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
Gz & Hustlas
Dr. Dre Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This is for the hustlas, now back to the Gz
This is for the Gz, and this is for the Hustlas
This is for the hustlas now back to the Gz
Freeze, at ease, now let me drop some more of them keys
It's 19-9-tre so let me just play
It's Snoop Dogg, I'm on the mic, I'm back with Dr. Dre
To leave motherfuckers in a daze, fucked up
So sit back relax new jacks get smacked
It's Snoop Doggy Dogg I'm at the top of the stack
I don't lack for a second, and I'm still checking
The dopest motherfucker that ya hearing on the record
It's me, ya see, S-N-double-O-P
D-O-double-G-why, the D-O-double-G
I'm fly as a falcon, soaring through the sky
And I'm high till I dizzie, rizzide
So check it, I get busy, I make your head dizzy
I blow up your mouth like I was Dizzy Gillespie
I'm crazy, you can't phase me
I'm the S oh yes, I'm fresh, I don't fuck with the stress
I'm all about the chronic, bionic ya see
Every single day, chilling with the D-O-double-G's
P-O-you-N-D that's my clique, my crew
Ya fuck with us, we gots to fuck you up
I thought ya knew, but yet and still
Ya want to get real, now it's time to peel, ya say chill
And feel, the motherfucking realism
Snoop Doggy Dogg is on the mic I'm hitting hard as steel nigga
This is for the Gz, and this is for the Hustlas
This is for the hustlas, now back to the Gz
This is for the Gz, and this is for the Hustlas
This is for the hustlas now back to the Gz
How many hoes in your motherfucking group
Want to take a ride in my 7-8 Coupe, DeVille
Chill, as I take you on a trip
Where them niggas ride, and slide, you know about the East Side
Niggas like myself, here to show you where it's at
With my hoes on my side, and my strap on my back
Papers I stack daily, and Death Row is still the label that pays me
But you know how that goes
We flow toe for toe, if you ain't on the Row
Fuck you and your hoe, really doe, so check it
It's Snoop Doggy Dogg on the solo tip
Still clocking grip, and really don't give a shit
About nothing at all, just my Doggs, stepping through the fog
And I'm still gonna fade em all
With the gangsta shit that keeps ya hanging
How many hoes in ninety-four will I be banging?
Every single one, to get the job done
As I dip, skip, flip, right back to two one
Where the sun be shining and I be ryhming
It's me, Snoop D-O-double-G, and I'm climbing
This is for the Gz, and this is for the Hustlas
This is for the hustlas, now back to the Gz
This is for the Gz, and this is for the Hustlas
This is for the hustlas now back to the Gz
I come creeping through the fog with my sagging Dukes
East Side, Long Beach, in a 7-8 Coupe DeBille
I'm rolling with the G Funk, bumping in my shit and it don't quit
So drop it on the one motherfucker put together that set
A nigga with a grip of that gangsta shit
With the Eastside hoes on my motherfucking dick
And the Compton niggas all about to set trip
Swing it back, bring it back, just like this
And if you with my shit, then blaze up another spliff
And keep the motherfucking blunt in your pocket loc
'cause Doggy Dogg is all about the zig zag smoke
See it's a West coast thing, where I'm from
And if you want some, get some, bad enough, take some
But watch the gun by my side
Because it represents me and the motherfucking East Side
So bow down to the bow wow, cause bow wow
Yippie yo, you can't see my flow
My shit is dope, original, now you know
And can't no hood fuck with Death Rizzow
This is for the Gz, and this is for the Hustlas
This is for the hustlas, now back to the Gz
This is for the Gz, and this is for the Hustlas
This is for the hustlas now back to the Gz
The lyrics to Dr. Dre's song Gz & Hustlas are a celebration of the gangster lifestyle and a call to all the gangsters (Gz) and hustlers to come together. The song begins with a call to the Gz and Hustlas to unite, with the refrain "This is for the Gz, and this is for the Hustlas." Snoop Dogg then takes over the mic, delivering a rap about his prowess in the gangster lifestyle. He boasts about his ability to leave his enemies in a daze and to blow up their mouths like Dizzy Gillespie.
The second verse is all about the gangster lifestyle and the hoes who want to ride in his 7-8 Coupe De Ville. He raps about how Death Row is still the label that pays him and how he doesn't care about anything else except his crew. He boasts about how he is climbing to the top of the gangster world, and he is relentless in his pursuit of this goal.
Overall, the lyrics to Gz & Hustlas are a celebration of the gangster lifestyle and a call to all the gangsters and hustlers out there to come together.
Line by Line Meaning
This is for the Gz, and this is for the Hustlas
This song is dedicated to both the gangsters and hustlers in the streets.
This is for the hustlas, now back to the Gz
Now the focus shifts back to the gangsters and their way of life.
This is for the hustlas now back to the Gz
Once again, the focus returns to the gangsters.
Freeze, at ease, now let me drop some more of them keys
Listen up and pay attention, I'm about to drop some wisdom on you.
It's 19-9-tre so let me just play
It's 1993, and Dr. Dre is here to play some music for you.
It's Snoop Dogg, I'm on the mic, I'm back with Dr. Dre
Snoop Dogg is rapping on this track, and he's teamed up with Dr. Dre again.
But this time I'ma hit yo' ass with a touch
Snoop is going to bring a great performance this time around.
To leave motherfuckers in a daze, fucked up
His performance will leave the listeners in awe, bewildered.
So sit back relax new jacks get smacked
Sit back and enjoy the ride, but if you're not a seasoned pro, you might be overwhelmed.
It's Snoop Doggy Dogg I'm at the top of the stack
Snoop is the best in the game and everyone knows it.
I don't lack for a second, and I'm still checking
He's always on his A-game and constantly improving.
The dopest motherfucker that ya hearing on the record
Snoop is the most skilled and talented rapper on this track.
It's me, ya see, S-N-double-O-P
Snoop introduces himself as Snoop Dogg, spelled S-N double-O-P.
D-O-double-G-why, the D-O-double-G
He spells out his name again, D-O-double-G, stating that he's the real deal.
I'm fly as a falcon, soaring through the sky
He's as smooth and majestic as a falcon in flight.
And I'm high till I dizzie, rizzide
He's also high on something that's making him feel dizzy and euphoric.
So check it, I get busy, I make your head dizzy
Snoop is so skilled he'll make you feel dizzy with his rhymes.
I blow up your mouth like I was Dizzy Gillespie
He's so good, he can even make your mouth drop open in awe, like a famous trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie.
I'm crazy, you can't phase me
He's crazy, and nothing can stop him from succeeding in his career.
I'm the S oh yes, I'm fresh, I don't fuck with the stress
He's Snoop, the freshest in the game, and he doesn't let stress get to him.
I'm all about the chronic, bionic ya see
He's all about smoking marijuana, and he's as strong and powerful as a machine, bionic.
Every single day, chilling with the D-O-double-G's
He hangs out with other gangsters every single day, and they call themselves D-O-double-G's.
P-O-you-N-D that's my clique, my crew
Pound is his group of closest friends and allies who he associates with.
Ya fuck with us, we gots to fuck you up
If you mess with Snoop's group, they'll retaliate and hurt you.
I thought ya knew, but yet and still
He assumes you should already know this information, but he'll remind you anyways.
Ya want to get real, now it's time to peel, ya say chill
If you're not ready for the truth, you need to leave. But if you're ready for the real, stick around and enjoy.
And feel, the motherfucking realism
Get ready to experience true, gritty reality.
Snoop Doggy Dogg is on the mic I'm hitting hard as steel nigga
Snoop is rapping hard, and his words are hitting like steel.
How many hoes in your motherfucking group
He wants to know how many women you have in your circle of friends.
Want to take a ride in my 7-8 Coupe, DeVille
Snoop has a fancy car, a Cadillac Coupe DeVille, and he's asking if you want to ride along with him.
Chill, as I take you on a trip
Relax as he takes you on a ride through his city.
Where them niggas ride, and slide, you know about the East Side
He's taking you to the East Side, where all the gangsters are.
Niggas like myself, here to show you where it's at
He's one of the gangsters who is going to show you how they live.
With my hoes on my side, and my strap on my back
He has women by his side and a weapon on his back, ready for anything.
Papers I stack daily, and Death Row is still the label that pays me
He's making a lot of money and Death Row Records is the reason why.
But you know how that goes
You already know how money flows in the music industry.
We flow toe for toe, if you ain't on the Row
If you're not part of their record label, you can't compete with them.
Fuck you and your hoe, really doe, so check it
He doesn't care about your feelings, and he just wants you to know it.
It's Snoop Doggy Dogg on the solo tip
He's by himself now, rapping alone.
Still clocking grip, and really don't give a shit
He's still making money, and he doesn't care what anyone thinks of it.
About nothing at all, just my Doggs, stepping through the fog
He only cares about his friends and allies, walking through life together.
And I'm still gonna fade em all
He's still going to defeat anyone who tries to stop him.
With the gangsta shit that keeps ya hanging
He's still making music that keeps people hooked and interested.
How many hoes in ninety-four will I be banging?
He's wondering how many women will want to have sex with him in 1994.
Every single one, to get the job done
He'll have sex with every woman he wants, that's how he gets the job done.
As I dip, skip, flip, right back to two one
He's going somewhere else now, back to the East Side in 1991.
Where the sun be shining and I be ryhming
He's rapping in the bright, sunny East Side.
It's me, Snoop D-O-double-G, and I'm climbing
He's climbing the ranks of the rap industry and getting more successful.
I come creeping through the fog with my sagging Dukes
He's approaching quietly with his baggy pants on.
East Side, Long Beach, in a 7-8 Coupe DeBille
He's driving in his Cadillac on the East Side of Long Beach.
I'm rolling with the G Funk, bumping in my shit and it don't quit
He's listening to G Funk music and it won't stop playing.
So drop it on the one motherfucker put together that set
He wants everyone to listen to his music, which he believes is the best.
A nigga with a grip of that gangsta shit
He's a gangster rapper with a lot of power in the industry.
With the Eastside hoes on my motherfucking dick
He has women under his power, following him like groupies.
And the Compton niggas all about to set trip
The Compton gangsters are showing their loyalty to Snoop and his crew.
Swing it back, bring it back, just like this
He's bringing the music back to its roots, and it's a classic style.
And if you with my shit, then blaze up another spliff
If you're a fan of his music, then you should smoke some marijuana and enjoy it more.
And keep the motherfucking blunt in your pocket loc
He's telling you to keep the marijuana joint in your pocket for later use.
'cause Doggy Dogg is all about the zig zag smoke
He loves marijuana more than anything, and he wants you to know that about him.
See it's a West coast thing, where I'm from
His love of marijuana is a common trait among West coast rappers.
And if you want some, get some, bad enough, take some
If you want to smoke with him badly enough, then you should just do it.
But watch the gun by my side
Be careful around him, because he's carrying a weapon with him.
Because it represents me and the motherfucking East Side
The gun represents his power and the power of the East Side gangsters he associates with.
So bow down to the bow wow, cause bow wow
He's telling his fans to bow down to him, or anyone who tries to challenge him.
Yippie yo, you can't see my flow
He's telling you that no one can match his rhyme style.
My shit is dope, original, now you know
His music is amazing, unique, and he wants you to remember that.
And can't no hood fuck with Death Rizzow
No one can beat Snoop and his friends from Death Row Records.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CALVIN BROADUS, DELMER DREW ARNAUD, DON BLACKMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@demoscratos4577
How many only came to hear PAC ?!
@loveyougumbo
Definitely
@robertgriffiths6922
Snoop should be honored for his lifetime commitment to the game!! Fucking legend rip pac, snoop pac is shining on u xxx god bless dog from the UK
@richardsteele1227
AMEN 🙏 ❤🙏🙌🤙👏✊
@mauricioamaral489
Seriously, this is the best rap mix ever. This beat is a banger. From the Doggstyle album from Snoop. Holy f** shit. Kids, if you want to listen a so good, really fckng good oldschool rap, this is your first lesson. (Sry about my awful english)
@aboutshowroom9186
Haha.. "oldschool"... Now that's cute.
@tomi3634
2pac making magic from the sky
@charleslewis4737
Great remix bro i think 2pac killed it
@chase24b97
Yo same
@91Nichts
You should do a motherfuckin' megamix from this beat. Like 1 hour....Amazing tune