Dr Dre is a prolific rapper, producer and entrepreneur. Though his wild success has made much of his life available to the public, there are some things about him that are known by very few people. Here, PPcorn presents 15 facts you probably didn’t know about Dr. Dre.
Number Fifteen: Dr Dre Was in an Electronic Funk Group
Before Dr Dre was part of NWA, he was part of a group called World Class Wreckin’ Cru. World Class Wreckin’ Cru was originally called Disco Conjunction, and they played electronic funk music!
Number Fourteen: His Step-Brother Is Famous, Too
Dr. Dre’s step-brother is Warren G, another (less) famous rapper and producer. The two became step-brother’s after Dr. Dre’s mother married Warren G’s father.
Number Thirteen: The Man Can Act
Dr Dre has played roles in several major films. He played a small role in Training Day, was a voice in a 2005 video game, and he was the lead in 2001’s The Wash with Snoop Dogg. The film centered around two friends who work at a car wash together.
Number Twelve: Dr Dre Was Almost an Abortion
Dr. Dre’s mother, Verna Young, had him at the young age of just 16 years old. While her family and friends insisted she get an abortion, she decided not to and continued on with the pregnancy. All things considered, we think everything turned out OK for both Dr. Dre and his mother.
Number Eleven: His Son Raps, Too
Dr. Dre had a son when he was just 17 years old, and he didn’t meet his son until he was 20. Dr. Dre’s son is also a rapper, and he goes by the name Hood Surgeon.
Number Ten: He Used to Go By Dr. J
Before he was Dr. Dre, he was Dr. J. This was a nod to one of Dr. Dre’s favorite basketball players, Julius Erving. He then changed his name from Dr. J to Dr. Dre to commemorate his own name, Andre.
Number Nine: He Earned $20 Per Second in 2014
Yes, you read that right! Thanks in large part to his Beats by Dre fortune, it was calculated that Dr. Dre earned an impressive $20 every single second for a year.
Number Eight: Dre Is Not Exactly a Doctor
Though Dre has made some brilliant business decisions, he has also had several major brain farts. When Dr Dre first heard about Eminem, he had no idea that Eminem was white.
Number Seven: He Got His Middle Name From Music
Dr. Dre’s father was in a band called The Romelles. Dr Dre’s middle name is Romelle, which he got from his father’s R&B group we just mentioned. How sweet!
Number Six: He Made More Money Listening to Music Than He Ever Did Making It
Thanks to the huge success of the sale of Beats to Apple, Dr. Dre has made more money from his headphones than he did by making music. Beats was sold to Apple for a whopping $3.2 billion.
Number Five: He Is Admired by Kanye
According to Kanye, Dr. Dre’s album, The Chronic, “…is still the hip-hop equivalent to Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life. It’s the benchmark you measure your album against if you’re serious.” Does this mean Kanye thinks Dr. Dre is a better rapper than he is? The jury is out on that one.
Number Four: He Has an Interesting Connection to Tom Brady
Dr. Dre spent $40 million to buy a home in Los Angeles in 2014 that had previously belonged to NFL quarterback Tom Brady and his wife Gisele Bundchen. That’s quite a hefty price for a home, no matter how rich you are.
Number Three: He Was Almost Part of a NWA Reunion
Though rumors of a NWA reunion with Snoop Dogg replacing Eazy-E have been flying around for decades, it never actually happened. However, NWA did perform during the Up In Smoke tour, and the group recorded a song for the soundtrack of Next Friday.
Number Two: He Has Been Successful From the Beginning
Though NWA’s debut album, Straight Outta Compton, cost just $12,000 to make, it sold three million copies. It is now known as one of the most classically recognized and admired rap albums of all time.
Number One: He Is on His Way to Becoming Rap’s First Billionaire
Since selling Beats, Dr. Dre has an estimated net worth of $700 million. He is one of the richest rappers alive and is well on his way to becoming the first billionaire in the industry.