Dr. Dre wouldn’t be the man he is today if he didn’t stop himself from quitting music in 1992.
As part of LL Cool J’s new book, “The Streets Win: 50 Years of Hip Hop Greatness,” the former N.W.A rapper penned an excerpt about the start of his career. “In 1992, I had just bought a new house,” he wrote. “Eazy-E and Jerry Heller were trying to starve me out and refused to pay the money they owed me. I was driving on the 101 freeway headed to the studio and, on that drive, I was thinking about quitting. I had been working on music for The Chronic for at least a month, and everything I was doing either sounded like what I had already done or not as good as what I had already done. I started second-guessing my ability and whether music was what I was supposed to be doing, but I pushed those doubts aside and persevered.”
Dr. Dre continued, “A week later, I started making the best music I had ever made. That moment was crucial to helping me solidify my determination to be a success. It also confirmed that I possessed everything I needed, and all I had to do was stay patient and persistent. If I had listened to that little thing that told me to quit, my entire life would be different now.”
He added, “People are either pushing or pulling, and I wish I had known the difference early on in my career. I could’ve saved myself a lot of heartache in that area. At this point in my life, I see the value of surrounding myself with people who push me forward. I don’t want to be around anyone I can’t learn something from.”
“The Streets Win: 50 Years of Hip Hop Greatness,” which hit shelves today (Oct. 3), pays tribute to “the vibrant culture, distinctive sound, and pivotal voices that have shaped the genre, serving as a remarkable acquisition for any collector’s assortment,” according to Rock The Bells.
Eminem, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Run-D.M.C., DJ Kool Herc, Salt-N-Pepa, MC Lyte, A Tribe Called Quest, Big Daddy Kane, KRS-One, Grandmaster Flash, Beastie Boys, De La Soul, Slick Rick, Public Enemy, Fat Joe, and DJ Khaled, just to name a few, also contributed to the project alongside Dr. Dre.