A
new Dr. Dre opus is coming sooner than you think, but it’s not the long-awaited
Detox album–and it’s not by Dr. Dre.The
acclaimed producer has lived a largely reclusive life outside of the media, but
author Ronin Ro’s upcoming book Dr. Dre: The Biography aims to reveal the
artist’s celebrated life through extensive reporting, interviews, and research."We
see his life in context–a few important facts about his personal life, how many
of the hits were created, and how he runs Aftermath," Ro told AllHipHop.com.
"[Also], the chain of events that led to Tupac’s comments [and] how Dre reacted
to the changes Hip-Hop underwent during the past few years."The
book also examines the viewpoints of insiders around Dr. Dre while chronicling
many of the luminaries he introduced to pop culture, including Eminem, 50 Cent,
and the Game.Similar
to those artists, controversy has been Dre’s counterpart since his days in NWA.
In the
’80s and ’90s, his experiences were well-documented via a number of high-profile
incidents, arrests, musical outings, feuds, and other controversial matters.With
The Biography, Ro hopes to garner the same attention as that of his previous
novels: Have Gun Will Travel – The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Death Row Records
and the Run DMC biography Raising Hell: The Reign, Ruin and Redemption of Run
DMC."I’d
say the entire book [is controversial]. Instead of a Have Gun Will Travel
retread, I started from scratch, approached this with fresh eyes, and crammed
about two books’ worth of material into one," he said. "You can’t please
all of the people all of the time, so certain sections might infuriate some readers,
particularly things about Eminem, the Game and Tupac; the NWA reunion attempt;
the issue of who does what and what actually constitutes being a producer in this
genre; and more…I mean, the list goes on."Although
unauthorized, Ro said he’s been able to discern fact more readily than a book
that is overtly endorsed by the subject."This
is reporting, not data entry. And at the end of the day, my readers will know
I’ve once again tried to report the truth, instead of taking marching orders from
some flash-in-the-pan pop rapper or groupie," said Ro. "This book documents
[Dre’s] false starts, setbacks, triumphs, evolution and stewardship of a company
that, a decade later, is still in business, and managing to bring in money during
some pretty lean times for his industry."Although
Dre’s overall career is fairly pop-oriented based on his commercial sales and
success, the book is decidedly Hip-Hop in nature. And Ro said that readers need
to become knowledgeable. "I’m
not holding anyone’s hand. You want Uncle Remus, you watch Disney. I’m not explaining
everything for white people and dilettantes," he said. "You either know
Hip-Hop or you don’t. And if you do, you’ll like this book."Ro
also vowed that the book will reveal "what really happened" between
the Game and Dr. Dre. Game recently admitted that Dre would not be a part of his
sophomore album The Doctor’s Advocate, although Dre had been highly influential
on the young rapper’s debut album The Documentary.But
while Ro managed to unearth many facets of Dre’s life, his extensive reporting
was unable to determine whether Dr. Dre’s Detox would ever be released
to the public–certainly to the chagrin of fans."I
really have no idea. I see it this way: even if Detox were to never come
out, at least he had a cool hobby," said Ro. "Some people collect stamps
and build models, others mow the lawn. Dre taped a few jam sessions with his house
band and created grooves he can throw on future productions. And for a decade,
Aftermath succeeded where so many other artist-run labels in any genre crashed
and burned."Ro
has penned a number of novels, including Tales To Astonish: Jack Kirby,
Stan Lee, and the American Comic Book Revolution, Bad Boy: The Influence
of Sean Puffy Combs on the Music Industry. Next,
he plans to release King of the Slashers: The History of Halloween.
