9. Dr. DreThe Chronic
He released that album when I was three years old. I couldn’t believe it. People were making this kind of music and I was only just born. I grew up listening to these guys because of my brother and sister, so I never really knew what they were doing, but I just loved them so much.
When I got into music and I got involved in the industry, I realised how hard it was for them to be on that level and to take things in control and have the work ethic they had. It’s really inspiring, because at that time they were also pioneering something that was very new at that time. It was a big risk. That kind of attitude and mental strength to navigate everything they navigated… come on. He put out Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, Eminem, Snoop Dogg. This is a legend.
When I was 23, 24, one of my best friends used to listen to Dre a lot; he would tell me about Dre, he even looked like Dr. Dre. I was like, look at this guy: he’s a producer, an artist and a businessman. We need to study this man very carefully, because he’s on point. He’s a god. Most people are just an artist, or a businessman, but being a hybrid like Dre, it’s very special. The music he was making was quality: it was simple, minimalistic, but so good. And he helped so many artists rise, all of them are superstars now. That kind of person I really look up to, someone who made the moves. We need to study the moves, he left some clues along the way.
