Dr. Dre is an award-winning American rapper. He is a founding member of the rap group N.W.A. He is also a record producer, entrepreneur, and audio engineer.

Dr. Dre was born Andre Romelle Young in Compton, California in the mid-1960s. After high school, he became a regular at a club called Eve After Dark. This is where he was inspired by local DJs and rappers and eventually became a DJ in the club himself. The club had a four-track studio where he recorded his first demos. Some of these early recordings are included on Concrete Roots (1994).

In 1984, he joined the electro-hop group World Class Wreckin’ Cru. In 1988, he recorded the album Straight Outta Compton with rap group N.W.A., as well as most of their second album. During this time, he also produced songs and records for many of the artists signed to Ruthless Records, including Eazy-E, Above the Law, Michel’le, J.J. Fad, and Jimmy Z.

His first solo album was titled The Chronic (1992) and was produced by Suge Knight and released by Death Row Records. The album included artists Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, and Jewell. He produced Doggystyle (1993), which was Snoop Dogg’s debut album, and he collaborated with Ice Cube on “Natural Born Killaz” (1995). His first song to go to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 was “California Love” a collaboration with 2Pac in 1995. He left Death Row Records in 1996 to found Aftermath Entertainment.

Aftermath Entertainment was challenged with a lawsuit alleging trademark infringement. The lawsuit was brought about by a heavy metal band from Chicago, Illinois, who also used the name “Aftermath.” The court concluded that there would be no confusion between the two and dismissed the Plaintiffs’ motion. The band then went on to change their name to Mother God Moviestar and signed with Aftermath Entertainment’s parent label Interscope Records to release their debut album in 1988.

Dr. Dre made an appearance in the film Set It Off (1996), which was his first film appearance. He then recorded Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath (1996) and a compilation album First Round Knock Out (1996). He also spent time collaborating with and producing for artists such as Nas, LL Cool J, and Jay-Z. He signed Eminem to Aftermath Entertainment in 1998 and produced three songs on his debut album.

2001 (1999) was Dr. Dre’s second studio album and featured collaborations with Snoop Dogg, Kokane, Xzibit, and Eminem. It included singles “Forgot About Dre” and “Still D.R.E.” and has been certified platinum six times.

In 2000, Lucasfilm, Ltd. sued him alleging trademark infringement. The lawsuit centered around the “THX Deep Note,” which is a sound the Lucasfilm company had obtained a federal trademark registration for. Dr. Dre was ordered to pay Lucasfilm an undisclosed settlement.

During the 2000s he worked with and produced many well-known artists, including 50 Cent, Eminem, The Game, Raekwon, Snoop Dogg, Timbaland, and Jay-Z. In 2001 he had a minor role in the movie Training Day and a significant role in The Wash. He had established a production company in 2007, Crucial Films, under parent company New Line Cinema. The company is now inactive. He founded Beats by Dr. Dre the next year, which became wildly successful and topped the market in headphones. The company would be purchased by Apple in 2014 for three billion dollars and Dr. Dre would stay on as an executive for many years.

In 2015, he released his third studio album which debuted at number two in the US, titled Compton.

He is on the board of directors for four different companies. He is the president of both Ary, Inc., which was founded in 1987, and of Chronic 2001 Touring, Inc., which was founded in 2000. He is the director of Play Elephant Dragon Ground, which was founded in 2019. He is a member of Ary Trademarks LLC, founded in 2020. He also has endorsement deals with St. Ides, Coors Light, Dr. Pepper, and Chrysler 300S.

His company, Ary Trademarks LLC obtained several federal trademark registrations related to Dr. Dre, his music, and his business. In 1999, they obtained a federal trademark registration for “Dr. Dre” to be used related to musical sound recordings. In 1999, they also obtained a federal trademark registration for “Dr. Dre” to be used on T-shirts and other clothing. Ary Trademarks LLC also obtained a federal trademark registration for “Dr. Dre” in relation to the production of musical sound recordings in 1999 as well. In 2008, they filed a trademark application for “Dr. Dre” to cover use with loud speakers, and a trademark application for “Dr. Dre” to cover use with headphones and audio speakers. They also filed a trademark application for “The Chronic” to be used with musical recording and clothing items in 2013.

Dr. Dre has nine adult children and lives in Brentwood, California. His net worth is believed to be $820 million.

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