefore, I proceed to Long Beach
Just so I could meet, a freak
With the purpose of encountering a sexually open woman
To lick me from my head to my feet
To pleasure me orally from the top of my head to the soles of my feet
And I'm here, now I'm ready to be done up
And now that I am present, I am prepared to engage in sexual activity
Nothin' but homies around so I puts my gun up
Since only my friends are present, I put away my weapon
Bitches on my nuts like clothes
Women are relentlessly pursuing me
But I'm from the pound and we don't love them hoes
However, I come from a rough neighborhood where we do not have any affection for such women
How could you trust a hoe? (Why?)
How can you place your trust in a promiscuous woman? (Why would you do that?)
'Cause a hoe's a trick
Because a promiscuous woman is deceitful
I don't love them tricks (Why?)
I do not have affection for such deceitful individuals (Why should I?).
'Cause a trick's a bitch
Because a deceitful person is untrustworthy
And my dick's constantly in her mouth
My penis frequently occupies her oral cavity
And turnin' them trick ass hoes the fuck out, now
And then I forcefully remove these deceitful, promiscuous women from my presence
I once had a bitch named Mandy May
Once, there was a woman in my life named Mandy May
Used to be up in them guts like everyday
I used to engage in sexual intercourse with her on a daily basis
The pussy was the bomb, had a nigga on sprung
Her vagina was incredibly appealing, and it had a strong emotional hold on me
I was in love like a motherfucker lickin' the pearl tongue
I was deeply infatuated, to the point of passionately performing oral sex on her
The homies used to tell me that she wasn't no good
My friends used to warn me that she was untrustworthy
But I'm the maniac in black, Mr. Snoop Eastwood
However, I am a reckless individual who embraces their wild side, similar to Mr. Snoop Eastwood
So I figure niggaz wouldn't trip with mine
Therefore, I believed my acquaintances would not interfere with my relationship
Guess what? Got gaffled by one time
However, I was caught and arrested by the police
I'm back to the motherfucking county jail
I am once again incarcerated in the county jail
6 months on my chest, now it's time to bail
After serving a 6-month sentence, it is now time to secure my release
I get's released on a hot sunny day
I am released from prison on a pleasant, sunny day
My nigga D.O.C. and my homey Dr Dre
My dear friend D.O.C. and my companion Dr. Dre
Scooped in a coupe, Snoop we got news
Picked up in a two-door vehicle, Snoop, we have important information
Your girl was trickin' while you was draped in your county blues
Your girlfriend was engaging in promiscuous activities while you were confined in prison
I ain't been out a second
I have only recently been released
And already gotta do some motherfucking chin checking
And I already find myself needing to assert my dominance through physical confrontation
Move up the block as we groove up the block
We proceed along the street as we casually continue our journey
See my girl's house, Dre, pass the glock
When we arrive at my girlfriend's residence, Dre, hand me the gun
Kick in the do', I look on the flo'
Forcefully enter the door, and I observe the surroundings
It's my little cousin Daz and he's fuckin' my hoe, yo (Bitches ain't shit)
To my surprise, it is my younger cousin Daz, engaging in sexual activity with my girlfriend, yo (Women are untrustworthy)
I uncocked my shit, I'm heart-broke but I'm still loc'ed
I release the safety mechanism of my gun, feeling emotionally devastated but still displaying my aggressive nature
Man, fuck a bitch!
Damn it, disregard women!
(Bitches ain't shit) I don't give a fuck about a bitch
I honestly do not care about women
But I and her know that they can't fade this
However, she and I understand that they cannot match our greatness
'Cause I'm doing my own thing down with the swing
Because I am pursuing my own interests and fully embracing this lifestyle
I'm hangin' with Death Row like it ain't no thing
I am associated with the notorious rap label, Death Row, as though it is a casual and regular occurrence
I say you know can't deal
I assert that you cannot handle the situation
'Cause I'm a bitch that's real
Because I am an authentic and genuine individual
Motherfucker need to step back, hell yeah
Those who oppose me should back off, without a doubt
They need to chill
They should relax and calm down
Because I don't give a fuck
For the reason that I do not care
And I don't give a fuck
And I truly do not care
And I don't give a fuck
And I genuinely do not care
I don't give a fuck
I do not care at all
And now I gotta do some,
And now I have to engage in some activities
I gotta do some shit that's clean
I have to carry out some tasks that are respectable
But when I'm on a dick, hell yeah, I get real mean
However, when I am serving someone sexually, yes, I become quite aggressive
Like a washing machine
Similar to the repetitive actions of a washing machine
I can wash the clothes
I can perform sexual acts on multiple partners
All the hoes knows
All the promiscuous women are well aware
That I'm on the flow ho
That I am actively engaged in promiscuous behavior
But they can't hang with my type og swing
However, they cannot handle my unique style and qualities
I ain't tryin' to say I suck every ding-a-lang
I am not implying that I perform oral sex on every man
But just the juicy ones
But only the sexually desirable individuals
With he tip of the tongue
With the very tip of my tongue
And then their sprung
And then they become infatuated
With the nuts hung
With my testicles hanging
Bitches ain't shit
Women are not valuable or trustworthy individuals
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Andre Young, Tracy Curry, Delmer Drew Arnaud, Ricardo Brown, Calvin Broadus
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ermis
on Fuck You
best dr.dre song and that phone call in the beginning funny ash