The Rap on Dr. Dre

Thank you for glorifying a cultural criminal like Andre Young (a.k.a. Dr. Dre) and allowing him to spin his public persona with no less a writer than Robert Hilburn’s help (“Does He Still Have the Rx?,” Oct. 24).

Young is merely trying to make himself more marketable in an age when gangsta rap is played out, and certainly wants to keep himself out of the line of fire of those rappers shooting each other these days (hence, his new label’s name Aftermath, whereas he once recorded for Death Row Records).

Young has through his music and videos popularized and legitimized for a whole generation of youth senseless violence, gang culture, misogyny, vulgar macho posturing, and been instrumental in the dumbing-down of culture.

It is a pity that black artists such as Young have infused their work with and put out into the wider world their own penchant for violence. Thus, it was not surprising to hear his admission that the signature song that launched his career, N.W.A’s “F--- Tha Police” really was inspired by his own terrorism of innocent people whom he shot with red paint from a paint gun while driving by.

Not one rap artist has ever produced a song that will stand the test of time like the Spinners’ “It’s a Shame.”

JEFF SOFTLEY

Los Angeles

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I loved Hilburn’s article on Dr. Dre. It was an in-depth look at one of the only true masterminds, original artists and revolutionaries left in the hip-hop industry.

Unlike some of his peers in the mainstream media, Hilburn has a true understanding about hip-hop music and knowledge about Dre in general. And he didn’t focus on the negative parts of Dre’s life like so many people do when writing about hip-hop artists.

Dre’s music has been a soundtrack to my life, one of the few constants in an otherwise unorganized world. I think that the way he has taken control of his life both personally and professionally is very commendable, and a blueprint for the youth that have, or are going through, the same situations he has.

JEREMIAH A. JOHNKE

Casper, Wyo.