 | |
List Price: $24.95 | | Publisher: Da Capo Press
Salesrank: 484015
|
| Our Price: $5.65 |
| Used Price: $4.44 |
|
| Media: Hardcover |
|
Editorial Review:
Born on February 18, 1965 to a sixteen-year-old single mom, Andre Young, AKA Dr. Dre, co-founded the notorious rap group N.W.A. The group was one of the most successful hip-hop groups of the late 1980s and, most importantly, started what the media quickly dubbed Gangsta Rap. His departure from N.W.A. was a story right out of a pulp fiction novel. His new mentor, Suge Knight, allegedly used guns, baseball bats and a kidnap threat to get Dr. Dre released from his contract. Dre and Knight went on to build Death Row Records and turned it into a multi-billlion dollar company. Yet despite its unprecedented success with stars such as Snoop Doggy Dogg and Tupac Shakur, the company quickly unraveled in a firestorm of rivalries, greed, violence, and scrutiny by both the government and the media. Not one to fade into the background, Dr. Dre's next move was to start his own record company, Aftermath Entertainment. As CEO, he discovered and created new stars like Eminem, 50 Cent, The Game, and Eve. In this essential addition to any music section, award-winning author Ronin Ro details the rise, fall, and resurrection of one of the biggest names in rap music.
Dr. Dre: The Biography Reviews:
Great Book! 
2009-08-24 - John Borgmeyer move over! Ronnin Ro really stole the show with his version of the Dr Dre bio! perfect detail and incredibly written. I thought it was really cool to hear how Dre came up and hear the truth about NWA, Deathrow, etc. My only complaint it that I wish that the book didnt make 2pac look like such an asshole, other then that it was cool, a must have for any hip hop fan, westcoast fan, dre fan, P-Funk fan, snoop fan, deathrow fan, or G Funk fan!
Hate to piggy-back a review, but Ahmad's review got it right... 
2008-12-23 - I can't add much more than what Ahmad said in his review. This book was not very insightful about Dr. Dre beyond what many of us have heard or read through the years. This book felt like one long article from Vibe or The Source. Although it was all chronological and brought together the information in a clear format, it still felt like very "surface" information. Some of the best info revolved around the transition from N.W.A. to trying to complete/distribute the Chronic.
I would recommend the book for a Dre fan. For someone looking for a good hip hop bio/auto-bio I would recommend Jermaine Dupri's book which has a lot more in depth info regarding J.D. and the things that happened to get him where he is today. Its not totally fair to compare a biography with an autobiography, so this Dre book did what it could given what I'm sure was available to work with.
For Those Who Look Beyond The Music
2007-08-24 - This book is a chronicle of Andre Young's life, better known as Dr. Dre. It is a book written to inform and tell a story, rather than just re-count the life of a hip-hop legend. I recommend this book to anyone who looks beyond the music to the motives and the characteristics that make a Producer create music the way they do, or where they get their inspiration from. The book follows Dr. Dre through his life, beginning with a little background about his troubled life through high school, and ending with the current status of his record label, Aftermath Records. It gives a glimpse into the very personal life of this amazing producer, which is rare for any producer in music as to the nature of their work is in the studio for most of their days. It talks about his affiliations with record labels, the hardships he faced with the women, labels, friends, enemies, and death of his younger brother. This book is a must read for any Dr. Dre fan and is a must for any aspiring producer or current producer who looks beyond the music.
Nothin' But A G Thang...
2007-07-28 - DR. DRE is the life story of the rise of a prolific hip hop producer and his struggles to succeed in the ever changing music industry. Ro attempts to share with readers Andre Young aka Dr. Dre's life from birth until now.
Born on February 18, 1965 to teenage parents, Dr. Dre's life was not an easy one living in California. However, his mom and stepfather provided a safe environment, but could not truly motivate Dr. Dre with his education. They purchased him his first mixer and found music was his motivation. From his early days as a DJ until his becoming a Grammy awarding winning producer, Dr. Dre has had to deal with change in the industry standards and even the violence he rapped about as part of NWA. He also dealt with tragedies such as the death of his brother Tyrell. Included in this biography are bits and pieces of a more personal Dr. Dre including his numerous children and the change his marriage made in how he viewed music. Impressive was the ability to chronicle how Dr. Dre rapped about life in the streets when he wasn't from the streets in the sense of being a gang banger or dealer, as well as how the hip hop changed from gangster rap to lyrics of excess and a lot less shocking in its nature.
Ro's biography of Dr. Dre seems inclusive, but at times stiff and jagged in its delivery. The life story seems to be based on information already reported in different mediums with little coming from Dr. Dre or others involved in his life. I would have liked to have seen a smoother flow of the biography where it didn't seem years overlapped and clarity of when some things took place. Although some readers will appreciate the dissection of the lyrics, I was more interested in learning something new about this producer who has produced the likes of hip hop legends and some of the new generation of hip hop. Even though I learned Dr. Dre had to deal with a lot of malcontent in the music industry, I wanted a more personal read about the man and what truly made him successful. This is a good showcase of the history of hip hop.
Reviewed by Cashana Seals
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
Great book..
2007-07-01 - First of all I'd like to say i love this book and that i have followed dre's career since the days of NWA.. I know a lot about his career but this book focused on his personal life before music and behind the scenes while he was making hits. It goes into his creative process for making hits and what his session players do. When a new character is introduced, that person gets the spotlight put on them with a little mini biography as well.. Warren G(dre's little step brother) plays a part here as well. This book also goes into detail about why Rakim and King Tee's albums were shelved.. The only problem i had with the book was a few facts were twisted as well as quotes. For example, Suge Knight's exact quote on stage at the 1995 Source Awards was misquoted and Daz's part in the making of DOGGYSTYLE wasn't included.. I wouldn't take a star away from the book for those reasons.. I recommend this book to any dre fan or music fan.. You will definately look at him different after reading this. For better or worse.
