Yo, what is going on with Dr. Dre? We're worried about him.
He's exhibiting some strange behavior; even his closest friends seem to think he might be losing it. He's almost never seen or heard from, just holed up inside his California studio, in his epic castle-mansion, making beats and headphones and mumbling to himself about "The Next Episode."
We only say this because we love him. But we're pretty sure Dr. Dre might be going crazy.
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2001
We believe the root of the problem lies in the past. Remember when it took Dre about seven years to release his second album? It seemed like maybe he just needed a lot of time. But even in the lyrics, you could hear his ugly insecurities. All that stuff about listening to the haters, them being the reason that Dre ain't been getting no sleep. Back in '99, he had the strength and courage to let them know it was still Dre day. But what about now?
Musical Hoarding
Dre is a producer, and a prolific one at that. But for the last decade and a half, he's been working on an "upcoming" album entitled Detox. It's been rumored to be finished about four times, but it always manages to get pushed back. He's also supposed to be working on an instrumental concept album, The Planets, with not even a note to be heard. But he even hoards music from others. Most recently, Lil Wayne has said he's recorded "like 90" songs with Dre. Where are those? When you create, you gotta release it into the world. Or you'll go crazy.
Rap Game Howard Hughes
It's a fine line between genius and insanity. Clearly, Dre is a genius. His records are great and his marketing schemes are on point. He made about $300 million for his Beats by Dre headphones, a brand he plans on expanding into cellphones and hopes to rival none other than Apple itself. And did you know there's an Aftermath Congnac set to release with Detox? Well, if he doesn't go all Howard Hughes on us first.
Mad Crazy Work Ethic
In Ice-T's new documentary Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap, a rare interview with Dr. Dre reveals that in all of his career, the producer has left his studio for a total of "two weeks." The man is famous for his intense work ethic, and he expects nothing less than perfection from the artists he works with. He once made hip hop singer Bishop Lamont re-record a single bar of vocals 107 times. We're all about taking time to perfect the beat, but this is getting out of hand. Especially if you never find time to release the damn songs.
Friendly Feuds
It's not a good sign when there's trouble in paradise, and the Aftermath camp has seen its share of in-fighting this year. Most notably, Dr. Dre and 50 Cent's relationship has been rocky. The good Doc got mad at Fiddy for releasing his own line of Sleek headphone earbuds. Maybe they need better communication.
He Looks Like a Brick Wall
Have you seen Dre lately? Dude is swole as fuck. Like, he's always been a big and scary dude, but this is another level of beefy. It's almost like he's been locked up in jail (or stuck up in his studio), doing nothing but sit-ups, pull-ups, lifting weights, and repeating "the way of the future."
Eminem Lyrics
In one of his latest hits, "I Need A Doctor," Dre's protégé and close friend Eminem calls the man out, giving us some insight into the troubled mind of the great icon. Much as we've suspected, something or someone seems to be eating away at Dre. "It hurts when I see you struggle/You come to me with ideas/You say they're just pieces so I'm puzzled/'Cause the shit I hear is crazy/But you're either getting lazy or you don't believe in you no more." He goes on to say his mentor seems to be asking him for help and that Em might need to save his life.
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