Dr. Dre is arguably the greatest Hip Hop producer of all time. He’s undoubtedly one of the overall best the music industry has ever known.
Dre’s resume boasts hits that eclipse the notoriety of simply topping charts or selling numerous copies. He’s been involved in cultural attractions, musical contributions that are monuments of their respective eras. From DJ to producer to conductor behind the boards and in the boardroom, Dre’s sonic aptitude defines sound decisions.
Late platinum producer and musician PL12 did his homework on many producers. Here in THIS INTERVIEW, he discussed the medical precision of Dr. Dre.
There was a time when producers were identifiable by their sound not by someone announcing their name before the track. PL12, how can you tell a Dr. Dre track when you hear it?
All I need is about 20-30 seconds to identify a Dre beat. First off that damn pocket of his drum beats; if he does step out of it, he’s coming right back!
Secondly, the piano chords; a lot of Dre’s piano chords are slightly arpeggiated which gives that authentic Dre piano sound. And you can’t forget about his baselines. You can almost tell a Dre beat by them funky, West Coast bassline grooves.
We know Dre’s reputation for dope beats. But why is the clarity of tracks he’s mixed nearly unmatched?
I must be clear when I say this: Dr. Dre is one of the pioneers to Hip Hop and rap. The West Coast wouldn’t have that signature sound of funk, jazz and Hip Hop if it wasn’t for the guru. He was one of the first producers as a youngster that can remember sampling the way he did. I honestly feel he can’t be matched because he set the bar for production, especially for the West Coast.
Explain why Dre doesn’t need to physically play every note to be the track’s producer.
Being a music producer doesn’t mean just music creation. A producer has many roles, like creating ideas for different projects, selecting songs or different recording musicians, song arrangements, controlling the recording sessions, and supervising the entire process. Dre. does all of the above and then some.
I would go so far as to say he’s the QB of the studio. That Straight Outta Compton inspired studio album Compton is a perfect example. Dre executively produced it which features a whole verity of producers including Dr. Dre himself, Focus, Dem Jointz, Trevor Lawrence, Jr., DJ Dahi, Cardiak and Theron Feemster, among others.
What technique of his has been most inspirational to you?
I love the idea of sampling a song, then playing live instruments over the sample. It gives the beat an extra edge. It’s like sampling on steroids. It’s a practice that I always find myself doing whenever I’m in the lab sampling. There used to be a stigma about sampling. Some would say it was the easy way of music production.
I’ll just say this: To take a music cut, manipulate the tempo and notes, then add percussion over top with perfect precision, then add live music over top of that… Genius.
What’s a Dre track that equally excites, inspires, and perplexes you for its technique and sound?
The track he produced when he came all the way to the East Coast and teamed up with Jay-Z featuring Chrisette Michelle – the hit “Lost Ones”. The drums pocket on the track is so vintage Dre. I instantly knew it was a Dre track when I heard it for the first time. The piano sample is crazy too!
The song’s simplicity is a perfect instance of “less is more” sometimes in production. It’s not too much going on, yet perfection! Jay-Z shares equal bragging rights for his master-storytelling lyrics.
When it comes to music history, Black history, or simply music appreciation, why is Dr. Dre a great candidate for students to write their essays about?
For one, he has 700 million reasons why young Black kids in the ‘hood would look up to him! He was in the same situation as a lot of underprivileged Black kids in the inner city. He found something he loved with a passion, and went full throttle with it. He overcame many obstacles that many would have folded or tapped out of.
Even with facing racist police encounters, horrible record contracts, and marital problems, he stayed focused and became a billionaire producer and rapper. Follow your dreams and never give up. | THIS is for YOU
[By Mr. Joe Walker and PL12]
Rest In Peace, Louis Eric Bailey aka PL12
