Is Dr. Dre Still Married Despite His Divorce?

On February 18, 1965, Andre Romelle Young was born. Dr. Dre grew up in South Central Los Angeles during the time when the hip-hop industry on the West Coast was just getting started. Dr. Dre learned to DJ at nightclubs he attended as a teenager. In 1984, he signed up with the electro-hop band World Class Wreckin’ Cru. Dr. Dre joined the N.W.A. crew, led by rapper Eazy-E, after meeting fellow rapper Ice Cube.

The group’s self-titled debut album was released in 1988 on Ruthless Records, which was co-owned by Eazy-E and Jerry Heller. Straight Outta Compton, a violent, vulgar, and undoubtedly pioneering record was finally certified double platinum and is widely regarded as a watershed moment in the development of hip hop.

After disagreements with Jerry Heller and Eazy-E over royalties, Ice Cube departed N.W.A. in 1989. Dr. Dre and Eazy-E finally had their own battle. Leaving the band in 1991, he soon after co-founded Death Row Records with Suge Knight. Dr. Dre’s debut solo effort, The Chronic, was released in 1992.

In the end, the album sold 6 million copies around the world, making it one of the most successful and widely-appreciated hip-hop releases ever. It reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and went platinum only a year after its release. In addition to the album’s success, the single “Let Me Ride” won Dr. Dre a Grammy for Best Rap Performance. Dr. Dre produced songs by Tupac, Snoop Dogg, and Warren G during his time at Death Row Records (who is also his step-brother).

Dr. Dre quit the infamous Death Row Records in 1996 due to the company’s ongoing legal problems and internal issues. He gave up his share of the corporation and all rights to his back library. Dr. Dre would subsequently say that he had left $50 million on the table when he departed Death Row. In a short amount of time, he had Aftermath Entertainment up and running, where he would eventually sign artists like Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and 50 Cent.

After Dre sold his stake in Aftermath Entertainment to Interscope Records for $52 million in 2001, the company went on to become a major player in the music industry.