Key Takeaways

• Dr. Dre’s production work helped launch artists like Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and 50 Cent.
• His sound evolved across decades, influencing multiple eras of Hip Hop.
• The list explores how Dre’s beats shaped culture, not just charts.

Some people might argue that Dr. Dre is the greatest rap producer to come out of the West Coast, and others would even take it a step further and call him the best ever. Described as an “absolute giant” in REVOLT’s list of legendary producers who shaped Hip Hop’s sound, the “Still D.R.E.” hitmaker is responsible for classic albums like The Chronic and 2001, as well as helping pioneer G-funk.

From his own records like “Forgot About Dre” and “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” to the countless tracks he’s produced for Eminem, 50 Cent, and Snoop Dogg, Dre’s discography is filled with great records. Without further ado, here are 21 of the best songs he produced, listed in no particular order.

1. “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang”

It should come as no surprise that Dre often saves some of his best beats for himself, and when the result is a hit like the Snoop Dogg-assisted “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang,” we completely understand why. Between the Leon Haywood sample from “I Want’a Do Something Freaky To You” and the two West Coast stalwarts trading verses, it made for the perfect lead single for The Chronic.

2. N.W.A.’s “Straight Outta Compton”

There simply is no N.W.A. without Dre, as evidenced by the numerous hits he produced for the group. Arguably the greatest of all is “Straight Outta Compton,” in which we hear Ice Cube, Eazy-E, and MC Ren going berserk over some of his hardest drums. It’s also pretty crazy how Dre weaved vocals from Dezo Daz and Ronnie Hudson and the Street People in between the trio’s verses. As he famously opens the track, “You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge.”

3. 50 Cent’s “In da Club”

It’s still mind-blowing that D12 passed on the instrumental for 50 Cent’s “In da Club,” but at the same time, it’s hard to imagine it being a bigger hit in anyone else’s hands. With the record’s unmistakable drums and snares cutting through the beat and that bass line sitting underneath, Fif probably felt on top of the world while recording the Get Rich or Die Tryin’ cut. Then again, they also knocked out “P.I.M.P.,” “If I Can’t,” and “Back Down” during that same four-day window.

4. “Forgot About Dre”

Another track where Dre not only produces but takes the helm as a lead artist, “Forgot About Dre” sounds like the then-impending new millennium it was inspired by. With a little help from Eminem, the super producer let the world know his production hadn’t waned at all following his departure from Death Row. Given how successful the 2001 cut became, we’d say he got his message across.

5. Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady”

There are very few rappers who can deliver silly, off-the-wall lyrics the way that Eminem does. Maybe that's why Dre handed him the beat for "The Real Slim Shady," which sounds completely different from everything else on The Marshall Mathers LP. Dre took care of the drums, while Mike Elizondo pitched in on production for what was supposedly one of the last tracks recorded for the album. In the end, Eminem rose to the moment in a way probably no one else could have, at least during that era.

6. The Game’s “How We Do”

“It's red-rum, ready, here it come / Compton, uh, Dre found me in the slums,” The Game dishes out about midway through his opening verse on “How We Do.” In hindsight, it’s one of Dre’s more sparse beats, with the piano-laden effort giving the Born 2 Rap artist and 50 Cent plenty of space to get their bars off.

7. Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice”

There’s arguably no better representation of G-funk than what Dre and Snoop Dogg created with “Gin and Juice.” The Long Beach native’s chorus is one of his most memorable from Doggystyle, and Dre’s sampling choices were still as sure-handed as ever, this time leaning on George McCrae’s “I Get Lifted.”

8. Eazy-E’s “Boyz-n-the-Hood”

You usually don’t stumble into such an iconic Hip Hop track by accident, and for Dre and Eazy-E’s first session together, that’s essentially what happened with “Boyz-n-the-Hood.” Written by Ice Cube and originally meant for a completely different rap group, lines like “Cruisin' down the street in my '6-4 / Jockin' the freaks, clockin' the dough” turned Eazy into a superstar over Dre’s high-pitched bells, snares, and synth-heavy bass. Plus, the creation process was dramatized in 2015’s Straight Outta Compton.

9. 2Pac’s “California Love”

2Pac’s “California Love” is G-funk in large part because of its Roger Troutman-sung chorus, which is lifted entirely from Ronnie Hudson and the Street People’s “West Coast Poplock.” On top of that, Dre also flipped Joe Cocker’s “Woman to Woman.” It’s one of Pac’s signature songs, and for obvious and unfortunate reasons (like Dre’s departure from Death Row and Pac no longer being here), we didn’t get nearly as much collaboration between the two as the chart success suggested we should’ve.

10. JAY-Z’s “Lost One”

With Dre on the beat and Mark Batson assisting on the keys, JAY-Z laid it all out on “Lost One.” He reflects on relationships — both business and personal — falling apart, the loss of his nephew, and several other heavy moments on the track. Interestingly, Dre produced quite a few similarly somber tracks around that time, with Snoop Dogg’s “Imagine” coming the closest to “Lost One” sonically.

11. Eve’s “Let Me Blow Ya Mind”

As many of us already know, something special happens whenever Dre and Scott Storch share production duties. Case in point: Eve’s “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” with Gwen Stefani. “As I was writing, it’s not so much that he jumps in to say this or that, but it’s how you say or deliver certain things and that makes a difference,” Eve told Billboard of working with Dre on the record, which managed to land at No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart in 2001.

12. Busta Rhymes’ “Break Ya Neck”

Pulled from 2001’s Genesis, “Break Ya Neck” features Busta Rhymes unleashing nearly four minutes of nonstop bars over yet another Dre- and Storch-produced instrumental. While the West Coast prodigy doesn’t appear vocally on the track like he does on several others we’ve mentioned, Busta said he did play a huge role in shaping the chorus. “Dre contributed significantly to the chorus," the rapper explained, per HotNewHipHop. "He literally hummed the way the melody [goes] — the flow pattern of it.”

13. Mary J. Blige’s “Family Affair”

If there’s ever any doubt about the impact of Mary J. Blige’s “Family Affair,” just remember it became her first single to chart on the Hot 100 and, more than 20 years later, inspired a Lifetime film. As it turns out, Dre was also behind the boards on the record. Funny enough, he allegedly threatened to take his name off the song if Blige didn’t add a bridge.

14. Snoop Dogg’s “Ain’t No Fun (If The Homies Can’t Have None)”

If Snoop Dogg’s “Ain’t No Fun” isn’t the horniest rap song of the ’90s, then we’re still waiting to hear what tops it. With the late, great Nate Dogg alongside Kurupt and Warren G joining in on the fun (no pun intended), the record is borderline impossible to follow if you press play on the clean or radio-friendly versions. That being said, it’s pretty exciting hearing everyone trading stories of scandal over one of Dre’s most elastic takes on G-funk. He and Snoop have collaborated countless times — probably more than most artists on this list — but their work on Doggystyle is in a class of its own.

15. Xzibit’s “X”

We’ll never get tired of hearing Xzibit “stab a track” and “strangle the beat” on “X,” produced by Dre alongside Storch. Getting an instrumental from one of them is an honor on its own, let alone both at the same time, and the Restless artist definitely made the most of it. It’s a more aggressive, room-shaking record, which makes sense given how long Xzibit had been touring before the single dropped.

16. The D.O.C.’s “It’s Funky Enough”

While many of us recognize The D.O.C.’s “It’s Funky Enough” from the “It’s gettin’ funky, it’s gettin’ funky” chorus, the Foster Sylvers-sampling beat, or the countless records that later flipped it, the song is a full-on masterpiece from start to finish. It’s one thing to give a rapper an incredible instrumental, and it’s another for them to actually rise to that level lyrically. On top of that, D.O.C. even name-drops Dre throughout several verses.

17. Eazy-E’s “Eazy-Duz-It”

“A hardcore villain cold roamin' the streets / And wit' a homie like Dre just supplyin' the beats,” Eazy-E rapped on “Eazy-Duz-It,” which Dre worked on with DJ Yella. We could go on forever about the record’s impact, but the fact that it’s been sampled on tracks like The Game and Kanye West’s “Eazy,” as well as Metro Boomin and Future’s Kendrick Lamar-assisted “Like That,” says more than enough.

18. Nas’ “Nas Is Coming”

Taken from Illmatic, “Nas Is Coming” was Nas (duh!) and Dre’s first officially released collaboration — and it dropped during the East Coast-West Coast beef, at that. Like many other rappers before him, the Queensbridge MC didn’t miss the chance to shout out Dre’s production skills in one of his verses: “Control the rap game, you got it twisted / Dr. Dre way, the 'Bridge say, ‘Shake dice and kiss it.’”

19. The Lady of Rage’s “Afro Puffs”

While The Lady of Rage may be a less familiar name compared to some of the other artists mentioned here, she more than proved her talent on multiple tracks with Dre. One of our favorite moments where she’s not appearing as a feature, “Afro Puffs” found the Virginia rapper stepping into G-funk territory for the Above the Rim soundtrack. Rage understandably wasn’t a fan of the song at the time, but from a production standpoint, Dre and Daz Dillinger delivered.

20. “The Next Episode”

Snoop’s “da-da-da-dah” chorus and the instrumental for “The Next Episode” are instantly recognizable across generations, and for good reason. It’s just another reminder of what he and Dre are capable of together.

21. The Firm’s “Phone Tap”

You’d be forgiven for not realizing The Firm — made up of Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown, and Nature — ever existed, considering 1997’s The Album didn’t receive a follow-up in either the 2000s or 2010s. However, that project is also home to one of Dre’s greatest productions: “Phone Tap.” In addition to co-producing the haunting track with Chris “The Glove” Taylor, Dre also lent his voice to the hook.