Dr. Dre is one of the greatest producers of all time, but there was a time when he almost called it quits on music. The 58-year-old mogul revealed reasons why he almost gave up and how his decision not to while making The Chronic led to him hitting an impactful creative stride.
The Aftermath Entertainment founder had the honor of writing a portion of LL Cool J‘s new book The Streets Win: 50 Years of Hip Hop Greatness and reflected on his career. “In 1992, I had just bought a new house,” Dre wrote. “Eazy-E and Jerry Heller were trying to starve me out and refused to pay the money they owed me. I was driving on the 101 freeway headed to the studio and, on that drive, I was thinking about quitting.”
He continued, sharing that he was working on The Chronic at the time, but was not satisfied with the music he was making. “I started second-guessing my ability and whether music was what I was supposed to be doing, but I pushed those doubts aside and persevered. A week later, I started making the best music I had ever made. That moment was crucial to helping me solidify my determination to be a success.”
That moment helped Dr. Dre learn more about himself, specifically the fact that he just needed to be patient, despite being in that rut. “If I had listened to that little thing that told me to quit, my entire life would be different now,” he said. “People are either pushing or pulling, and I wish I had known the difference early on in my career. I could’ve saved myself a lot of heartache in that area. At this point in my life, I see the value of surrounding myself with people who push me forward. I don’t want to be around anyone I can’t learn something from.”
LL Cool J’s The Streets Win: 50 Years Of Hip Hop Greatness came out on Tuesday (Oct. 3). Along with Dr. Dre, names like Eminem, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, and more offered their own words and anecdotes.
Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary has been celebrated all year long with major tribute performances at the Grammy’s, BET Awards, and a special concert at Yankee Stadium in August headlined by Run-D.M.C.’s final performance ever. Watch their performance below.
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