Andre Romelle Young was the highest-paid rap artist in the world in 2010. He created a new genre of music called gangsta rap. He is one of the world’s most significant record producers and has his own company, Aftermath Entertainment. He was the founder of Beats, the subsidiary organization of Apple.
He founded a music label called Death Row Records in 1991. His most famous solo album was ‘The Chronic". He won six Grammy and heaps of other accolades for his contributions to music. His current net worth is $950 million. Of course, you probably know him better as Dr. Dre.
People with innate talents often have interesting lives and Dr. Dre is no exception. Both his parents were singers. He had music in his blood and music was all he wanted to do, right from the beginning.
In his journey towards becoming the wealthiest rap artist of all time, stories about his family surfaced, which were kept on the DL. Here are 16 facts that you might find interesting:
16 He Could Have Been Aborted
The fact that Dr. Dre’s mother, Verna Young, gave birth to him when she was only 16 is another secret of the family's which has been kept very quiet. She was so young that her friends and family advised her to have an abortion. She decided to keep the baby and the rest is history. Her son proved himself to the world, showing those who gave his mother advice how wrong they had been.
15 Raised By His Grandmother
His grandmother mostly raised him. She lived in the New Wilmington Arms Housing project in Compton. His parents had to move house frequently, in and around Compton and other parts of California. To avoid too much movement that could hamper his academic progress, he was made to live with his grandmother much of the time.
14 Seven Children From Five Different Women
Dr. Dre had six children from five different women. The first three were from two of his ex-girlfriends...one with the singer Michel’le and two more with his wife, Nicole. His first son’s name is Curtis Young, his oldest daughter’s name is La Tanya, and his third son (now sadly passed away) was called Andre Young Junior. Michel’ le’s son was named Marcel, and the two kids with his now-wife are named Trucie and Truly.
13 First Son At 18
His first son Curtis was born when Dr. Dre was only 18. The baby had to be raised by the mother, Cassandra Joy Greene, as Dr. Dre was not in the picture. Quite like a movie storyline, Dr. Dre met his son 20 years after he was born. By that time, Curtis had established himself as a professional rapper, known by the name, Hood Surgeon.
12 Second Child At 20
Two years later, in 1983, when Dr. Dre was still in high school, he had a daughter. This time, it was with a different girl. Her name was Lisa Johnson, and she was only 15 when she became a mother. The daughter was named La Tanya Danielle Young. Dr. Dre had two more children with Lisa.
11 Lost His Third Son
One of the saddest secrets of Dr. Dre’s life is that he lost his third son, Andre Junior. He had Andre Junior with a woman named Jenita Porter. Unfortunately, when Andre Junior was in his 20s, he took an overdose of morphine and cocaine, by accident, and lost his life. He was found dead at his mother’s Woodland Hills home.
10 Middle Name After Father’s Music Band
Dr Dre’s middle name is Romelle. This name was derived from the name of his father’s rhythm and blues music band, called The Romelles. This was an amateur band. His father decided to name his first-born after his music group. He wanted his son to grow up to be a musician who was true to his middle name.
9 Legal Battles And Violence With Exes
Dr. Dre has a history of being engaged in legal battles with his ex-partners. Andre Junior’s mother had snapped a case against him, claiming maintenance money for their son. Michel’ le, yet another ex-girlfriend and mother of his fifth son, accused him of domestic violence. Dre allegedly repeatedly beat up Lisa, the mother of three of his kids, even when she was pregnant. He was rightfully dragged to court.
8 Going To Jail
Dr. Dre went to jail after his car was impounded due to an unpaid fine of more than $900. The penalty on his Mazda RX-7 was never paid, causing its owner to get jailed. He was bailed out of the prison by Eazy-E, who paid things off, but then made Dr. Dre work with him and his record company, Ruthless Records.
The association between Ruthless Records and Dr. Dre ended on a bad note. Despite the disputes that had arisen over royalty issues, Dr. Dre was unable to quit the band as he was bound by a contract. He embraced violent means to free himself in the end. One of the band’s members, Jerry Heller, revealed later that Dr. Dre came with goons and guns. He wanted that contract dissolved.
7 Help From Step-Brother, Warren G
Dr. Dre and Warren G were stepbrothers. Warren’s father, Warren Griffin, married Dr. Dre’s mother. Due to the wedding, the two families were tied together. This merger of families eventually helped Dr. Dre in his career. Warren G introduced him to Snoop, who worked for him. Dr. Dre signed Snoop to his company, and the two made a movie together (called The Wash) in 2001.
6 Lost His Two Brothers
Dr. Dre’s older brother, Jerome, passed away when he was tiny. The boy had pneumonia. Some years later, Dr. Dre lost another brother who was quite dear to him. He was his half-brother, and his name was Tyree. Dr. Dre dedicated the last song of his album, Chronic 2001, to his brother.
5 Enjoyed 20 Years Of Married Life
Dr. Dre’s marriage to Nicole Threatt will hit the 20-year mark next year. He got hitched to her in 1996. This was her second marriage. Earlier, she was married to an NBA player, Sedale Threatt. Nicole is an attorney by profession and she likes keeping a low profile. Dr. Dre and Nicole share two children.
4 Dre Wrote Love-Letters To Sedale’s Wife
Nicole began seeing Dre when she was already married to Sedale Threatt. She started having marital issues when her ex-husband discovered a love letter that Dr. Dre wrote to her back then. In that letter, Dre asked Nicole to leave Sedale and come to him...in some pretty strong language.
3 Cheating On His Wife
Dre and Nicole have one of the longest-lasting celeb marriages in America. The couple keeps their relationship low-key. However, there was a rumor about Dr. Dre cheating on his wife some time back. A source revealed that he was seeing a model named Kili Anderson. Dre, however, vehemently denied this allegation. He forced the sources to take down photos of him with Kili from social media.
2 Violence Against Women
Dre has been accused of violence against women several times. He assaulted a television host named Dee Barnes in 1991, at a party with fellow musicians in Hollywood. Barnes filed a lawsuit against him for $22.7 billion. He was ultimately fined $2500 and had to perform 240 hours of community service. In 1990, Tairrie B, a former label-mate, claimed Dre assaulted her at a post-Grammys party.
1 Taking A Break From Music
Dr. Dre decided to take a break from music to spend more time with his family. In November 2011, he announced that he would step away from making music for a while. He had formed his company, Beats, and he said he would use the break to raise the standard of his firm to the level of Apple. However, his primary intention during his hiatus was to be with his family.