Andre Romelle Young, known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, songwriter, audio engineer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and was the president of Death Row Records. Dr. Dre began his career as a member of the World Class Wreckin' Cru in 1985 and later found fame with the gangsta rap group N.W.A. The group popularized explicit lyrics in hip hop to detail the violence of street life. During the early 1990s, Dre was credited as a key figure in the crafting and popularization of West Coast G-funk, a subgenre of hip hop characterized by a synthesizer foundation and slow, heavy beats.
Parliament was an American funk band formed in the late 1960s by George Clinton as part of his Parliament-Funkadelic collective. More commercial and less rock-oriented than its sister act Funkadelic, Parliament drew on science-fiction and outlandish performances in their work. The band scored a number of Top 10 hits, including the million-selling 1976 single "Give Up the Funk ," and Top 40 albums such as Mothership Connection (1975).
Funkadelic was an American funk rock band formed in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1968 and active until 1982. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, pioneered the funk music culture of the 1970s. Initially formed as a backing band for Clinton's vocal group the Parliaments, Funkadelic eventually pursued a heavier, more psychedelic rock-oriented sound. They released acclaimed albums such as Maggot Brain (1971) and One Nation Under a Groove (1978).
Warren Griffin III, known professionally as Warren G, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and DJ known for his role in West Coast rap's 1990s ascent. Along with Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg, he formed the hip-hop trio 213, named for Long Beach's area code. A pioneer of G-funk, he attained mainstream success with the 1994 single "Regulate," a duet with Nate Dogg. The younger stepbrother of producer Dr. Dre, he introduced him to Snoop Dogg, who was later signed by him.
G-funk, or gangsta-funk, is a sub-genre of gangsta rap that emerged from West Coast scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s, heavily influenced by 1970s funk sound of artists such as Parliament-Funkadelic.
The Chronic is the debut studio album by American hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It was released on December 15, 1992, by his own record label Death Row Records and distributed by Interscope Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in June 1992 at Death Row Studios in Los Angeles and at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood. The album is named after a slang term for high-grade cannabis, and its cover is an homage to Zig-Zag rolling papers. It was Dr. Dre's first solo album after he had departed from hip hop group N.W.A and its label Ruthless Records over a financial dispute.
Doggystyle is the debut studio album by American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg. It was released on November 23, 1993, by Death Row Records and Interscope Records. The album was recorded and produced following Snoop's appearances on Dr. Dre's debut solo album The Chronic (1992), to which Snoop contributed significantly. The West Coast style in hip-hop that he developed from Dre's first album continued on Doggystyle. Critics have praised Snoop Doggy Dogg for the lyrical "realism" that he delivers on the album and for his distinctive vocal flow.
Tha Dogg Pound is an American hip hop duo made up of rappers Kurupt and Daz Dillinger. They were signed to Death Row Records in their early careers and were key to the label's success.
Cameo is an American soul-influenced funk group that formed in 1974. Cameo was initially a 14-member group known as the New York City Players; this name was later changed to Cameo.
"Give Up the Funk " is a funk song by Parliament. It was released as a single under the name "Tear the Roof off the Sucker ". It was the second single to be released from Parliament's 1975 album Mothership Connection. With its anthemic sing-along chorus, it is one of the most famous P-Funk songs. It also became Parliament's first certified million-selling single, going Gold in 1976.
2001 is the second studio album by rapper and hip hop producer Dr. Dre. It was released on November 16, 1999, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records as the follow-up to his 1992 debut album, The Chronic. The album was produced mainly by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man, as well as Lord Finesse, and features several guest contributions from fellow U.S. rappers such as The D.O.C., Hittman, Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, Xzibit, Eminem, and Nate Dogg.
"Deep Cover", also known as "187", is the debut solo single by American rapper Dr. Dre and his first track released after the breakup of N.W.A. The track was recorded for the soundtrack of the film Deep Cover. The song features fellow American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg in his first appearance on a record release.
Live: P-Funk Earth Tour is a live double album by Parliament that documents the band's 1977 P-Funk Earth Tour. The performances include songs from Parliament's albums through The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein as well as songs from the Funkadelic repertoire. The album is made up of portions of two performances from January 1977 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena and the Los Angeles Forum.
"Bitches Ain't Shit" is an American rap song by record producer and rapper Dr. Dre for his debut solo album, The Chronic. It was released in December 1992 as Death Row Records' first album. The song was never issued as a single, but was a huge underground hit. In late 1993, discussing a set of public protests over this song, rap journalist Dream Hampton incidentally called it, artistically, the best song on the year's best rap album. Billboard notes, however, "the misogyny is ugly and thick, even for a rap record." It evokes a set of four male running mates who rap sagas and lessons altogether teaching that "bitches," being women, are ripe for sexual indulgence, and sometimes offer easy money, but, being traitorous, are just "hos and tricks." Soon notorious, this song helped establish the persona of its guest rapper Snoop Dogg.
"Mothership Connection " is a funk song by Parliament. It was the third and last single released from the group's 1975 album Mothership Connection. The song introduces George Clinton's messianic alien alter ego Star Child for the first time.
"Up for the Down Stroke" is a funk song by Parliament, the title track to their 1974 album of the same name. Released as a single from the album, it reached number ten on the Billboard R&B chart, and number 63 on the Hot 100. The song was one of the first compositions to feature the songwriting team of George Clinton, Bootsy Collins and Bernie Worrell.
"Testify" is a song by the band Parliament. It is a funk reworking of the song "(I Wanna) Testify", which was originally recorded in 1967 by The Parliaments and reached #3 on the Billboard R&B chart. This new version was the second single released from the 1974 album Up for the Down Stroke, and the second track on the album.
"Do That Stuff" is a song by the funk band Parliament. It was the first single released from their 1976 album The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein. It peaked at number 22 on the U.S. R&B chart.
"(I Wanna) Testify" is the first hit single by the Detroit soul singing group The Parliaments.
7 Days of Funk is the eponymous debut studio album by California-based funk duo 7 Days of Funk, consisting of rapper Snoop Dogg—performing under his funk persona Snoopzilla—and modern-funk musician Dâm-Funk. The album was released on December 10, 2013 by Stones Throw Records and is Snoop's first project with a single producer since his landmark 1993 debut album, Doggystyle. Recording sessions for the album took place in 2013 at The Compound and at Funkmosphere Lab in Los Angeles, and the mastering was performed at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood.
