No Wonder This Doctor Has a Thriving Practice

Master of the studio mixing board and sampling keyboard, Dr. Dre has resisted 10 years of stylistic changes in rap music by adapting his essential, urgent sound to whatever the market called for--pulling any number of sonic tricks out of his seemingly bottomless grab bag.

Thus, the same man who produced seminal (though primitive) songs such as the World Class Wreckin’ Cru’s melodramatic “Turn Out the Lights” is the same man who constructed J.J. Fad’s platinum “Supersonic” bubble-gum electro-funk, Michel’le’s gentle ballads and the rough sonics of N.W.A.’s definitive gangsta rap.

N.W.A.’s Dre-produced “Straight Outta Compton” album, released in 1989, single-handedly changed the landscape of West Coast hip-hop--and not just because of the profane lyrics or the thought-provoking nihilistic maxims dropped by rappers Ice Cube, Eazy-E and MC Ren. It was an album that introduced L.A. producers to the concept of break beats--snare drum tracks sampled from vintage ‘70s records. Dre traded in the electro-boogaloo that characterized West Coast rap for a rawer, stripped-down style that mirrored the organic sound coming out of the East Coast at that time by artists such as Schoolly D, Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy.

It was the last time Dre found himself playing catch-up. Since then, he has set pop trends on such albums as N.W.A.’s aggressive “Efil4zaggin” in 1991, his solo debut, “The Chronic,” in 1993, and Snoop Doggy Dogg’s multimillion-selling “Doggy-style” in 1993.

His production sensibilities shine in every possible way--from the clear engineering of the crisp highs and booty-shaking lows to the way he gives grinding electric guitars a rhythmic urgency. Rather than relying solely on samples, he uses live bass, live drums, horns and percussion that thunders to give his songs a longevity that dazzles. Check the way the Dre-Snoop collaboration “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” seemingly lifts your car and floats it down the boulevard, the manner in which Snoop’s “The Shiznit” keeps the current beneath the rapper’s slick flow seem simultaneously hot and cold, or how the Dre-Snoop duet “Deep Cover” still electrifies a dance floor anywhere it’s played.

Others might make more controversial records, but the funky music--not the misogynistic profanity--has always been the real reason for Dre consistently outselling his competitors. Not only does this doctor make house calls--he uses his sonic stethoscope to track your pulse.