Throughout their near three-decade partnership, Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine have not only revolutionized the music industry, they’ve shifted pop culture. From Beats headphones to signing Eminem and 50 Cent and helping turn them into global superstars, the pair have had a hand in shaping the world as we know it.
As The Defiant Ones stars shift their focus towards changing education, Dre and Iovine sat down with British GQ to give their thoughts on several subjects, from school to innovation and, of course, fame in the social media age.
“I probably would’ve hated social media when I was coming up,” Dre says around the 15-minute mark of the interview. “There’s a certain mystique that gets destroyed. I like the mystique. I like waiting. I don’t need anybody to know where I am every minute or what I’m doing. Or what I’m about to do.”
He added, “There’s a certain mystique that came along with music that was entertaining to wait to see what was about to happen.”
Dre’s social media presence is almost mundane by comparison. He hardly tweets, rarely posts photos on Instagram and often, the posts don’t feel like he wrote them. But, he and Iovine understand the evolution of fame in the social media era.
“I don’t know the impact of Instagram, it’s not mutual,” Iovine said. “If Michael Jackson had Instagram, would he have ended up healthier? Who knows. I think what’s happened is, ‘great’ was never behind fame as much as it is now. Fame is what the currency is. Likes or whatever the stuff is. So fame, and if you happen to be great … musicians up until recently, that’s why people put music out every day. That’s marketing.”
He continued, “But not all of its great because that’s impossible. I think ‘great’ has pulled back a little bit.”
Dr. Dre Is Named The Top-Earning Musical Artist Of The Decade
Elsewhere in the interview, the pair discuss their respective drives and “hustle” at their ages, the importance of catering towards specific artistic needs and more. Among their big plans? Starting their own high school.
“We’re starting it right outside of USC,” Iovine says. “And it’s for that neighbourhood. And it’s going to be free. We’re doing it with Laurene Powell Jobs [Steve Jobs’ widow] and XQ [a fund launched in 2015 to change state schooling in America] and the USC. We want to give underrated kids an edge. We want to market our high school, we want to make it appealing for kids to stay in school and learn. Most don’t want to be there.”
yeah those suspect world class wrecking cru photos with the makeup and blouses might have killed his gangster image
Billionaires can give a fuck if some 35 year old photos make them look sissy, lmao. Enjoy your ramen packet for lunch.
You guys are tripping, all this guy is trying to say is Dre woulda had to deal with those images being passed around wayyy more instantaneous. Like back then the only thing similar would be eazy e using the photo of him in that diss track cover. That shit was embarrassing for dre on that small scale of exposure imagine if eazy e could share it with everyone instantly? Like fr you guys are some major dick riders if you think dre wouldn’t of had to move differently if social media was around, everyone has to move differently as soon as that sbit exists.
You guys are really showing your age, I am too though lol. At the time of easy e and dream beefing, those pics WERE OUT FROM THE WEST TO THE EAST COAST
u ain’t had to bring ramen into this them noodles been good to us all
Apparently you didn’t see Straight Outta Compton. Not only was “Dre” wearing that silly a s s outfit but they addressed it and made fun of it. Might be time for you to s t f u
Bruh I’m talking about if there was social media in the 80s/90s you tools. When he was supposed t0 be a gangster. Before he was a billionaire, before decades of success, before there was a movie.
I don’t think they get your point. If social media could have plastered that everywhere and clowned him to death he couldn’t have had the image to be in NWA.
STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON was straight up TRASH! It’s was bogus, Hollywood, based, crap. They show No Vaseline, Fuck Wit Dre Day, and other diss records, yet convinientely leave out Real Muthufuckin Gs. Hollywood trash.
It’s not like that cover was a secret. Anyone could have came at Dre about that, at anytime.
Who did?
I’ll just say this, and you should know it: Easy does it
It ruined fans mystique too
It basically ruined everybody’s mystique smh. I remember a time where you liked a nice girl and it was mysterious up until y’all were alone and she took her skirt and shirt of in her lingerie. Now these hoes are all over the place on social media it’s not even fun no more and over expose themselves all hoping to be the next Kardashian.
yeah his woman beating ass would have been exposed and cancelled
It’s ruined the mystique of athletes too. That’s why MJ will always be more of a legend than lebron.
Well that and the fact that Mike never ran from a challenge and Lebron has run from each and everyone hes faced.
Dr Dres gay sex would have been exposed if it were like this back in the day. It’s an inside, not so secret truth.
Is there any comment u make where ur bitch ass aint hating on something? First ur white then asian then black u cant make ur mind up.. ur prob on real life a sucker.
There are multiple people who comment under the name “Jay”.
This is a little bit suspect. I know damn well when Tupac was calling Dre gay and fruity there has to be some truth in it. More people in that camp were doing suspect things so far I know only 1 cat from there who came out I forgot his name the dude who sings. A lot of dudes were calling him out and I feel like there are lots of behind the scene stories. These days it’s impossible to be as big as that and hide that. Even a non mainstream cat like Young Buck get in all kinds of troubles for messing with trannies.
F— Dr Dre throwin up devil horns. How about you go and visit your old buddy Suge? Or are you too busy hiding behind law enforcement nowadays? So painful to watch these two who made a culture of sex, drugs and violence talking like they are the good guys.
Where is the distinction between gangster rap and movies that portray the same culture of sex, drugs and violence? Yet i don’t hear any critics. Wonder why.
No you do hear critics…movies get banned (along with so called conspiracy theorists) all the time meanwhile The Chronic gets inducted by The Library Of Congress National Recording Registry. Way to go Andre for being a ”good” role model to youth everywhere…now pass me my muthafkin joint.
Movies are made up of literal actors. Rappers, pretend to be about what they rap about, and actors in the rap game are frowned upon.
Let me guess…cuz theyre black? Where you under a rock when joker came out? You keep believing that narrative…see how far you get
If I look at these picture it seems that Dre and Jimmy are in love with eachother. So cute. I think Dre should do beats for Lil Nas X.
This is exactly why Kendrick drops once in a blue moon. Dre has successfully instilled this belief into all of those under him.
Kendrick is following Dres direction. He’s following TDE. TDE holds release power over Kendrick still, not aftermath. Hell, Kendrick never stopped using in house producers either. Zero Dre production.
The game. Snoop and TI and 3 ppl that immediately come 2 mind as pll i used 2 have a high level of respext b4..then social media came seen them for the lame dick riding whiners they are and i dont even check 4 em any more. Sad
tell that to frank ocean