Doctor Dre

Not to be confused with the N.W.A. member and multi-platinum producer of the same name, the jovial Doctor Dre (born Andre Brown) was one of the most visible members of the hip-hop community throughout the late '80s and early '90s. A former DJ at Adelphi's radio station, an ex-member of Def Jam's Original Concept ("Knowledge Me"/"Can You Feel It"), and a temporary live DJ for the Beastie Boys, Dre, along with Ed Lover, hosted the Yo! MTV Raps program for several years and became a hip-hop icon in the process. For thousands upon thousands of young viewers across the States, Dre and Lover were the faces of rap music. The duo starred together in 1993's Who's the Man, a hip-hop comedy about two Harlem barbers turned cops (it was the first feature directed by Ted Demme, one of Yo! MTV Raps' creators). The duo decided to step out on its own as a recording entity the following year, with the release of 1994's Back up off Me. Two years after that, the duo put out a book called Naked Under Our Clothes. Once Dre's profile waned, he went into radio broadcasting. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide