Andre Young (Dr. Dre) was born on February 18th of 1965 in Los Angeles, California. He is well known as a record producer and as a rapper (solo, with Snoop Dogg, and with NWA.)

N.W.A. was active from 1986 through 1991. The group featured Dr. Dre along with Ice Cube, Eazy-E, DJ Yella, and MC Ren. They were extremely influential in making “gangsta rap” mainstream. Their 1988 album Straight Outta Compton is one of the most famous & influential rap albums of the ’80s. It featured the title track along with “Express Yourself,” and the very controversial “Fuck tha Police.”

N.W.A. released four albums. Their last album was 1991′s Niggaz4Life which reached #1 on the US album charts. Straight Outta Compton had only reached #37, which shows how much their popularity had grown.

In 1992 he released his debut solo album, The Chronic which featured Snoop Dogg on 12 of the 16 tracks. It was a huge commercial success and also received much critical acclaim for bringing new styles to rap and for it’s production (it was produced by Dr. Dre.) “Nuthin’ but a “G” Thang” and “Bitches Ain’t Shit” are among the most well known songs on the album.

He didn’t release another solo album until 1999′s 2001 which was an even bigger commercial success (it has been certified as 7X Platinum.) It featured Snoop Dogg & Eminem.

He has yet to release his 3rd album but it has been said (by none other than Snoop Dogg) to be completed and it could be released sometime this year.

Along with his own solo recordings and his time with NWA, Dr. Dre is very well known for his work as a producer for Snoop Dogg, Eminem, & others.

“California Love” – Dr. Dre & 2Pac