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
Puppet Master
Dr. Dre Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Makin Greene like Mitch
Gives rap vocals dispatch
With every attempt
To have this game shook up
When Dre cook up, every thug look up
Chronic got me on tilt, eyes bloodshot
Heavy built
I rock for rollers
From lowriders to Henny toasters
Cut off dead weight to
Keep my formulas kosher
Accept no imitations Dre losin his stack
Is slim as chances
Of Michael Jackson gettin his black fans back
My reputation's like a Tec-9
Knock out the best in a circle
Three minutes wreck time
See the hand is faster than
The eye can chase it dre, B-Real
Soul Assassins got potential
Buttons activated
No illusion I have you caught
Up in the rapture
Executive decisions from the
Motherfucking puppet masters
You are the puppet, I pull your string
I'm makin moves
I'm the master, causing you to do what you do
Puppet masters
We're pullin strings, killin kings
Countin all pinky rings
Seizin control of the whole game
I took a pull from the blunt, inhaled it
Blew the smoke from my lungs
Into the world of hip-hop
Civilians turn into soldiers by the millions
Assassins, we multiply, by the masses
Masters of the game
(checkmate nigga) every move you make
Through manipulation is the move I
Choose for you to take
You see, what I want you to see
And you turn into whatever I want you to be
Whatever it be, enemy or ally
The Aftermath results in Soul Assassins
Worldwide
From coast to coast, I got soldiers on post
Injectin you, with the high funk overdose
Dre and the Hill, stayin Real
All you non-believin ass niggas
Get your cap peeled
Executive order make your time shorter
Get your recorder, play it back
Puff your chronic sack
Your mind body and soul have been captured
And taken captive
By the motherfuckin puppet masters
The Soul Assassin button has
Now been activated dr dre and B-Real are
Providin the verbal abuse
Any unauthorized duplication without
The consent of my nigga Muggs
May be fatal that's right
This is comin to you directly
From the Hill y'all all rights reserved
In these lyrics, Dr. Dre and B-Real of Cypress Hill describe themselves as the puppet masters, in control of the hip-hop industry with the power to manipulate careers and control public perception. They compare themselves to a powerful drug, sparking up like a blunt's tip and causing a high funk overdose. B-Real boasts that he can turn civilians into soldiers by the millions, while Dre claims his reputation is like a Tec-9, knocking out the best in a circle in just three minutes. The chorus repeats the idea that they are the puppet masters, pulling strings and controlling the entire game.
The lyrics are full of boastful bravado and references to drugs and violence, typical of the gangsta rap genre. However, they also reveal a paranoia about losing power and control, with references to needing to cut off dead weight to keep their formulas kosher and Dre losing his stack. They also suggest a disdain for those who don't believe in them, warning non-believin ass niggas to get their cap peeled.
Overall, the lyrics present a picture of Dr. Dre and B-Real as powerful and influential figures in the hip-hop world, with the ability to control the industry and manipulate careers. The language is aggressive and confrontational, with references to violence and drugs, but also reveals a fear of losing power and control.
Line by Line Meaning
I spark like a blunt's tip, somethin cavi
I am the best and brightest in the hip-hop game, just like the tip of a high-quality blunt.
Makin Greene like Mitch
I'm making lots of money, like the character Mitch in the movie Paid in Full.
Gives rap vocals dispatch
I deliver rap vocals with speed and efficiency.
With every attempt
With every effort that I make.
To have this game shook up
To disrupt the hip-hop game and make it my own.
When Dre cook up, every thug look up
Whenever Dr. Dre produces a new track, every thug takes notice and pays attention.
Chronic got me on tilt, eyes bloodshot
Smoking the strain of marijuana called Chronic has me feeling intense and my eyes are red.
Heavy built
I have a strong and powerful build.
Lay a nigga out like quilt, clear to gill
I can take down my opponents with ease and leave them completely defeated.
I rock for rollers
I make music for the lowriders, or cars modified to have a low ground clearance.
From lowriders to Henny toasters
From lowriders to people who enjoy Hennessy Cognac.
Cut off dead weight to
I eliminate anything and anyone that's holding me back.
Keep my formulas kosher
I maintain my methods and techniques in a clean and legitimate way.
Accept no imitations Dre losin his stack
I won't settle for anything less than what I deserve, as opposed to Dr. Dre, who might lose his wealth or credibility.
Is slim as chances
The possibility of Dr. Dre losing what he has is very low.
Of Michael Jackson gettin his black fans back
The chances of Michael Jackson winning back the support of his black fans after controversy are similarly low.
My reputation's like a Tec-9
My reputation is intimidating and threatening, much like the weapon Tec-9.
Knock out the best in a circle
I can take down the best hip-hop artists in any circle or group.
Three minutes wreck time
I can destroy another rapper's career in just three minutes with a diss track.
See the hand is faster than
I move quicker and more skillfully than my opponents.
The eye can chase it dre, B-Real
Dr. Dre and B-Real are skilled and hard to keep up with.
Soul Assassins got potential
My group, The Soul Assassins, has a lot of untapped potential.
Buttons activated
We're ready to take control of the hip-hop game.
No illusion I have you caught
This isn't a trick; I really have control over you.
Up in the rapture
You're under my spell and in a state of excitement or awe.
Executive decisions from the
Major decisions are being made by the people in control.
Motherfucking puppet masters
We are the powerful and influential people pulling the strings in the hip-hop game.
You are the puppet, I pull your string
You are under my control and I'm directing your actions.
I'm makin moves
I'm actively making things happen in the hip-hop game.
I'm the master, causing you to do what you do
I'm the one in control, and you're only able to act because of me.
We're pullin strings, killin kings
We're manipulating the situation and taking out the competition.
Countin all pinky rings
We're raking in the money.
Seizin control of the whole game
We're taking over and gaining power over the entire hip-hop industry.
I took a pull from the blunt, inhaled it
I took a hit of marijuana and breathed it in deeply.
Blew the smoke from my lungs
I exhaled the smoke from my lungs.
Into the world of hip-hop
I'm bringing my own style and energy to the hip-hop industry.
Civilians turn into soldiers by the millions
People become passionate about hip-hop and turn into fans.
Assassins, we multiply, by the masses
People who are part of The Soul Assassins group are growing in numbers quickly.
Masters of the game
We're in complete control of the hip-hop industry.
(checkmate nigga) every move you make
We're one step ahead of our competition in every possible way.
Through manipulation is the move I
My preferred method of control is through manipulation.
Choose for you to take
I'm dictating your actions and making decisions for you.
You see, what I want you to see
I'm controlling your perception and what you're exposed to.
And you turn into whatever I want you to be
I have total control over how you act and who you become.
Whatever it be, enemy or ally
Whether you're my enemy or my friend, you're still under my control.
The Aftermath results in Soul Assassins
After I take control, The Soul Assassins will be the only ones left standing.
Worldwide
Our influence and power is felt around the world.
From coast to coast, I got soldiers on post
My people are stationed everywhere and I have eyes and ears all over.
Injectin you, with the high funk overdose
Our music is addictive and powerful, and will leave a lasting impact on you.
Dre and the Hill, stayin Real
Dr. Dre and The Hill are keeping it authentic and true to their roots.
All you non-believin ass niggas
Anyone who doubts us or what we're capable of.
Get your cap peeled
Be prepared to face the consequences of your actions.
Executive order make your time shorter
We hold the power to shorten your time in the hip-hop game.
Get your recorder, play it back
Record everything and play it back to see how we're manipulating the situation.
Puff your chronic sack
Take a hit of marijuana and calm down.
Your mind body and soul have been captured
You're under our spell and we have you completely under our control.
And taken captive
We've locked you up and you're completely at our mercy.
The Soul Assassin button has
We're officially taking control and making our move.
Now been activated dr dre and B-Real are
Dr. Dre and B-Real are taking action and making things happen.
Providin the verbal abuse
We're taking over through our words and lyrics.
Any unauthorized duplication without
You can't copy us without our permission.
The consent of my nigga Muggs
Our collaborator Muggs needs to approve any duplication of our work.
May be fatal that's right
Copying us could have serious consequences.
This is comin to you directly
We're making our presence known and coming directly to our competition.
From the Hill y'all
We're representing our background and roots in South Gate, California.
All rights reserved
We have complete control and will protect our rights and power.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Fintage House Publishing
Written by: KIM BENDIX PETERSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kaseyhussle
I’m sane… but you wanna know what’s crazy? How much Tv, music, entertainment, influence and control people. Everything we do, everything from what we do, to how we think is programmed into us at a young age. Like everything! How we interact with others, how we behave, how we talk, our goals in life, our motives, everything. That’s what society is, it’s a programming. This world is controlled by organizations. Each organization fosters its own society. They decided what kind of music, tv shows, movies, you will adhere to. This usually starts at a young age, so by the time you reach consciousness, it becomes your social normal. “Everyones doing it”, you tell yourself again and again. It’s what you see, it’s what you do.
@kaseyhussle
Now, the people who are “anti-social” or “not-programmed” are frowned upon. There whole life, they are taught: your wrong, somethings wrong with you, you don’t belong. A grown adult will just be like: “lol, fuck you”, but a little kid… a little kid will be crushed! There needs to be someone to tell these kids: No! Listen to your heart! Your soul! That’s Gods programming!
@kaseyhussle
This, is where all of societies problems start. With “these kids”. …these kids are the only kids, the only people in this world, who have hearts & souls… unfortunately most of there souls get crushed at a very young age, and they become something horrible… but sometime, there soul is protected, or reactivated, a few, a few never give up, they listen to there hearts, there souls, they never give up with there connection to the universe, and once it strengths… it talks back
@kaseyhussle
Very, very, few people in a society have a soul. Why? Cause your bred to behave in a certain way that is efficient to up hold up that society and keep the organization running that society in power and well fed. Your just a empty slave with no love… that’s what a society is. They all a bunch of actors, acting nice and shit, with no (REAL) love for the people around them! Death isn’t supposed to scare humans! It just means you’ve achieved your souls journey here on this plant, and now your soul will start its next journey somewhere else. That’s all I want! To teach all my little brothers and sisters and kids, to listen to there hearts, grow there souls, so when I’m old I can welcome death like a friend, and await my loved ones in the next place. So we can all continue our souls journeys together! 😘🥰😍
@kaseyhussle
The idea isn’t to separate society, but to bring it together, all beings, and teach them about the soul… who’s gonna listen? Absolutely nobody…. So fuck it I’m moving to Japan and becoming an anime character!
@kaseyhussle
Just a grown ass man running around Japan throwing fake ninja starts at people… “Uzamaki, Kasey!!!” 🤣🤣🤣
@auralphy
Dr. Dre n snoop have these crazy devil songs from back a lil its crazy.... this world is darker then anyone realizes
@larryking8892
So true.And most will not ever realize it.
@jelloy3577
Not easy to keep the devil out of your soul
@michaeldennis6077
They're talking about who's pulling our strings.