On his song “Twist My Fingaz” from his new album Still Brazy, YG boasts that he’s “the only one to make it out the West without Dre.” He’s very wrong.
YG‘s claim isn’t completely off base though. Dr. Dre’s fingerprint can be found all over just about every piece of West Coast Hip-Hop since the late 1980s. He co-founded NWA, built Death Row Records and created Aftermath Entertainment. This means that he’s played a direct part in the careers and successes of Ice Cube, Eazy-E, Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, The Game and now Kendrick Lamar.
Succeeding out of the West without a Dr. Dre co-sign or NWA affiliation of some sort is no easy task. But it has been done before YG twisted his fingers, pounded his chest and patted his back.
Here are just some of the many West Coast rappers who have built careers without a Dr. Dre co-sign.
Ice-T
Ice-T is considered an OG for a reason. He pretty much invented the “gangsta rap” genre that made Dr. Dre an almost-billionaire. He dropped his first album Rhyme Pays in 1987, months before N.W.A.’s very first album N.W.A. And the Posse and one year before the game-changing Straight Outta Compton.
Too $hort
Also in 1987, Too $hort made his major label debut when he dropped Born To Mack on Jive Records. Before that, $hort had already made a name for himself releasing underground albums on 75 Girls records since 1983.
DJ Quik
Since DJ Quik‘s debut album Quik Is The Name dropped in 1991, some saw it as an artist looking to take advantage of NWA putting Compton on the map. But really, Quik had been doing his thing for years already. In fact, Quik is one of the first, if not the first rappers to get a record deal from a mixtape when Jive signed him after hearing his Red Tape mixtape that was released in 1987. Also, when it comes to West Coast Hip-Hop producers, Quik is one of few with a catalog that actually challenges Dr. Dre’s. Quik would eventually work with Dre during his brief time at Death Row Records, but Quik had already “made it” without him by that time.
E-40
For some odd reason, when people hear the words “West Coast Hip-Hop” they seem to think that only means Los Angeles and forget about the Bay Area. E-40 has been putting out albums independently and with majors since 1993, none of them containing an Dr. Dre beat, ad lib or verse. Surprisingly, 40 and Dre have never worked together after all these years.
Mac Dre
photo: Strictly Business Records
Set foot in Oakland or Vallejo, Calif. and you will find out quick which “Dre” is king. Mac Dre‘s career was cut short when he was murdered in 2004, but he made an impact that continues to be felt to this day. While Mac Dre never got in the studio with Dr. Dre, there was no need. He built an label and movement, Thizz Nation, all by himself.
Dom Kennedy
As far as the “New West” is concerned, Dom Kennedy is one of the first rappers from the post-Gangsta rap era to make a name for himself without a Dr. Dre co-sign. Since his 2008 debut mixtape The 25th Hour, Kennedy put and kept himself on the map using the internet and touring.
Tyler, The Creator
As founder of Odd Future, Tyler, The Creator is probably the first artist to create a movement out of California similar to N.W.A’s. Under his direction, a stable of artists and groups including Frank Ocean, The Intertnet, Earl Sweatshirt, Domo Genesis and Hodgy Beats. While has gone on to work with super-producers like Pharell Williams, he has yet to work with Dr. Dre. We don’t even know if Dre knows he exists.
Nipsey Hussle
When Nipsey Hussle exploded on to the scene with his gangsteriffic single “Hussle In The House” in 2008, many thought it would only be a matter of time before the good doctor came knocking to scoop him up. That never happened, but Nip did sign a deal with Epic Records that he later left to start his own company. Now he’s selling mixtapes for $100 a pop.
ScHoolboy Q
When Dr. Dre signed Kendrick Lamar to Aftermath, it was easy to assume that he was going to put everybody on TDE on. That wasn’t the case. ScHoolbyo Q instead signed a deal directly with Interscope Records and put out his debut album Oxymoron that became a #1 album on Billboard and got nominated for a Grammy. Even though Dre’s shadow can be sensed looming around, Q has got all of his success without him.
Vince Staples
In just a few short years Vince Staples has cemented himself as one of the more captivating voices to come out of the West Coast. His music is original, and so are his opinions. He’s caused a few stirs for his views on “old school” Hip-Hop. Not only has Staples made it without Dre, he’s pretty much made without anyone from where he’s from.
