Dr. Dre in the Studio: From Compton, Death Row, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, The Game and Mad Money & The Life, Times and Aftermath of the Notorious Record Producer - Dr. Dr (Paperback)

~ Jake Brown (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Describing how Dr. Dre was molded into one of the world's greatest hip hop producers, this biography chronicles his rise to success, beginning with when he was just three years old. It then details his days as a deejay, showing how he mixed and spun his way to the top—using Grandmaster Flash as his catalyst—and eventually embarked on his destiny as the most in demand and greatest record producer in the world.

About the Author

Jake Brown is the author of 12 books, including 50 Cent: No Holds Barred; Biggie Smalls: Ready to Die; Suge Knight: The Rise, Fall and Rise of Death Row Records; and Tupac: In the Studio.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Amber Communications Group, Inc. (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976773554
• ISBN-13: 978-0976773559
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #991,303 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Pretox to Detox, April 8, 2007

By	Ahmad Jordan "Ahmad Jordan" (Bufalo, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

By now, Dre's musical influence acting as a template for other Producers has grown to such a common knowledge in the industry that it doesn't need saying anymore. However, one point that could stand a little more attention is how dre has single handedly managed to turn rap into a Producers game on the mainstream level. Prior to Dre's celebrity, producers enjoyed the limelight either in their own circles, on the undergroud or in front of the camera if they were the song and dance type. But after dre, suddenly everyone is checking to see who produced what song. This is not to say that DJ's were anonymous all this time, but certainly Dre has pushed our recent facination of them into the spotlight.

Part of this facination has raised the question: "What is it exactly that Producers do?" Lesser known producers have tried to answer this question and more often than not we are left unsatisfied. Maybe because what we are all really wondering is "What is it exactly that Dr.Dre does?" And that's where this book becomes what most fans, inquirers and even skeptics have been waiting for.

First, it might be helpful to describe what the book isn't: It isn't current, though you can tell it wishes that it was. This book apparently was not a passport inside the studio while Dr.Dre works his magic. So you're not going to find a recent, first hand account of Dre orchestrating, producing, conducting, coaching or guiding his musicians and artists. Descriptions like that happened after the Chronic, when a journalist described Dre taking a sample and re-shaping it with his own sounds. BTW, this early description is recounted in this book. But it's not clear if this is how Dre still crafts his beats. Surely his production methods have evolved.

You also won't find any new material or interviews with the man himself. But this is a mild dissapointment that passes when you realize that the author has taken the time to make a gumbo soup of quotes that came from the people who have worked with Dre over the years. Like the Ronin-Ro biography, most of these quotes are blow backs from interviews I read already. But having various sources under the same roof validating each other should at long last bring closure to some of the controvesy surrounding Dre's studio habits.

The most helpful and insightful pieces to this book are the quotes from the "2001" co-producer Mel-Man. His interviews and excerpts are entirely new (as far as I can tell) and save the book from being nothing more than a re-hashing of old information. Mel confronts and conclusively answers all those lingering questions about Dre stealing credit from other producers and more importantly what it is that a Producer like Dr.Dre does exactly in the studio. It helps that Mel's response are concise and well articulated -- a big relief compared to the choppy responses we usually get from rap artists. Mel-Man's contributions to this book alone justify the cost of this book.

Those who have been anticipating the release of "Detox" will be even more anxious once they get through the last chapter of this book. Both Mel-Man and Scott Storch give some curious clues as to what to expect for Dre's last and most anticipated body of solo work yet. According to Storch, the results heard thus far are overwhelming.

This is definitely a book to have. Aside from a few embarrassing typos (which made me wonder if I had been sent a working copy), I was really satisfied at the end of my read. This is probably as good as we're going to get until Detox hits the streets, at which point we won't need a biographer since the music will undoubtedly speak for itself.