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Dr. Dre, pioneer of gangsta rap, was born in Los Angeles in 1965. At the beginning of the eighties, Dr. Dre made his debut in the group World Class Wreckin’ Cru. Between 1982 and 1986, the group did many shows and produced a few records. However, the group was not able to pierce the commercial music scene. In 1986, Dr. Dre left the band and teamed up with rapper/actor Ice Cube. The two musicians collaborated with the producer of Ruthless Records, Eazy-E. The three friends founded the band N.W.A. (Niggaz With Attitude).

In 1987, the trio delivered Straight Outta Compton. This disc had lyrics which were critiqued for being vulgar and therefore, did not get air time on the radio. However, it did gain the support of the underground rap scene. In 1989, Ice Cube left the band and Dr. Dre and Eazy-E continued as a duo until 1991. Between 1989 and 1991, N.W.A became more popular and launched the albums 100 Miles and Runnin'and Efil4zaggin. Both albums were commercial hits and sold thousands of copies. N.W.A. had made their breakthrough. Despite this triumph, Dr. Dre decided to leave the band in 1991 and created the record label Death Row Records with his friend Suge Knight. The rap singer made a strong comeback in 1992, with his first solo single Deep Cover. The song went to the top of the charts and Dr. Dre was becoming increasingly popular. Dr. Dre then did his debut solo album with the collaboration of Snoop Doggy Dogg, known today as Snoop Dogg. The Chronic was the debut of his G-Funk sound and was a multi-platinum album. It sold more than two million copies in the United States. The singles A Nigga Witta Gun, Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody’s Celebratin’), Let Me Ride and many others were hits. In 1993, Dr. Dre won a Grammy for Best Rap Solo for the single Let Me Ride.Between 1993 and 1996, Dr. Dre decided to do some work as a producer. He did Snoop Dogg’s first album, Doggystyle. In addition, he composed some songs for soundtracks, produced an album for Ice Cube and another for 2Pac. In 1996, the record company Death Row started sliding and Suge Knight was imprisoned for racketeering charges.  Shortly after, Dr. Dre collaborated with Snoop Dogg once again and recorded the album Dr. Dre Presents...The Aftermath. The album was not well-received by fans and Dr. Dre plunged quickly into another album.In 1999, the album 2001 was released. It was another hit for Dr. Dre who put it together with the collaboration of rappers Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Xzbit and others. In 2000, Dr. Dre took Eminem under his wing and produced EP The Marshall Mathers, featuring the voice of the young artist. The same year, Dr. Dre won a Grammy Award for Producer of the Year.  In 2001 Dr. Dre decided to concentrate on his work as a producer, but will be making a comeback as an artist in 2008. This rap icon will be releasing the album Detox in June.