Meebo

Tuesday 1 November 2011

'Be creative and make money out of it' says Dre on headphones

Preparing to interview Dr Dre is quite a nervy affair. Not only is he responsible for soundtracking gangsta rap, inventing G-funk, signing Eminem and reshaping hip-hop for the 90s, he also has a team around him seemingly desperate to make the experience as tense as possible.

A handful of journalists are driven downtown to Cult Studios on West 27th St in New York – a run-down space in mid-town which looks from the outside like, well, a squat (they've succeeded at looking inconspicuous) but inside is actually some kind of bling Tardis, with scantily clad promo girls giving out canapes to nibble on while we wait for The Doctor to arrive. One of his team warns me in conversation that he's a man of few words, answering technical questions in meetings with a simple thumbs up or thumbs down – and after seeing him in a press conference earlier where he spoke a mere two words ("thanks guys"), I believe what I'm told.

In recent years, Dre's branched out from music, becoming a successful international businessman with the birth of his Beats headphones range, a project which he has worked closely with head of Interscope records, Jimmy Iovine. So is he living the American Dream? He has no doubt. "Absolutely. I've been living the American Dream for over 25 years – just being able to do what I do, be creative and make money out of it, it's incredible."

Dre has certainly had a more creative hand in his line of Beats than a cynic would imagine. Iovine tells a story in the press conference of meeting Dre on the beach. Dre said he'd been approached to design a range of trainers, to which Iovine responded, "Fuck sneakers, let's make speakers". So they did. And Dre's been involved at every step – even harking back to hip-hop's early years in the new collection, which features a mobile beatbox designed to carry on your shoulder like a ghettoblaster. He talks about the project like his baby under a very simple premise: "I want people to enjoy music like I enjoy it in the studio, musicians have been hearing music differently for a long time and Beats are changing that".

Despite being flown to NYC to interview Dre ahead of the launch of this new range, I'm told that under no circumstance can I ask about his infamously long-awaited album Detox (It is testament to the brand he has become that Dre can keep the public eagerly waiting for a follow-up album to the legendary 2001 with no harm to his good name). Damn, I think, there goes the question on everybody's lips. As nice as they are, there's only so much I can bring myself to talk about headphones – what I want to know about, being a music journalist, is the music, not the earpieces you use to hear it. Unfortunately, a lot of my questions not relating to the product are cut short, so my allocated 10 minutes with Dre are punctuated with a PR's voice instructing me to "keep it Beats."

And yet, Dre is far from a sullen character. Before the interview, I stand outside and make small talk with him under the watchful gaze of his PR, and he manages to tell me that one UK act that he's listening to right now is the dubstep outfit Nero. He's so open and friendly, I wonder what all the fuss is about. The weight of the Dre legend is definitely felt by his team, though. The interview is conducted in a white room full of around 10 PRs, marketing managers and who-knows-who, and as a result the atmosphere is more than a little claustrophobic. At least he says more to me than he did in the conference, suddenly perking up about the project, adamant that he is not just a silent face of the brand.

"It's one of the best things I've ever been involved in" he says, laughing when I ask just how far he would take Brand Dre. Could he have a reality show like his long-time partner in hip-hop, Snoop Dogg on the cards? "No! In fact, I would advise against anyone doing reality shows. I won't be doing X Factor just yet."

I ask if his title as a businessman has overtaken the title of artist, "I don't think the brand has overtaken the music, I think that they just work together, like, I love watching the two come together."

We talk about how his journey has taken him from the streets of LA to the high-rise elevators of an international business mogul, and he says, with genuine modesty, that he's always surprised: "I could never have imagined where I am now." So has he let go of the anger that fuelled NWA? His PR steps in and insists, once more, that I "stick to questions about Beats." I want to scream.

I tell Dre how I saw a few kids wearing Beats on the subway earlier and he grins. "The ultimate experience is seeing young people in the headphones, almost as big as people listening to my album, well, listening to my album on the headphone would be pretty good too."

I try to talk about his influence on hip-hop culture and the awesome 2001, which my 14-year-old self played on repeat on my CD Walkman so that my mum wouldn't hear the unadulterated talk of bitches and hos but again, we're told to turn the questions back to headphones.

It's just surreal. What's funny, though, is that despite the pre-interview spiel from his "people" that tried to make speaking with Dre just a few steps down from an audience with God ("he's not doing any more interviews this year", "he doesn't speak a lot"), he actually comes across as modest, relaxed and entirely likeable, or at least not as intimidating as his build might suggest. Emboldened and frustrated, and with the PR theatrically tapping her watch, I decide to pose the question I've come 3,000 miles to ask. Lots have been cut short, I've been interrupted, and it's now or never.

"So Dre, when is Detox coming out?"

The room shudders, the PR bristles, and with that I'm ushered out.

source - http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/nov/01/dr-dre-headphones-detox?newsfeed=true

22 comments:

  1. people can complain that dre cares about money etc - however if u compare him to other artists who make money. Diddys jay-zs and 50cents (and many others) money was from general products such as drinks, clothing lines, perfumes and much more.

    Dre always stayed true to music, in the studio and also in business.

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  2. yeah but if those others you listed plan on making an album, they make it their priority. Every news about dre these days are about his headphones and its like a taboo if someone asks him about detox, all detox "news" are by other people talking about it and most, if not all of it, is wrong and fake news

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  3. ^its part of a big plan u should know that by now.

    Dre, just like others focuses both on business and music at the sametime. Who are we to say that dre isnt workin on detox??

    All albums have false/fake rumours nothin new there. Things change.

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  4. People just want to whine. I posted earlier about Dre's success with Beats and no matter what some people just assume they're entitled to veterans like Dre owing them something after he gave them more than anyone. Like they can't have a life with their family, their business ventures, anything but slavishly working on a perfect album they'll likely end up complaining about anyway. Dre isn't any sell-out or shameless phony like Diddy and anyone making that comparison should get the fuck out of here. Dre is deep into music and still working on getting Detox finished and people act like he has no right to make money on his huge headphones brand without calling him names. 100% of anybody complaining would sell their souls to have the ridiculous success Dre has had with Beats any day of the week - it's his brand, his product, and his name that built it after all. This man is nearing 50 and has been knee-deep slaving behind the boards longer than most of these kids have been alive and yet it's still not good enough. Zero respect.

    I totally feel the journalist's frustration about being cockblocked by suits preventing any music-related talk (it is Dr. Dre after all) but at the same time Dre showed up for Beats and it's a Beats PR campaign. Plus what can he or anyone possibly say about Detox anymore? They're not going to play you snippets. They can't tell you they're 86% or 97.245% done. They're not going to give you anything because it's not done; they're working on it and perfection doesn't just come that easy like it's a step-by-step, paint-by-numbers bullshit. If you expect perfection from the best of the best to ever do it, you have to wait that out. At least it's coming so people should stop tripping the fuck out and be thankful for something instead of finding a reason to complain when they don't get the third classic and act like Dre owes them money he borrowed.

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  5. ^ Preach on brother. Shame on anyone talking trash on Dr. Dre for pursuing further success with the Beats line. This is a phenomenal accomplishment for him, and in his eyes, he sees his success as a businessman as a validation for his entire life. Sure he can make hot beats and has produced classic music for years, but for a kid from Compton to build a BUSINESS from scratch and turn it into an international phenomenon, that's a totally different type of accomplishment.

    In other words, it's safe to say Dre is getting something out of his success with the Beats brand that he can't even get out success with his music. This is a new challenge, and hence a new victory for him. As a damn near 50 year old man, he deserves the right to experience that.

    But that's not to totally defend Dre. Indeed, he has botched damn near everything having to do with Detox. As a lifelong fan, I've waited and dreamed about this album longer than I care to admit. There were points when I probably cared about it more than Dre himself. And the fact is, although Dre doesn't owe anyone ANYTHING as far as new music is concerned (he has certainly contributed enough) he DOES owe his fans a bit of honesty and communication. These are the people who made him who he is and who are the reason he can have a Beats by Dre line. He just owes them the respect to tell them honestly, "hey, I'm working on the shit but it's not right yet. When it's right, I'll drop it." Thats it. There's really no defense for his constant promises that go completely unfulfilled, and his bullshit "I'm comin, I'm comin" references and the such. That's bullshit and disrepsectful to the people who have really been checking for him....

    All in all, let's just hope the shit actually comes out, and that it is at least arguably worth the wait...

    Bwash

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  6. GOOD POST ABOVE NOT THE RIGHT TIME TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ALBUM BUT I DO THINK IT WOULD BE CONSIDERATE TO TRUE FANS TO GET AN EXPLANATION ABOUT THE ALBUMS STATUS SINCE A YEAR AGO DRE DID MENTION IN AN INTERVIEW THAT DETOX WAS ABOUT TO DROP. I THINK DRE IS FOCUSING MORE ON BUSINESS BECAUSE THAT IS WHATS MAKING MONEY I THINK HE IS BEING VERY MAYBE TOO CAUTIOUS ABOUT THE MUSIC HES MAKING SO HE IS TAKING HIS TIME HE WANTS TO PLEASE HIS FANS BUT AT THE SAME TIME HE WANTS DETOX TO SELL. WITH THE RECENT RELEASE OF THE LACKLUSTER RED ALBUM WHO WOULD BLAME HIM. IT S GOING TO BE INTERESTING TO SEE HOW WELL SLIM THA MOBSTERS UPCOMING ALBUM WILL DO BUT ONLY TIME WILL TELL. I WAS VERY PLEASED WITH THE LYRICAL CONTENT OF DIE HARD AND I NEED A DOCTOR. I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE DRE GO THIS ROUTE LYRICALLY .IT WOULD BE DISAPPOINTING TO ME FOR DETOX TO BE AN ALBUM WITH LYRICAL CONTENT INVOLVING THE USUAL KILLING GUNS DRUGS ECT. I WOULD NOT LIKE TO SEE DRE GO THAT ROUTE ESPECIALLY SINCE HE LOST A SON TO DRUGS. IT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME TO BE RAPPING AND GLOLRIFYING THAT ANYMORE ESPECIALLY FROM A MAN APPROACHING 50 BUT THATS JUST MY OPINION I THINK DRE CAN DO WAY BETTER AND CAN USE HIS TALENTS AS A MUSICIAN AND ARTIST TO CREATE SOMETHING NEW THAT WE HAVEN'T HEARD WITHOUT GOING THE GANGSTER ROUTE ANY ONE ON HERE AGREE DISAGREE PLEASE LET ME HERE YOUR OPINION THANKS AGAIN UZEE FOR KEEPING IT ALIVE

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  7. why do people still insist on typing in capitals??????????????????????????

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  8. You know what this whole delay has shown me...that Dre isn't as good as other artists or producers....I can name a handful of artists and producers that could put out a masterpiece in a couple of years let alone ten.

    If it takes u ten years to find perfection....Manuel its time you go do.something else....

    Dr Dre= overrated

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  9. I wouldn't call Dre overrated, but I would say this:

    Dre = don't give a shit about dropping an album

    As such, Detox will NEVER drop!

    All you bitches still waiting after all this time, you must be retarded..

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  10. in reply to the 2 comment above - the space between and chronic and 2001 was 7 years.

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  11. I agree. This interview pretty much sums it up. Dre doesn't give a shit about music, if he did, he would have given us something a long time ago. He and Jimmy can go on and on about it being all about good sound, good quality etc, but its all marketing for these two. Not to mention, Beats headphones are way over priced.

    I'm not saying he's not allowed to make money, artists now a days need to do what ever they can. But the fact that he won't even talk about Detox, or give his fans at least an update, shows me he has no interest in finishing it. Why do you think Snoop and DOC and all those guys are working on music for him? Because he doesn't want to anymore. If he was passionate about music, he would be putting out an album.

    I also agree with the guy 3 posts above. It shouldn't take ten years to make an album, even if it is perfect. If anything, Dre's gotten lost in this obsession with making it perfect, rather than realizing his fans love his stuff because of its creativity and uniqueness. The Chronic albums were far from perfect, but they still stand as classics and people love them.

    The fact that Dre wont even talk about Detox for me is a sign the game is over. Uzee, I love this blog and I've been checking it for years. But people also have to realize there is SO much other great music out there from artists who care about their fans. I'm not saying forget about Dre, just not to solely rely on him.

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  12. Uzee I think you made his point. 7 years is a long time to make an album....eleven years is just plain ridiculous...As good as its going to be and I'm sure it will be good (if its not god help us) . Do you really think it could even remotely live up to the hype. There is no chance....

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  13. Dre recorded 2001 in two years 1997-1999.
    This "detox" is fucking joke.

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  14. Dre doesn't take 7 or 10 years to make albums. You guys seem to be of the idea that any time in between is time he spends working only on one album and that's just not remotely true.

    Dre hasn't taken 10 years to make one album. He's scrapped ideas that didn't come together or other reasons 4-6 times by my estimate and taken time off in between to produce other artists' shit. Didn't he produce just about every track on Relapse? He gave away 5-star beats to 50 Cent and Game. You guys act like he's sitting on his ass behind the decks for years upon years with a long ass beard, tissue boxes on his feet, and unkempt fingernails like Howard Hughes working on one album and he's just not. Dr. Dre is a perfectionist producer, he's always busy doing something, he's approaching 50, and Detox is coming soon or later.

    I will say this though: Dre is a lazy ass. It's not a secret. But he is a perfectionist from the shit I've heard, taking a very long time to make tweaks to sounds on joints you can't even differentiate. So that combination is deadly when he spends maybe two years on Detox, gets 98% done, and realizes he just can't get it to 100% the way he wants and starts over... later. Plus he's been doing this WITHOUT a break for what, 25 years? That's as old as I am. Two classic albums? Countless classic joints he's made? Give the man a break and let him enjoy success at something else besides music for once in his life. Let him enjoy being a businessman. Let him feel like he's bigger than producing rap music and be a part of the business world. Just for a little man, LET HIM! He's coming back!

    Faggots going on about "Detox ain't coming!" "Dre is fooling you!" are getting old. Enjoy something else then, stop coming back, and stop repeating yourselves. It's coming, sons, but your whining and sour grapes won't make it come any sooner. I want it PERFECT by Dre's standards not here fast when you want it.

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  15. Uzee,

    Why did you moderate the comment I made a few days ago? I labeled it Bwash, its from the real me (not an impersonator), and it was not controversial. It's not worth taking 35 minutes to come to the blog and write a comment if it doesn't show up.

    Bwash

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  16. He obviously didn't know which was the real or fake you making the comments since you made noise about it in the first place. He's not deleting shit for no reason, did you ever think it was probably an accident or confusion since you complained about impersonators and fake comments?

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  17. ^No need to instigate anything man. I simply asked a question because I wrote a long comment that was relevant to the discussion. It obviously wasn't fake because it was insightful -- whereas the fake dude was saying dumb stuff like "Uzee when is Detox coming out??" As if any of us know that.

    I'm not tripping on Uzee, he does a great job with this blog and I contacted him personally to tell him that.

    Bwash

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  18. Bwash sorry- previously i had assigned fake bwash as spam - because of that ur comment also got spammed.

    I checked the spam section and it was there lol. Its published now.

    P.S. was that u who sent me a fb request?

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  19. Im not sure if thats the real Bwash....Bwash dosent usually blog like that. Im so confused.

    Will the real Bwash please stand up!!!

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  20. http://www.rap-up.com/2011/11/03/dr-dre-and-will-i-am-pop-up-at-beats-by-dre-store-opening/
    More Beats promotion...

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  21. these comments are so annoying to read now. It's the same shit over and over. You guys are arguing in circles. I'm not trying to put myself above you, because I was once apart of these discussions long ago when I was actually excited about this album, but seriously i dont know how some of you guys could follow this blog for years and years with the same cycle of articles and pointless arguments coming through. I have respect and sympathy for these people. I hate to see these greenhorns criticize the more experienced people for not being optimistic. Let these people gripe and criticize dre if they want to. Dre definitely deserves it at this point, although I know dre is going to give us a classic whenever it finally does come out.

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  22. I've been on this for years and years and frankly it's novice to jump on the "fuck Dre" bandwagon. I've been there and done that ages ago, it's a cycle, but I'll still criticize Dre; what's bullshit is when people keep coming back to say a lot of stupid declarations that make no sense. "Detox ain't coming", "you're all being fooled!", "enjoy waiting for an album that doesn't exist LoL!!!11!!", fuck outta here then.

    It's one thing to criticize Dre for legitimate reasons, which there are many to choose, but another to go off on these senseless tangents where they call us idiots for expecting this album, acting like Dre can't do anything but work on Detox and giving him shit for it, act as if Dre owes them something and he's a bitch for not getting a perfect record to them fast enough, and then giving Uzee shit for the lack of news and recycled articles. Come on man...

    It isn't criticizing that's childish, it's childishness that's childish. I don't have respect or sympathy for anyone that's addicted to coming to this Detox blog to hide anonymously so they can act out their temper tantrums, call others names, and conducting themselves with this narrow perception that the world revolves around them.

    Btw Bwash, I didn't mean to jump the gun and call you out before, at the time I felt it was another case of someone giving Uzee or this blog shit. I appreciate your thought-out posts, obviously I type out long ass posts too and I'd trip if they were just deleted.

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