Dr. Dre has publicly criticized rap albums that feature production from a large number of producers.
Despite heavily relying on co-producers on his last album Compton, Dre used his interview with Stephen A. Smith to criticize Hip Hop’s move away from using only one or a small number of producers on a project.
“Find your collaborator. I don’t like the fact that there are, like, nine different producers on one album. I like the idea of one producer on one album. Continuity is everything,” he said.
Asked by Smith where the trend came from, Dre replied: “I don’t know, but I don’t like it.”
He added: “If you a producer, you should be able to produce the entire album. That’s what I thought it was supposed to be. That’s what I was doing at the beginning.”
Snoop Dogg, who was sat next to him, then chimed in: “There’s a lot of beatmakers, though, Doc. That’s the difference between your era and this era. There aren’t too many producers as there are beatmakers. It’s so easy to make beats.”
Dre was the sole or one of a very small number of producers on numerous projects such as Snoop Dogg‘s Doggystyle, Eminem‘s first five albums and all of N.W.A‘s releases.
He has also worked as one of many producers on albums from the likes of 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar and JAY-Z.
Dre is also known to work with a close-knit team of collaborators which over the years has included names such as Mel-Man, Mike Elizondo and Mark Batson, while more recently he has worked with producers such as Dem Jointz, Focus… and Cardiak.
The Aftermath founder also admitted in his interview with Stephen A. Smith that he never listens to any of his classic material.
“I don’t look back,” he told the sports broadcaster. “I never listen to my old music or anything like that.”
To show that he wasn’t exaggerating, Dre continued: “I’ve never listened to my old music. I never let anybody play it around me. I feel like that’s masturbation at the highest level.
“I’m always thinking forward. I don’t live my life with a rear-view mirror. I don’t give a fuck about what I did or what’s in the past.”
The rare interview was to promote Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s new premium gin Still G.I.N., as well as their upcoming album Missionary.
I agree with Dre’s concept of one producer but now a days everyone is trying to get that hot beat no matter who has it. It’s just a different era. Carry on!!!
Dre must not have heard Illmatic.
I hate Compton and TDOSS. They’re vanity throwaway projects far worse then Keep Their Heads Ringin. I think he’s lost his touch.
I lost touch once my uncle touched me below the belt. After that, I just clinch my teeth and hold on for dear life when he comes over.
Over rated af, old af, washed af, womanizing DL Gay Ass Dre ain’t been musically relevant in over 20 years!
Dre will always be musically relevant, although it’s very funny and ironic how the “relevance” argument always comes from no name, keyboard slamming dipshits that aren’t relevant to anything at all.
@pacman oh yeah, I forgot that you have to be rich or famous in order to have an opinion on a celebrity. Don’t vote in this presidential election man, as unless you’re a rich politician, you shouldn’t have a say in something you aren’t personally antiquated with.
I promise I won’t vote in the presidential election. Mainly because I’m not American you clueless dip shit. Also I wasn’t saying you can’t have an opinion, I was saying that your opinion is stupid and wrong. Please learn to read and comprehend before you run off and vote though.
He’s right. Illmatic, Doggfather, Me Against The World, JOSE, N Please, Michael, Phenomenon – all wack albums. Dre should just stfu. He made one great album in 3000 BC, but that’s it. Overrated idiot.
He uses ghost producers, so who is he to criticize when you use 50 different people and you clean up their work at the end.
Ugh! Stop policing art! I hate shit like this. Fuck off and go make an album. Dre has plenty of producers work on his shit so why tf he would even say this.
As a former Dr Dre fanatic, he’s extremely overrated and over credited for his work. Example? Look up the sample used to produced Eminems “my name is”. The sample came from “Labi Siffre – I got the”. Fast forward to 2:10. Dre just copied that over for the whole beat. Nearly all of dres best productions were just copying other funk artists actual creations. He’s a fraud IMO, and was lucky that more talented producers worked with him and didn’t mind selling their work to not have their name attached to it.
Dre has.produced 3 albums front to back in last 25 years