S. Samuel
Aftermath Records head Dr. Dre recently spoke on a variety of topics including his music-making passion and why money is no longer a concern as a Forbes list frequenter.
Based on excerpts from an upcoming Esquire interview, the Doc does not hold back on delving into his love for the studio.
“I’ve been listening to music for as long as I can remember. I was bred for this from birth. My mother has a picture of me in a onesie putting a needle to a turntable. You can learn it. But in order to be good at it, to be really great at it, it has to be in you. I’ve gone seventy-nine hours without sleep, creating. When that flow is going, it’s almost like a high. You don’t want it to stop. You don’t want to go to sleep for fear of missing something. I don’t even listen to the records after they come out. It’s outlawed in my house. My wife and my kids can’t play any of my music around me. Once it comes out, for me, it’s just business. Numbers. It’s entertaining to watch somebody break my music down or explain what he thinks I was thinking during the process of making these records. Because?.?.?.?he has no idea.” (Esquire)
Dre also talked about the kick he gets out of people trying to break bread with him.
“It’s always weird when people approach me to make an investment. I tell them, “I don’t need any more money. I’m good.” Then I wait for their expression. That part is entertaining, because people look at you like you’re crazy when you say you don’t need any more money. Who says that?” (Esquire)
Dre’s Beats headphones company helped land him a top three spot on Forbes’ “World’s Highest Paid Hip Hop Artists” list behind Diddy and Jay Z this year.
Hip-hop’s net worth king claims his first annual earnings crown thanks mostly to the success of Ciroc vodka. Other ingredients in his cash cocktail: record label Bad Boy, clothing line Sean John and, soon, cable channel Revolt. Lost his hyphen but gained double-digit millions from lucrative live shows, Armand de Brignac champagne, D’Ussé cognac, Roc Nation label/management firm and other ventures. Last year’s Cash King slips two spots, no longer boosted by a nine-figure payout for selling part of Beats by Dr. Dre in 2011. But he’s still cashing in on the ubiquitous headphones, expanding the company he founded with Interscope chief Jimmy Iovine to include a long-awaited streaming music service. (Forbes)
Last year, the Doc’s former N.W.A. partner Ice Cube noted Dre is most concerned with his buzzing Beats By Dre headphones these days.
Still to this day, there is no official word on ‘Detox,’ and Dre has even stated that he was taking a break from music to focus on other things in his life. Aside from music, Dr. Dre’s Beats By Dre headphones have become a massive success, and it seems the super producer has focused most of his time and energy to that particular business venture. Fellow N.W.A. rapper Ice Cube recently addressed the issue of Dre’s multiple delays on ‘Detox’ album, which coincides with the aforementioned statements about the Beats by Dre headphones. In a recent interview with Sway, Ice Cube stated, ” “Honestly? Them headphones are selling, selling, selling. What would you rather sell somebody: $300 headphones, or a $10 tape?” (This Beat Goes)
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