Dr Dre, whose real name is Andre Romelle Young, celebrates his 57th birthday today. The Compton native, who helped popularise gangster rap, first appeared on the music scene in the 1980s.

Once a member of the rap group, Niggaz Wit Attitudes (NWA), which included rappers Eazy-E and Ice Cube among others, Dr Dre, although a rapper himself, became more known for his producing abilities and later his entrepreneurship with production of the Beats headphones starting in 2006.

Leaving NWA in early 1992 and co-founding Death Row Records in that same year, Dre has been credited for launching the careers of some of his protégés like rap veterans Snoop Dogg and Eminem. The artiste also headlined the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show, bringing out, along with Snoop and Eminem, greats such as 50 Cent, Mary J Blige and Kendrick Lamar.

Here are a few Dr Dre songs you should have on your playlist but, be warned, as one of the heaviest hitters, many of his songs and accompanying music videos can be quite graphic.

8. F*ck Da Police

The second track from NWA’s Straight Outta Compton album, produced by Dre and DJ Yella, takes the form of a trial against the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), with Dr Dre, MC Ren, and Ice Cube as judge, court officer, and witness respectively.

The song was created by the group after the police forced them to lay face down in the street with guns to their heads. However, reports are that this took place because group member Eazy-E did drive-by shootings on innocent people at bus stops with a paintball gun.

Catching the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the group received a letter from the law enforcement agency which claimed the album “encourages violence against and disrespect for the law enforcement officer”.

7. What’s The Difference

Featuring Eminem and American rapper Xzibit, the artistes rap about the difference between them and other rappers.

Released in 1999, the track is from Dre’s 2001 album and was produced by himself and Mel-Man.

6. F*ck With Dre Day

Track two on his 1993 album The Chronic, Dre Day features Jewell, RBX and frequent collaborator Snoop Dogg. This tune was released as his follow-up of The Chronic‘s, Nothin But A G Thang.

The record is said to be one of the most commercially successful diss tracks in the rap industry, taking shots at Dre’s former groupmate Eazy-E, due to financial reasons, and Americans rapper Tim Dog, for his diss track and Luther Campbell (Luke Skyywalker) for another diss track.

5. Forgot About Dre

Released in 1999 on the artiste’s 2001 album, Forgot About Dre was his statement to anyone feeling like his production suffered after his exiting Death Row records in 1996. 

Forgot About Dre features the Just Lose It rapper who wrote most of the lyrics before there was even an instrumental created.

Speaking on the single, Dre explains: “The song is basically about the little period of time I went through in between records, and what people out in the street were saying about me, about, you know, how I fell off and how I couldn’t do it anymore, and all this nonsense. So this is just a response to that. That’s all it is. Period.”

4. Nuthin’ But A G Thang

Featuring Snoop Dogg, Nuthin’ But A G Thang is the fifth single on his solo debut album, The Chronic, and also served as the lead single for the album. Considered one of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time, the song went platinum after peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.

3. California Love

A song by 2Pac almost a year prior to his death, California Love was dropped just after the artiste was released from prison and joined Death Row Records. The track features Dre and Roger Troutman.

Released in December of 1995, California Love was the first single on Tupac’s 1996 All Eyez on Me double disc album.

2. The Next Episode

The third single from the album 2001, The Next Episode features Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg and Kurupt. The single was produced by Dre and Mel-Man and peaked at #23 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The track, which samples The Edge by David McCallum, was performed by Dre and Snoop Dogg during the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show.

1. Still D.R.E.

West Coast anthem Still D.R.E. was completely written by East Coast rapper, Jay-Z. Still D.R.E. was featured on the 2001 album after the rapper took an almost seven-year hiatus to focus on production after the success of The Chronic.

Desiring a strong comeback from his hiatus, the rapper recruited Jay-Z specifically to write the track, given the success of his 1998 multi-platinum album Vol. 2…Hard Knock Life. Dre explained how the song came to be.

“At first, he wrote about diamonds and Bentleys. So I told Jay to write some other shit. Jigga sat for 20 minutes and came back with some hard-ass, around-the-way L.A. sh*&%.”

Dre also performed this track alongside Snoop Dogg during the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show.