

The song marked Dre's first collaboration with Mike Elizondo, the bassist and multi-instrumentalist who would become his constant collaborator in the years that followed.

That essence of annoyance was used to even greater effect on 2000's "The Real Slim Shady," which transformed the yellow head from Detroit into a global brand. Dre, Tommy Coster Album: The Marshall Mathers LP Label: Aftermath, Interscope In a 1999 episode of Behind the Music, Dre admitted that he knew Eminem's "My Name Is" would be a hit because it was the most annoying song he'd ever heard. RELATED: The 23 Best Rappers Who Started As Producers RELATED: Kanye West's 50 Best Beats for Other Artists RELATED: The 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Beats of All Time As we look back over a musical portfolio that spans almost 30 years, the predominant question asked by fans, peers, and industry insiders has shifted from “When will Dre drop his latest?” to “What would Dre do?” Even when he’s not doing anything he exerts more influence on rap music than producers who are active week to week.

Dre’s production legacy but because he is now regarded as much more of a musical artist-he is a visionary, an artist-maestro who has transcended the stature previously occupied by Phil Spector. Because of this, the expectations for his new music have gone skyward, and Dre has always made it his mission not only to meet but to exceed the public’s expectations of him.ĭetox has become a mythically anticipated album not simply because of Dr. However, his abilities as a beatmaker have long since been superseded by his presence as a tastemaker. His beats now feel expensive and important, and it’s sometimes easy to long for the days of “Let Me Ride,” when his music felt more organic and unselfconscious. Since that time, he has continued to make music but at a much slower rate than 10 or 15 years ago. His work with Eminem led into the release of 2001, which renewed his creative license for a new generation and segued into his work with 50 Cent and Game.

In discovering, grooming and marketing Eminem (with the help of his industry shaker, Jimmy Iovine) Dre confirmed that he was in possession of powers beyond the musical. It turned out to be just the opposite.ĭre’s endorsement of Eminem became the most successful bet of the producer’s life, surpassing even Straight Outta Compton and The Chronic, two of the most seminal and individualistic album-length statements in hip-hop history. It at first seemed ludicrous, the early sign of an unavoidable decline. Now the papers were reporting that he was determined to break a blonde emcee from Detroit. In 1997, Dre was struggling to make Aftermath relevant following the massive cultural significance of his Death Row recordings. Dre went from being a rap producer to the all-seeing oracle of the hip-hop industry? The crucial transformation in a career of crucial transformations can be traced to Dre’s initial partnership with Eminem.
