Dr. Dre, “The Waiting” [XXL Cover Story]
It’s coming. For real this time, Dr. Dre swears. Terms like “long-awaited” and “highly anticipated” don’t quite cut it at this point, do they? However you want to describe it, 12 years since his last classic, 2001, the greatest producer in hip-hop history is gearing up to finally release his third album. Brace yourself for Detox…
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY SCOTT COUNCIL
INTERVIEW BY VANESSA SATTEN
What about the element of getting jaded with age? Isn’t there a point where you’ve had so much experience, where you start to say, “This shit is stupid”? How do you stay interested?
You know what? I say that quite a few times in the studio, to be perfectly honest with you. I’ve been through that thing several times, where I’m like, “You know what? I quit. I’m not doing this. Everything is starting to sound the same.” But like I said, I have good people around. I have people that push, like, “No, no. Let’s do this.” Em, for example. My wife, of course. Jimmy. All these people are like, “Nah, nah, c’mon. You could do it. You could do it.” I experiment. Every now and then, something corny would pop out, just from experimenting. That’s going to happen if you’re creating. But nobody will ever hear that shit, hopefully. [Laughs]
Were you ever going to trash Detox and start another project? Or just trash everything altogether and never do another project?
The thought crossed my mind several times.
To leave altogether?
Yeah.
Quit? “I’m done”?
Yeah.
“I’m going to retire”?
I don’t ever see myself retiring totally from music, because I have a genuine love and passion for it. But as far as me going into the mic booth, that shit is over. I’m always going to talent scout and try to find new artists to work with. But, yeah, that’s it. I don’t see myself doing it the way I’m doing it now. I’m in the studio at least five or six days a week for 16, 18 hours. I think I’m going to back off a little bit and spend some time with the family. But I’m always going to make records… It’s almost—I still feel like it’s, like, a high for me. I always feel like that day I’m not in the studio could’ve been the day I made my best record. So I still have that thirst. But as far as getting on the microphone and being an artist, that’s over for me. I just want to produce.
So that means that you’re not on the mic on Detox? Or just after Detox?
After Detox.
The talent scouting has always been one of the most fascinating things about your career. Your ear for talent. Besides your legacy of music personally, you brought the world Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, the list goes on. With Em alone, the impact has been so huge for hip-hop—and that was a big risk you took, with the issue of his race and his subject matter.
Yeah, throughout my career, I’ve always tried to take certain risks. Even at the beginning, with “Fuck Tha Police.” I’ve always tried to take certain risks, and as far as Em goes, I always felt like nobody can deny it’s good. I feel like, if I hadn’t met Em or we hadn’t linked up, he would eventually have become a success anyway. Because he’s so talented. I was just fortunate enough to meet him first and open the door for him. As far as the race thing goes, when I heard Em for the first time, I didn’t even know he was White. I just knew I wanted to work with him. And that kind of actually made it better for me, because it was so different. As a creator and innovator, nothing can beat that, and that’s all I was looking at. It was a new and creative thing that sounds different and looks different, and we got along. We had fun making those records in the early days, and still. We still have the same energy today that we had the first day we went in the studio. And we still have that level of passion for it.
dont know about dre..but seems he fell off abit…hopefully DETOX can get him back to the top..
you are a fool your just the kind of person DRE hates if you ever listened to any of his shit you’d know that. DRE has and always well be the king of rap. Detox is going to change rap fix it rap has become so weak and stupid it needs a doctor and Dre is just the man to fix it
The expectations for this album are so high that no matter what he delivers the haters will not like it. They will call him overrated, proceed to compare him to any plethora of no longer relevant producers from the 90’s, you know the comments “the no longer relevant “boom bap” producer is better than Dre”. Or they’ll say he has not grown and his tracks sound the same, they will name off the ghost producers the Mel Man’s, Scott Stortch’s, Neff-U’s, Mr. Porter’s, Michael Elizondo’s and the others. They’ll download an MP3 version of the album a week or so before it comes out. Play it on their cheap car speakers and ear buds and dismiss it as “too west coast” or deride it because it’s not full of twitching triple time Timbaland’esqe hi-hats, decaying 808 snares, tuned 808 kicks and of course the arpegiators. And of course all of the “rappers” and “pro-dew-sirs” who have meticulously collected, all of Dre’s drums from the Chronic 2001 instrumentals or the less industrious ones who are too lazy and just down load the latest “Dr. Dre Drums Pack” from the internet, will compare their own lackluster, unmixed, un-mastered “renditions” of Dre’s sound of last decade and will surmise that “I can do Dre beats too”. Lets not forget the rappers… Because of course now they have “FL Studio”, “Nuendo 3″ or “Logic” and “Pro Tools”… so of course the people who were once fans will, just disregard his contribution because “they only listen to their own shit”
Dre thanks for putting out this album, and all of the other classics. Been listening to your shit since Easy-Duz-It and always have appreciated what you do. Fuck the haters.
You my friend are correct! Fuck the haters
If the haters appreciate music, they’ll come around… Eventually.
Never heard anyone say it better. respect Mutada
I don’t consider myself a hater. But if the rest of the album sounds like “Kush” I think I’ll pass. I hope it doesn’t and I will keep a open mind. But honestly I was a little disappointed.
Matada makes great points. However, one can tell this album is not going to be that good based on the inspiration. Dre revealed in this interview he has basically none. He feels the album is an obligation that will feed some families. That doesn’t beget quality music, I can assure you. Kush is horrible and that is what Dre felt was so good that he should call it the first single, the song that reps Detox. Dre is a legend but this album will not be good. You heard it here first.
Mutuda your damn wright!!!
bin listinin since back in tha days..remeber yo mtv raps when eazy came out…after that straight outta compton..
that wuz westcoast fo yo ass!!
so like Mutuda said fuck em haters.
@Mutada Mullah Atari
My nigga u had me bout to start testifying in my job. PREACH BROTHER PREACH!!!!!!!!!!