Andre Romell Young born February 18, , known professionally as Dr. Dre , is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. Dre began his career as a member of the World Class Wreckin' Cru in , and later found fame with the gangsta rap group N. The group popularized explicit lyrics in hip-hop to detail the violence of street life. During the early s, Dre was credited as a key figure in the crafting and popularization of West Coast G-funk , a subgenre of hip-hop characterized by a synthesizer foundation and slow, heavy production.
Released as Death Row's first major project, Dr. Dre's debut solo album, The Chronic , made him one of the best-selling American music artists of That same year, he produced Death Row labelmate Snoop Dogg 's debut album Doggystyle , and mentored producers such as his stepbrother Warren G leading to the multi-platinum debut Regulate Dre Presents: The Aftermath and second studio album, followed thereafter. During the s, Dr. Dre shifted focus onto production for other artists, occasionally contributing vocals.
He signed Eminem in and 50 Cent in , while extensively contributing to releases by both artists. Aftermath has since signed other artists including the Game , Kendrick Lamar , Anderson. Accusations of Dr. Dre's violence against women have been widely publicized.
A civil suit was settled out of court. In , Michel'le , the mother of one of his children, accused him of domestic violence during their time together as a couple. Lisa Johnson, the mother of three of Dre's children, stated that he beat her many times, including while she was pregnant. She was granted a restraining order against him. Former labelmate Tairrie B claimed that Dre assaulted her at a party in , in response to her track "Ruthless Bitch".
Two weeks following the release of his third album, Compton in August , he issued an apology to the women "I've hurt". His parents married in , separated in , and divorced in His mother later remarried to Curtis Crayon and had three children: sons Jerome and Tyree both deceased and daughter Shameka. He attempted to enroll in an apprenticeship program at Northrop Aviation Company , but was ineligible due to poor grades.
