Dr. Dre

Summary

Podcast Summary: This Life of Mine with James Corden – Dr. Dre

Date: October 21, 2025
Host: James Corden (Lemonada Media)
Guest: Dr. Dre

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Overview

In this deeply insightful episode, James Corden sits down with Dr. Dre, legendary producer, artist, entrepreneur, and cultural icon, for a candid and often moving conversation. Dre traces the key places, people, possessions, music, and memories that have defined his extraordinary life—from his challenging childhood in Compton and the birth of N.W.A., through solo super-stardom and building the Beats empire, to his current focus on education and legacy. The dialogue is rich with career-defining stories, personal revelations, and memorable humor.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Dre’s Reluctance to Do Interviews – A Rare Appearance

• Dre admits he rarely leaves home and only agreed to come for James:
  • Dr. Dre (02:59): "I came for you... I felt your energy ... so that's, this is it."

On Receiving the Grammy Global Impact Award

• Dre jokes about feeling old and being honored while alive:
  • Dr. Dre (03:27): "When they called me... I'm like, wait a minute, they usually give this out to dead people. They know something I don't know."
• Expresses deep respect for Jay-Z, who accepted on his behalf.

Living Life Looking Forward

• Dre never dwells on the past or listens to old music:
  • Dr. Dre (04:46): "I don't live my life with a rear view mirror. I only look forward. I don't even listen to my old music and I don't allow anybody around me to play my, my kids or anything like that."
• Reveals that 70% of his music is unreleased and only for friends and family (05:12).

Place: The Boat and the Water

• Dre’s “place” is out on his yacht, or at Musha Cay in the Bahamas—where he fully disconnects:
  • Dr. Dre (06:04): "I can get completely off the grid and just put my feet up and not think about anything that has to do with music business."
• Shares memories of childhood trips to Playa del Rey beach.

Upbringing in Compton

• Challenging environment shaped his creativity and leadership:
  • Dr. Dre (08:47): "Of course it was dangerous... but it built a certain character in me."
• His mother had him at 16, facing stigma and doubt from the community (09:30).
• Learned to be independent very young, riding public transportation alone at age six (10:34):
  • Dr. Dre: "I was moving around like an adult when I was six years old. Wow."

Ambition and Leadership

• Maturation at a young age propelled him into leadership roles:
  • Dr. Dre (11:18): "I think everything that I experienced, the good and the bad, just made me the person that I am right now... I'm so excited about the man that I'm going to become."

Film: The Godfather

• Calls it “almost the perfect movie,” except for one staged fight scene:
  • Dr. Dre (12:19): "The Godfather ... the writing was so incredible ... that is almost the perfect movie."
• Prefers to be behind the camera in films, drawn more to producing and writing (14:25).

The Studio & Creative Discipline

• Previously worked in the studio daily regardless of inspiration—now works more on his own terms:
  • Dr. Dre (15:12): "Before, I was always in the studio every day... Now, you know, my life is different."

Pivotal Career Moments

• Two most ambitious turning points: leaving Death Row to start Aftermath (1996) and launching a solo career after Ruthless Records (1991):
  • Dr. Dre (16:02): "Those are the two pivotal moments in my life... These are the only two times in my life where I thought about quitting."

Meeting Eminem

• First heard Em’s demo via Jimmy Iovine, not knowing he was white; their chemistry was instant:
  • Dr. Dre (18:36): "I took it home with me, and I couldn't stop playing this shit."
  • First song together was "Hi, My Name Is," created spontaneously (20:15):
    • Dr. Dre: “I put the beat on and he just did that right away... it happened that fast. No bullshit.”

Music Choices and Influence

• Favorite non-involvement album: Curtis Mayfield’s ‘Superfly’ (21:24).
• Also admires Sade’s “Is it a Crime” and Bruce Swedien's engineering on MJ’s "Off the Wall" and "Thriller" (24:14).
• Considers Off the Wall a more masterful album than Thriller:
  • Dr. Dre (24:44): "Off the Wall, in my opinion, is a better album than Thriller. I agree Thriller, but Thriller sounds better."

Love of Music: The Genesis

• Started DJing at 14 after hearing Grandmaster Flash (26:04).
• First production credit: "Boyz-n-the-Hood" for N.W.A.—meant for the neighborhood, not global stardom (27:34).

The N.W.A. Phenomenon

• Combination of friends with talent—credits the group’s chemistry to “spontaneous combustion” (28:38).
• Remembers the wildness of their first tours with one word: “Debauchery” (29:39).
• Most proud of “Straight Outta Compton,” especially its iconic opening (30:44):
  • Dr. Dre: “You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge.”

Possession: The SSL Mixing Board

• His “first love”; enabled his unique production style; original unit used on ‘The Chronic’ is now in his home (32:41).

Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg: Creative Partnership

• Produced only one full album for Snoop (Doggystyle, 1993); now working on "Missionary":
  • Dr. Dre (33:39): "We've been able to come back together after all these years and do something that's really interesting."
• Expresses playful frustration over Snoop’s many projects, preferring focus (34:24).

Dre’s Production Peak – Early 2000s

• “Hunger” and the meeting of great artists drove the creative explosion; produced half of 'Get Rich or Die Tryin’ in seven days (36:15).

Proud Production – “In Da Club”

• Picks 50 Cent's "In Da Club" as his favorite mix (37:39); notably, it was used to tune Beats headphones.

Partnership with Jimmy Iovine & Building Beats

• Jimmy’s deep production expertise made him unique among execs; their partnership built on creative respect (38:38).
• The origin of Beats:
  • Real Quote (40:08): "Fuck sneakers, let's make speakers."
• Did not anticipate its massive success or the $3 billion Apple deal (42:36):
  • Dr. Dre: "Fuck, no. Fuck, no. I. Billion. No, no, no."

Influences: Quincy Jones, Bootsy Collins, George Clinton

• Cites Quincy’s discipline and artistry as a huge inspiration (43:24).
• Recalls his awe at hanging out and asking Quincy questions.

Health Scare: Brain Aneurysm

• Describes the frightening event, hospitalization, and how it heightened his gratitude for life (44:16-46:47):
  • Dr. Dre: "I had no idea that I had high blood pressure... it's hereditary. You know, high blood pressure in Black men. That's just what it is. They call it the silent killer."

Legacy & Educational Philanthropy

• Dre and Jimmy Iovine’s work to revolutionize education—centers/programs in Compton, L.A., and beyond (47:11):
  • Dr. Dre: “None of these kids really want to go to school. I never wanted to go to school. I fucking hated school. Now, these kids ... are extremely excited about going to school because of this new thing and they're going to school to learn things that they're excited about learning.”

Most Impactful Memory: First Concert

• Parliament Funkadelic and Bootsy Collins Funk Festival, 1977, at age 12:
  • Dr. Dre (48:59): "It completely fucked my head up. And that was one of the things that made me go, okay, that's what I want to do."

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Becoming an Award:
  • “It’s crazy that I have Grammys and now I am a Grammy.” (03:23)
• On Vaulted Music:
  • “70% of the music that I've made is just tucked and left in the vault. ... I record all the time...it's just for me and my friends and family.” (05:12)
• On Childhood:
  • “I was on public transportation on my own when I was six years old.” (10:34)
• About Meeting Eminem:
  • “I put the beat on and he just did that right away... it happened that fast. No bullshit.” (20:22)
  • "I think he’s the best emcee ever. Point blank, period.” (19:46)
• On Leadership:
  • "I guess you would call me the leader of the band or whatever... for some reason, [they] trusted me, you know, and boom." (30:06)
• On Health Scare:
  • “It just felt like ... the worst pain I ever felt. ... I end up in the ICU... I had three strokes.” (44:21, 46:44)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Intro & Guest Welcome – 00:38
• Why Dre Agreed to the Interview – 02:59
• Receiving the Grammy Award, Jay-Z – 03:27
• Philosophy on the Past/Future – 04:44
• Secret Vault of Music – 05:12
• Favorite Place: On the Boat, Musha Cay – 05:48
• Reflections on Compton/Childhood – 08:47
• Mother’s Resilience & Early Responsibility – 09:30
• The Godfather as Favorite Film – 12:19
• Creative Process, Studio Discipline – 15:12
• Career Turning Points: Leaving Death Row, Ruthless – 16:02
• Meeting Eminem – First Collaboration – 18:36 - 20:22
• Influential Music & Mixing Philosophy – 21:24, 24:14
• Origins as a DJ/Producer – 26:04
• Making "Boyz-n-the-Hood" and N.W.A.’s Beginnings – 27:34
• Debauchery of First Tours – 29:39
• "Straight Outta Compton" Story – 30:44
• Favorite Gear: SSL Mixing Board – 32:41
• Dre & Snoop Collaborative Process – 33:39
• Production Hot Streak Early 2000s / Working with 50 Cent – 36:15
• "In Da Club" as Defining Song/Mix – 37:39
• Jimmy Iovine – Partnership & Origin of Beats – 38:38, 40:08
• LeBron and the Beats Phenomenon – 41:54
• Educational Philanthropy – Motivating Kids – 47:11
• Most Memorable Experience: First Concert – 48:59

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Final Reflection

This episode is a rare, vibrant masterclass in life, art, and survival from a legend. Dr. Dre’s journey—marked by risk-taking, resilience, and relentless pursuit of innovation—unfolds here with openness, humor, and clarity. His respect for the process, the people who shaped him, and the responsibility to give back creates an inspiring portrait, not just of a music mogul but of someone who never stops evolving.

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Recommended for:
Fans of hip-hop and music history, entrepreneurs, anybody interested in behind-the-scenes stories of iconic cultural moments, and listeners looking for honest conversation about legacy, leadership, and the power of reinvention.

Transcript

[Dr. Dre]

Lemonade.

[James]

You can listen to every episode of this Life of Mine ad free. With Lemonada Premium. You'll get access to a quick fire round of questions with this week's guest. And I mean quick fire really quick, like two minutes or less. Just tap that subscribe button on Apple Podcasts or head to lemonadepremium.com to subscribe on any other app. That's lemonade premium dot com.

[Dr. Dre]

Oh.

[James]

Hello and welcome to this Life of Mine, the show where our guests pick the places, people, possessions, music and memories that have made them who they are. My guest today is without question one of the most important cultural icons in recent American history. He first found success along with Ice Cube and Eazy E in the genre defining group N.W.A and later experienced unparalleled success as a solo artist before going on to become one of the most successful producers of all time, working with some of the biggest artists of the last 20 years, including Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, Jay Z, Mary J. Blige, Nas, Busta Rhymes, Eve Anderson, Paak, Gwen Stefani, and of course, his decades long collaborations with Eminem. He is also an entrepreneur who took his love of sound to the next level when he did something that no other artist had done before. Along with fellow record executive Jimmy Iovine, he created an audio company called Beats. It became a runaway success which along with its associated streaming platform, sold to Apple for an estimated $3 billion. After winning seven Grammys and selling over 25 million records, his focus has now moved to education and giving young people the skills to succeed in the industries that he knows best. I cannot believe that he's here. I cannot wait to hear his story. Are you ready?

[Dr. Dre]

Absolutely. I'm Dr. Dre and welcome to this life of mine.

[James]

I'm so happy that you're here. I really am so happy that you're here.

[Dr. Dre]

I'm sorry, that setup. James, come on, man. I just, it. It made me feel really happy and really proud.

[James]

But, well, it's all true.

[Dr. Dre]

Made me feel old as. To be honest, that wasn't the intention. That was. It was a lot. I'm just like, oh, okay. The time was ticking as you were.

[James]

Talking, you know, but it is quite the life. I mean, I'm so. I got to tell you, Scott Greenstein who runs SiriusXM, said to me, if you could do this show with anyone, who would it be? And I said, Dr. Dre, wow. But that's never going to happen.

[Dr. Dre]

Thank you for that.

[James]

And I'm cuz you don't do things.

[Dr. Dre]

Like I don't like coming Outside. I do not like leaving my house. And, you know, so why, why, why.

[James]

Leave your house today for this?

[Dr. Dre]

I came for you. Okay. Okay. So I met you. I'm not sure where I met you the first time. I think it was at Jimmy Iovine's house or something like that. And we bumped into each other and we had a really quick conversation and I felt your energy and I also watched your show as well, so I thought you were really cool. So that's, this is it.

[James]

This is too much for me.

[Dr. Dre]

That's why I'm here.

[James]

I'm so happy that you are.

[Dr. Dre]

I mean, I don't like coming outside.

[James]

James, why, when was the last time you left the house? I think you were at the Grammys.

[Dr. Dre]

Yeah, I was at the Grammys. It was really fucking great. You know, Jay Z came and accepted the award. Your award. Yeah. You know, it's crazy that I have Grammys and now I am a Grammy. You know, that is nuts. That is gonna be given out every year. Which is really weird because when they called me and told me Harvey Mason Jr. Is the one that called me and told me about this thing, and I'm like, wait a minute, they usually give this out to dead people. They know something. I don't know. It made me a little bit paranoid, to be honest. Like, wait a minute. Okay, so. But it's a fantastic honor. And especially the fact that Jay Z came up and accepted the award. That just like I called Jay and I called Harvey. I'm like, listen, man, that makes it like really official to me. You know, the fact that Jay Z accepted is somebody that I really respect and appreciate. And I think he's one of my favorite artists of all times right now. So the fact that he accepted the award makes it everything for me.

[James]

Today we ask you to pick a person, a place, a possession, memory. We're also going to talk about some music. Up until last night, you, you still were saying? I'm still thinking about it. I'm still thinking about my selections. Are you someone who naturally is good at looking back at your life or.

[Dr. Dre]

No, I'm not.

[James]

You're predominantly looking forward.

[Dr. Dre]

I'm not. I don't look back. I don't live my life with a rear view mirror. I only look forward. I don't even listen to my old music and I don't allow anybody around me to play my, my kids or anything like that. I love recording music and I love the process of recording music. And when it comes out, it's just business. So I like looking Forward. So.

[James]

Because it's the process that you enjoy.

[Dr. Dre]

Yes.

[James]

It's the climb.

[Dr. Dre]

That's it. And I think that 70% of the music that I've made is just tucked and left in the vault. You know, I like making music for just me and my friends. Hang on.

[James]

You mean there's 70% of the music you've made that we have never even heard?

[Dr. Dre]

It's just there.

[James]

No.

[Dr. Dre]

Yes. That's what I do. I record all the time. And it's just for me and my friends and family. Some of it is to be sold, you know, But I just love recording.

[James]

We're gonna start with your place. Now, we asked you to choose a place that was significant to you in your life. What's the place that you've chosen?

[Dr. Dre]

I love being out on the boat, on the water. That is a place where I can get completely off the grid and just put my feet up and not think about anything that has to do with music business or anything back home.

[James]

Try and describe the boat to me.

[Dr. Dre]

I don't. Yeah. I don't want it. I don't want it to feel like I'm bragging. It's a yacht.

[James]

You don't need to worry. We all know that.

[Dr. Dre]

You've done very well that place. And there's another place that I've been going to almost every year called Mushaqui in the Bahamas. Right, Mushaqui. I love going there with my family. And again, it's just a place to get off the grid and just chill. No phones or anything like that.

[James]

When you go on the boat, is it just you and the family? Do you ever take friends?

[Dr. Dre]

I take friends.

[James]

Snoop. Been on the boat.

[Dr. Dre]

I tried to get Snoop. I've been trying to get Snoop to go on vacation with me for 30 years.

[James]

Stop. Why doesn't he go?

[Dr. Dre]

I think Snoop went on his first vacation, his very first vacation, just a couple of years ago.

[James]

Are you serious?

[Dr. Dre]

Yes. He doesn't do that. I don't know.

[James]

Cause he's working all the time, probably.

[Dr. Dre]

Should we call him and ask him? I don't know. Shit.

[James]

I mean, so you're out on the boat. Is this something about being on the water that gives you an element of. I imagine so much of your life feels like.

[Dr. Dre]

It just feels like I'm away and it makes. It's peaceful for me, you know, I can just relax and just not think about anything. Just everything goes away. All the problems or anything like that. It just goes away and I'm completely relaxed. And I usually do it for just 10 days. So for those 10 days, I'm in heaven.

[James]

You grew up in Compton, which is roughly 10 miles from the beach. Was that ever a trip that you would make when you were born?

[Dr. Dre]

I would always go to the beach. Usually it was Playa del Rey when I was young.

[James]

Okay.

[Dr. Dre]

You know, my mother would take me to Playa del Rey, me and my siblings, and we would have fun going there. Now I own a place on the beach, so that, again, is a place that I go to every now and then just to relax my mind and get away from everything.

[James]

I think there's something about the water and the beach, particularly if you're on a boat. And it doesn't really matter what boat you're on. You can be on a pedalo, you can be in a canoe.

[Dr. Dre]

Yes.

[James]

There's something about being able to see a horizon that you can basically see further than you can see within yourself.

[Dr. Dre]

Absolutely.

[James]

Which is why you have that feeling.

[Dr. Dre]

Of going, there's nothing better than waking up, opening the drapes, and just seeing nothing but water. Yeah, there's something freeing about that.

[James]

Are you aware in those moments of the distance that you've traveled in your life?

[Dr. Dre]

Usually, like I said, I don't live with a rearview mirror. Usually I'm thinking forward. I'm thinking about what's happening now. Always living in now, or thinking about what I'm supposed to do tomorrow, and so on.

[James]

Talk to me about your upbringing. What was it like growing up in Compton? What the environment was like in your.

[Dr. Dre]

Well, of course. I mean, of course it was dangerous. It was dangerous, but it was fun at the same time. You know? I mean, anybody from any ghetto would have the same thing to say. You know, it has its dangers. It has its fun moments, and it builds character, and it built a certain character in me. I can't imagine growing up north of Wilshire.

[James]

Right.

[Dr. Dre]

Because if I did that, I wouldn't be able to dictate what I do with my music. And I don't think I would be as creative, because there's something about that that grabs you and teaches you certain things that you can put into your art or whatever you're trying to do with art. There's something about that.

[James]

Your mom was 16 when she fell pregnant with you.

[Dr. Dre]

No, My mother was 15. I was born. I was born two weeks after my mother's 16th birthday.

[James]

Is this true that your mom was told if she had you that she would never amount to anything and nor would you?

[Dr. Dre]

Yes, that's a fact. That's what everybody was Saying around that time, you have to remember this is around 1964, 1965 in the hood. So, you know, a 15 year old being pregnant, you can imagine what kind of scrutiny and like all kind of bullshit that was being said to her. But she made it through and here I am.

[James]

I mean, she must have an extraordinary amount of pride in what you've achieved.

[Dr. Dre]

Well, I hope so. Yes. Yes, I think so. You know, my mom is incredible, especially for everything she had to endure to raise me and what have you. But I had to become an adult at a very young age.

[James]

Go on, talk to me about that. Like how old would you say that you felt that you had to take on perhaps more adult responsibilities?

[Dr. Dre]

How old were you? Well, I, you know, a lot of people don't know this and this is probably the first time that I've actually said this or in an interview, but I was on public transportation on my own when I was six years old. I was moving around like an adult when I was six years old. Wow.

[James]

Imagine my daughter's six. I can't get out.

[Dr. Dre]

You can't imagine even letting your kid out of the house by themselves and shit. So yeah, that's what I was doing. I was moving around like an adult when I was that age. So I had to become really mature at a very young age.

[James]

Do you think that's why you've always seemingly from an outsider looking in at your life and your career. A career which I'm constantly blown away by. You always seem to be a person within your group or your peers who has taken on, on the responsibility.

[Dr. Dre]

I think so. I think that had a lot to do with it. Just the fact that I was so young and I had to mature at such a young age. I think it did help me with a leadership type of role per se, you know, but I was still a kid that made, you know, mistakes. Fortunately I never made a big mistake that had any like thing to do with stopping me. You know, I made plenty of mistakes, but I wouldn't change any of it. I think everything that I experienced, the good and the bad, just made me the person that I am right now. And not only that, I'm just from the time that I was in my 20s, I become, I'm 59 now, but I think I've become two or three different people since I was in my 20s. And more importantly, I'm so excited about the man that I'm going to become. I'm excited about the discovery of that.

[James]

Let's move on to your next selection. And we asked you to choose a film for us. Tell us the film that you've chosen is significant in your life.

[Dr. Dre]

Okay. The film that I chose is the Godfather.

[James]

I mean, I could ask why, but I know why.

[Dr. Dre]

But you tell us why the Godfather. Because, you know, first of all, it's Marlon Brando. It's like one of the best actors ever. Now you come to me and you say, don Corleone, give me justice. But you don't ask for respect. You don't offer friendship. You don't even think to call me. Godfather. The writing. And there's a show about the making of the Godfather. The offer.

[James]

The offer.

[Dr. Dre]

Watched that several times. And everything that they had to go through to make this movie and make it happen, dealing with the Mafia and, like, the real mafia, for sure. So I just think the writing was so incredible. From the first word. I believe in America. I believe in America. America has made my fortune. You know, the way that the first dialogue and the first words start out is amazing. And of course, Marlon Brando, Al Pacino. Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, all of these guys and everybody were on their thing right there. That is almost the perfect movie. And the reason why I say almost, because there's one scene in the movie.

[James]

Oh, go on.

[Dr. Dre]

There's one scene in the movie that was off when James Caan's character, Sonny, he's getting ready to beat the shit out of the brother in law, right? For beating up his sister or what have you. What I heard is they didn't have enough time to finish shooting that scene. So you can absolutely see in the scene that James Caan isn't really hitting the brother in law. That's the only thing, in my opinion, that didn't make the movie perfect. I'm a movie buff, you know, I love movies. I love anything that has to deal with art, you know? So I just think that the Godfather, in my opinion, like I said, is almost the perfect film.

[James]

Obviously, Straight Outta Compton was a huge success, but have you ever wanted to be more involved in or involved in any capacity with film?

[Dr. Dre]

I do. I, you know, I tried acting. I'm okay with that, I guess, you know, you're fantastic at it. Thank you. I've seen you. That's true. But I think my role when it comes to film is more about being behind the camera and producing and writing. I just have to get used to the film process because it's so slow, you know, I'm used to being in an area where everything is moving fast, being in the studio and writing and making music comes fast. Sure. I equate it to this. It's like making music is basketball and making film is watching soccer.

[James]

Sure. Disrespect to the people in soccer, but.

[Dr. Dre]

You know, it's just my analogy.

[James]

How much of your time do you spend in a studio?

[Dr. Dre]

Before, I was always in the studio every day. Even when I didn't feel inspired or if I didn't have an idea or anything like that, I would go in the studio and play around. But now I just work when I want, so it's really just when I feel it. So if I had to break it down to numbers, I would say two or three times a week, right? Yeah. Before, it was seven days a week, all day, all night. Really? Yeah.

[James]

You were not waiting for inspiration to strike you.

[Dr. Dre]

I would just go just. It was a job for me. I would just go. Certain time I have to be there. I would just go, whether I had an idea or not, and do it like that. Now, you know, my life is different.

[James]

Where does that discipline come from, do you think?

[Dr. Dre]

The necessity to be successful?

[James]

Where would you consider in your life to be that you were at your most ambitious?

[Dr. Dre]

Well, it was a couple of times that are equivalent. I would say 1996, when I decided to separate myself from Death Row. I just got married, had my. My son, and just started Aftermath Records. And I had to be a success, you know. Fortunately, I met Eminem right around that time, and he came in and everything changed, and everything just went to the moon. The other time was when I separated myself from Ruthless Records. And that was right around 1991. I decided to record my first solo album, which I never thought I was gonna do. A friend of mine talked me into it, Doc. He talked me into doing that. And so those are the two pivotal moments in my life where I thought that these things are gonna make me or break me. And these are the only two times in my life where I thought about quitting what I was doing.

[James]

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[Dr. Dre]

I was just starting this new thing, this new campaign with Aftermath Records, and I was working on my second solo album at the time, and it was just. Okay. I was at Jimmy Iovine's house. I used to go to Jimmy Iovine's house every Sunday, and he would play movies. And before the movie, we would go down to his garage, which he turned into a listening room, and he would just play demos, play demos. And he just said one day, what do you think about this? You know? And he played this artist, which was Eminem, right? And I had no idea he was a white guy at the time he played it. And I'm like, yeah, give me that, give me that. I took it home with me, and I couldn't stop playing this shit. Couldn't stop playing it. And Jimmy called me the next day and he's like, yeah, yeah, yeah, you know it's a white guy, right? I have to do my Jimmy impressions, right? Yeah, you know it's a white guy, right? Like. Like, oh, okay. So, long story short, I met Eminem at Jimmy Iovine's office. We slapped hands, went to the studio and started recording. And I'm not sure if anybody knows this, but I think the first four albums was just me and him and his writing and his delivery and his imagination is off the charts. And I don't think anyone would disagree with that. I think he's the best emcee ever. Point blank, period. Of course there are gonna be arguments about that because he's a white guy. You know, I don't think Anyone that's rapping can touch Eminem on that microphone.

[James]

Was the first song you wrote together, Was it?

[Dr. Dre]

Hi, my name is. Hi, my name is. That's the first thing that happened. Hi, my name is. I put the beat on and he just did that right away.

[James]

No. So hang on. He goes in a studio.

[Dr. Dre]

You go, no, we're in the studio. I had. I had a couple of things prepared before he got there.

[James]

Some beats that you've already programmed and things like that.

[Dr. Dre]

Right, right. So, you know, back then I was playing with the NPC and I hit play on it and he just went, hi, my name is. Hi, my name is. Hi, my name is. My name is Sadie. It happened that fast. No bullshit. And then we went from there. Dr. Dre said, Slim Shady, you a basic. Why'd your face red, man, you wasted. And that was the beginning of this relationship.

[James]

Well, let's move on to music. So we've asked you for two tracks. We've asked you. And I know that this is difficult. I know that it's almost an impossible thing. We've asked you for one song that you're involved with and one song from an artist that you're not involved. Tell me a piece of music that you have no involvement in whatsoever. A song or a piece of music that's significant to you in your life.

[Dr. Dre]

So I always talk about this. One of my favorite albums, believe it or not, is Curtis Mayfield. The Superfly album, Right. That is one of my favorite albums ever. They caught such a moment in time with that record. Curtis Mayfield, his voice, his falsetto and is playing. And the fact that it was attached to this really popular movie at the time, even if it wasn't attached to the movie, for me, that's one of my go tos. Listen and get inspiration for what I'm about to do when I go in the studio. I love the clarity in the mix. On Human Nature, Bruce Switian is just like, amazing. That was one of my go tos to get the clarity and understand how my mixes should sound really good. Is it a Crime by Sade? That's one of my favorite mixes. I have this weird thing about listening to mixes and understanding what the engineer was doing to capture that clarity and that sound.

[James]

So you would listen to this music in a sense of going, this is what you have to try and achieve in terms of a mix or in.

[Dr. Dre]

Terms of a mix. The clarity of the frequencies and the everything. So I'm listening to it for so many other reasons. Those songs are the ones that like Made me go, oh, you know, okay, that bass frequency, that mid, that high, the sizzle on that is just something really special. So I'm gonna take that with me and use it and apply it to hip hop. Because when I started out hip hop, for me listening to it, the clarity wasn't all the way there. Except, you know, I'm sorry to go on, but. Except there was. There were. There were songs and certain albums that really inspired me as far as hip hop goes. Slick Ricks, like Children's Story with Slick Rick. Once upon a time, not long ago when people wore pajamas and lived life slow Willows were stern and justice stood and people were behaving like they ought to good There lived a little boy who was misled by another little boy in the.

[James]

This is what he said.

[Dr. Dre]

Me and you tonight we're gonna make some cash Robbing old folks and making the dash Public Enemy, the Bomb Squad. You know, Larry Smith, who rarely gets a lot of attention. Larry Smith was a fantastic producer with Houdini, the Fat Boys, Run DMC and all that. Nobody gives him his shine, and a lot of people don't even know his name, but he's a fantastic producer. Took a test to become an MC and Orange, but became amazed at me.

[James]

So Larry put me inside the gap to lack the stroke.

[Dr. Dre]

So all of these things are certain things that I listen to to get inspiration. But again, Bruce Whittian and what Quincy did with Thriller and Off the Wall was fantastic.

[James]

Off the Wall is an extraordinary piece of work.

[Dr. Dre]

Off the Wall, in my opinion, is a better album than Thriller. I agree Thriller, but Thriller sounds better.

[James]

Well, my theory is, I think that Thriller is huge because of off the Wall in the same course, in the same way that I think Adele's 25 is huge because of Adele's 21.

[Dr. Dre]

Yes.

[James]

Do you know what I mean?

[Dr. Dre]

Like, they had that springboard. Yes. And does Thriller work without off the Wall? You know, that's, you know, probably, but.

[James]

Yes, probably, but I wonder if they're the other way around. I think off the Wall is a masterpiece of an album. And it's.

[Dr. Dre]

Off the Wall is like, yeah, one of my favorites ever. I personally, like I said, I like off the Wall much more than Thriller.

[James]

Where does your love affair with music come from?

[Dr. Dre]

You know what, James? That's a really tough question. I think that, you know, I was born and bred to do what I do. You know, there are pictures of me, I think I was three or four years old in a onesie, reaching up to play music. You know, I'M deejaying for my mother's parties and things like that. Before I can even read, you know, I just would look at the labels on the record and knew that, okay, this is something that's gonna make everybody happy. And that's what I would do.

[James]

Was there always music on in the house when you were growing up?

[Dr. Dre]

Always, always music going on.

[James]

How old were you, do you think, when you realized, oh, a career in music is what I want to do?

[Dr. Dre]

I was 14 when I decided I wanted to be a DJ, right? Yeah. And that happened because of Grandmaster Flash, who I talked to today. Actually, no, we FaceTime today. That's one of my heroes, Grandmaster Flash. And there was a song called the Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel. And that song made me go, I want to do that for the trouble two for the time. Come on, girls, let's rock Daddy. I started DJing and then DJing, kind of. It's a stepping stone to engineering. I started. Fortunately, I started engineering first. So I started studying engineering and mixing and all that shit. I had no idea I was gonna become a record producer. And I thought I was gonna be an engineer. Sure. I'm so happy that it went that way because it wouldn't have happened the other way around, you know. So I'm engineering, and all of a sudden I started touching the keyboards and the drum machines, and that snowballed into becoming a producer.

[James]

How soon after this did NWA start DJing and engineering?

[Dr. Dre]

I would say that was probably about four or five years before NWA when.

[James]

NWA started, did you have absolute belief that this was going to change music in the way that it did? Was there any self doubt?

[Dr. Dre]

Of course I hadn't. I hadn't. All we were doing at that time was making music that we could play in the park for our friends and. And you know, the first song I ever produced on my own was called Boyz Na Hood. And we would play it just for the neighborhood Cruising down the street in my six fold Jocking the freaks clocking the dough Went to the park to get the scoop Knuckleheads out there cold shooting some hoop A car pulls up, who can it be? A fresh El Camino rolling Kilo G He rolled down his window and started to say it's all about making that GTA it hit in the neighborhood and next thing you know it's on 1580 K day, which was the hot radio shit back at the time. So it showed up on that and all of a sudden they're playing it every day and then boom.

[James]

I mean, what was it when you look back at that time of nwa, you Easy Ice Cube, Yella, MC Ren. Like, what was it about the combination of these personalities, do you think that made it just so incredible?

[Dr. Dre]

I don't know. I don't know how to answer that question. It's just. It was just some friends that came together. Everybody had their talent. I don't know. It was just fucking spontaneous combustion. Cube was there, he's writing, and Cube was. We're all kids. Cube was still in high school at the time. I don't know how to answer that question. It was just some friends that got together and it worked. I had never thought about what made that work or why it worked. We're some young kids with some ideas, acting crazy. We're kids, really. We're just having fun, just talking shit on the microphone and just having fun. And I had no idea what the fuck I was doing at the time. I just knew I knew how to engineer and make beats and play a little bit of keys. That's it. And it worked.

[James]

What do you remember about those first tours that you went on? What was that experience like? Cause I feel like anybody's first taste or flash of fame is an extraordinarily intoxicating moment in there.

[Dr. Dre]

One word, James, go on. Debauchery. That's all it was. You're talking about kids getting out and, you know, fame, a lot of attention, especially from the girls and what have you, money and all of that. And, you know, we were just having a blast.

[James]

We touched on it when we talked before, that you were the. What I consider, as an outsider looking in the grounding force in that. In that band.

[Dr. Dre]

Yes. Fortunately, all the guys respected me, and they respected my opinion, and I was. I guess you would call me the leader of the band or whatever. That was just it. It's like, listen, this is what I think. This is what we're gonna do. What do you guys think? And that's just how I went. And they, for some reason, trusted me, you know, and boom. It just went crazy. I had no idea it was gonna go as crazy as it did with the FBI calling us. And, you know, we're selling millions, millions of records. It seemed like the shit happened overnight.

[James]

What's your favorite NWA song? What's the song you're most proud of from that time?

[Dr. Dre]

If I had to pick an NWA song that's my favorite, I would have to say the first song that comes on the album, which is Straight Outta Compton. The energy of that, the way Cube comes On.

[James]

It's unbelievable. It's unbelievable. When he. His first line. Yeah, crazy motherfucker called Ice Cube.

[Dr. Dre]

Yeah, yeah. Straight out of Compton.

[James]

Crazy named Ice Cube.

[Dr. Dre]

It's crazy because I. I started the album off like. You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge. That's how I started the album off.

[James]

This is just too mind blowing for me. It's. If I could go and tell you my. Me in my bedroom in my parents house in High Wycombe, which is so far away from Compton, the idea that I would be sat here one day with you and you just say that is.

[Dr. Dre]

I feel like my voice sounds. It's like, you know, my shit has changed. I'm like 40 years older right now, but I feel like it sounds a little bit the same. You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge. You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge.

[James]

But even that, as a. As a. Which I'm presuming is your idea, you're like, guys, this is how we're gonna start the.

[Dr. Dre]

Yeah. Yeah.

[James]

Like even that has an extraordinary self confidence in it.

[Dr. Dre]

Yeah.

[James]

As the first thing that people are gonna hear from this band on this album.

[Dr. Dre]

Like, yeah, I was the conductor with it, you know what I mean? And getting everybody together and. Yeah, gotta be at the studio at this time. And back then, you know, we were working and the studio was $35 an hour and we would go get three hours a day and work five days a week. And we did that first album straight out of Compton. We did it in six weeks. And I thought, like, you know, I thought that was how it was supposed to be. I finally found out that that is not how it goes.

[James]

Well, this does bring us very nicely onto your possession. Tell us the possession that you've chosen.

[Dr. Dre]

I would have to say it's the ssl, which stands for Solid State Logic. And it's my mixing board. I would confidently say it's my first love, the mixing board.

[James]

Yeah.

[Dr. Dre]

And you know, it's always there.

[James]

Describe it to me, like, where is it right now?

[Dr. Dre]

What does it look like? It's in my house now. I actually have a new one, so I'm excited about that. But the first time I ever touched it was when I started recording my first solo album, the Chronic. And this is around, I don't know, maybe the end of 1991, beginning of 1992. And that's when I fell in love. This mixing board is amazing. The reason why is because each track has its own compressions and its own gates and everything. And it gives you a certain, like another level of creativity that you can use. At least my experiences with it.

[James]

The new record that you've been working on with Snoop, is that made on this? This is made on this record, yeah.

[Dr. Dre]

I know. As odd as it, I've only produced one album on Snoop, which was in 1993, Doggy Style. I mean, we've done some songs and we've played around in between, of course, but that is the one and only album I produced on Snoop Doggy Style. So we decided to call this one Missionary. Snoop is really sounding fantastic. And we been able to come back together after all these years and do something that's really interesting.

[James]

I think he's a phenomenal artist.

[Dr. Dre]

Snoop.

[James]

This sounds like a silly thing to say, cause he's obviously wildly successful. I don't know if he necessarily always gets the respect he deserves as an artist.

[Dr. Dre]

I think that Snoop is incredible. Like, everybody loves Snoop. I personally think he does too much shit. And we've been battling and bumping heads.

[James]

Do you tell him that? Do you say that?

[Dr. Dre]

Hell yeah, I tell him that. I'm always in my big brother mode, right? I always tell him, like, why the fuck are you doing this? Like, come on. And he's like, let me live, Dr. Dre, cuz let me do my thing, man. Do I bother you about the shit you doing?

[James]

Cuz is that what he says to us?

[Dr. Dre]

So we, we have our. I'll call it sibling rivalries and shit like that. But I would love it if he just like, come on, let's focus on this thing and make sure this thing right here that we're working on is the best that it could be.

[James]

Who reaches out to who? Does Snoop say to you, Dre, let's do a record together. Or do you reach out to Snoop? How does it work with Snoop? Does Snoop say, listen, let's get in a studio and do something together?

[Dr. Dre]

James, I don't remember. I know. Maybe I called him in, let's do a couple of songs. And it was crazy. Then I said, let's make a whole album. And Snoop's crazy ass is like, cuz we can get this whole album done in two weeks. Like, no, we can't. Nah, we not doing that. Snoop recently said on some interview, like Dr. Dre says, I need two more days. And he said that to me like 85 times. So yeah, I just want to get it done and get it right. That's all it is. But I think, you know, to answer your question, I think it was probably me to motivated them to come in and do the record.

[James]

I mean, in 2001, you released a follow up to the chronic LP, and then from that point, you are producing, I would say, a solid 50 or 60% of the biggest tracks in the early 2000s was Eminem, Eve, Gwen Stefani, Mary J. Blige, 50 cents. What was it about that time? Why do you think everything came together in that moment and worked so well?

[Dr. Dre]

I think for me, in that moment, it was out of hunger. And I felt like I had a lot of ideas and I was meeting a lot of great artists and being able to collaborate with a lot of great artists like, you know, Gwen Stefani and Eve. Well, that song, I think I did two songs with them that were really fantastic. And then Eminem introduced me to 50 cents that went crazy, as a matter of fact, the Get Rich or Die Trying album. We went in the studio, me and Eminem decided he was gonna do one half of the album, and I was gonna do the second half of the album, right? My half of the album. I only spent seven days in the studio with 50 Cent, and he killed it. He murdered it. Seven days for my half of the album that included every vocal that we had to do with him in the club, all of that shit. So he came in, he was writing, he was like, you know, we finish it. Yeah, yeah, fuck that. Pull up another one. Wow, he was really on his shit.

[James]

How long did the other 50% take?

[Dr. Dre]

I don't know. Once we decided to work with 50, everything just. It was really fast because he was on it.

[James]

I mean, this brings us on. And this isn't a favorite, but just a piece of music or a song that you've touched yourself that.

[Dr. Dre]

That.

[James]

That you would consider to be significant in your life. What would that one song be?

[Dr. Dre]

Wow. Okay. I don't know. I love in the club by 50 Cent. That is like, one of my favorite mixes that I've done. Go shorty, it's your birthday we gonna.

[James]

Party like it's your birthday we gonna.

[Dr. Dre]

Sit for Cardi like it's your birthday and you know we don't give a cause that's your birthday. So if I had to choose one that I produced that I really like, I think it would be that in the club by 50 Cent, which is, by the way, one of the songs that we use to tune the headphones beats. We used one of my songs and we used one of Jimmy's songs that he produced by Tom Petty, right? Those are the two songs that we use to Tune the headphones.

[James]

But that seems pretty significant in your life.

[Dr. Dre]

Yeah.

[James]

Let's talk about meeting Jimmy Iovine. I mean, this man who's now become your collaborator for the past 30 years, what was it about him that was different to other record execs at the time?

[Dr. Dre]

Jimmy Ioving was the first exec that I met that had studio talk with me. He was asking questions about frequencies, about the mixes, the levels of the mixes, and the bass. And how did you get that bass sound? Because I remember. I remember one of the things that he talked to me about was, you know, rock and roll. They lead with the guitar and vocals. So he was asking questions about the low end and things like that. And I'd never heard a record exec ask those kind of questions up until that point. That was one of the things that jumped out. And Jimmy comes from a production background. He was a producer. So I started learning these things about him. So that's one of the things that made us mesh. He understood what it was like being in the trenches and being in the studio and what it takes to make.

[James]

Did you have any idea when you first met him, the role that you would go on to play in each other's lives for the next 30 years?

[Dr. Dre]

Absolutely not. Absolutely not. I had no idea. When I met Jimmy, all I knew was he understood what I was doing. And we learned to like. Like and love each other and create this relationship and build a bond that is still going crazy to this day.

[James]

Is this true that in the late 2000s, you and Jimmy were on a beach, and he said to you this legendary line, which was, screw sneakers, sell speakers.

[Dr. Dre]

That's not what he said, James.

[James]

Go on, what did he say?

[Dr. Dre]

Fuck sneakers, let's make speakers.

[James]

What you did with Beats is extraordinary in that you. Up until that moment, headphones were just a thing that I got with my Discman. Like, it came with my Discman. And the only people that had headphones were people who had, like, separate in their day. And they would have those big.

[Dr. Dre]

Isn't that really crazy?

[James]

It's crazy.

[Dr. Dre]

It's crazy. And I think it pissed so many people off, because the answer to that was right here. You can't even make a record without putting headphones on. The answer is right here. So there were so many people that copied us after that. Yeah, you know, it's right here. Me and Jimmy talked about it, and it was just like a really quick conversation. And then Jimmy walked off, and next thing I know, he's on it. Jimmy is the only person I know on this planet that's more excessive than me, Right? When he gets to something, that's it.

[James]

Was there any reticence or nerves from you about moving into something which felt or seemed quite commercial at that point?

[Dr. Dre]

No, it just felt like it was organic and natural because it dealt with sound. It wasn't something like, okay, just putting my name and my image on the box. No, we did this all the way from ground up. All the technology all the way down to the packaging and everything involved in everything. A lot of artists out there, they'll just put their face on something. There's something that's already created, and they'll just put their face on it and try to market it like that. Now, this thing and everything that we do is organic, is from ground up is really us.

[James]

Is it true? London 2012's happening, and LeBron James was told, if you get the men's basketball team wearing these headphones when they step off the plane, we'll give you some percentage or stock in the company.

[Dr. Dre]

Is that true? That's not true.

[James]

Oh, I so wanted it to be true.

[Dr. Dre]

No, no. Now, now. LeBron James did that on his own. Go on, tell me what LeBron James. I think there was a conversation between LeBron and Jimmy. He said, can I have headphones to give to my fellow players when we go to Beijing? Right. And that's what he did. It wasn't, oh, I'll do this for any money. No, LeBron just did that on his own. And the next thing we know, we see all the players walking off the plane wearing our headphones. And that's when we decided to make a deal with LeBron.

[James]

Did you ever think, oh, we're building a $3 billion company here?

[Dr. Dre]

Fuck, no. Fuck, no. I. Billion. No, no, no. It was never in my mind. I don't know what Jimmy was thinking, but we just go for it and see what's gonna happen.

[James]

On this list here, I've got Dre's selections. And he said, we always ask for a person. And you've said, I can't pick a person.

[Dr. Dre]

I. No, it's like a person. Can I talk about people who influence me or people that are in my life? I can talk about George Clinton and Bootsy Collins. I can talk about that. I can talk about Quincy Jones.

[James]

Let's talk about Quincy Jones for a minute.

[Dr. Dre]

Okay.

[James]

Quincy Jones. I think his influence is clear on anybody who's making music. But it feels like his influence perhaps is extraordinarily relevant to you in your life.

[Dr. Dre]

Yeah, just his production, even before he did Michael Jackson and Off the Wall in Thriller. It's just like, you know, I grew up with a strong musical background and just the jazz stuff he's done, and he's just an incredible artist, and it's like his due diligence and his thirst and his hunger, it's incredible. And especially, you know, coming back from two brain aneurysms and continuing to do what he did is amazing. And the fact that I had the opportunity to hang out with him several times and go to his house and have conversations with him and ask questions was really amazing.

[James]

So you mentioned there that Quincy had two brain aneurysms. I was here in Los Angeles, and I think it was in 2021. And I remember people in the office at the Late, Late Show. People were like, oh, my God, Dre's in hospital. And it felt like it was very, very, very serious for a moment.

[Dr. Dre]

Yeah, it was.

[James]

Can you talk to me about that time and what. What happened?

[Dr. Dre]

Yeah, I just woke up, and I felt something right behind my right ear, and it almost sounded like worst pain I ever felt. And I got up, and I went on about my day, and I thought that I could just lay down and take a nap. My son and a female friend that was there was like, no, we need to take you to the hospital. So they took me to urgent care, and I got to urgent care, and they were like, no, this is serious. The next thing you know, I'm blacking out. I'm in and out of consciousness, and I end up in the icu. You know, I was there for two weeks. You know, I'm hearing the doctors coming in and, oh, you don't know how lucky you are. And I ask questions like, what could I have done to prevent this? And nobody can give me an answer. I had no idea that I had high blood pressure or anything like that, because I'm on my health shit. I'm lifting weights, I'm running. I'm doing everything that I can to keep myself healthy. I said, would that have prevented it if I worked out a little bit harder or ate different or something like that? It's like, no, it's hereditary. You know, high blood pressure in black men. That's just what it is. They call it the silent killer. You just have no idea. So, you know, you have to keep your shit checked.

[James]

How has that experience changed the way that you look at your life now?

[Dr. Dre]

I don't know that it had a significant change on what I'm doing in the future or how I want to Live my life. I'm not saying, okay, I'm just going to go fucking crazy, because who knows if the lights are going to cut off tomorrow? I don't think about it like that. I just think it was something that just happened to me. It definitely makes you appreciate being alive, that's for sure. When you go through that situation, it's crazy. Especially when I was on my way home from the hospital, because possibly that couldn't have happened. I don't know. It's crazy. So, you know now knowing that I had no control over that, it's just something that could happen out of the blue.

[James]

Yeah.

[Dr. Dre]

You wake up and you go, shit, okay, I'm here.

[James]

I mean, thank God that you are.

[Dr. Dre]

Isn't that the weirdest thing? It's just something that you can't control. It just happens. And during those two weeks, I had three strokes.

[James]

Oh, my God, Dre.

[Dr. Dre]

Yeah.

[James]

You know, and there was no bit of. You, as a qualified doctor, thought that you knew.

[Dr. Dre]

I mean, I'm not that type of doctor.

[James]

James, I want to talk about the move that you've made into this incredible investment that you've made in education.

[Dr. Dre]

Yeah.

[James]

For anyone who doesn't know what you and Jimmy Iovine have been part of, tell me what it is that you've done and why it's so important to you.

[Dr. Dre]

Well, it's really important because the educational system right now has just been the same thing that's leaking over and over, year after year. So we're trying to introduce a different way of learning for these kids, and not only that, something that motivates them to want to go to school. None of these kids really want to go to school. I never wanted to go to school. I fucking hated school. Now, these kids that are coming in, they're extremely excited about going to school because of this new thing, and they're going to school to learn things that they're excited about learning, you know, at usc. And I've donated quite a bit of money to Compton High School to create a performing arts center, Audubon. And we're going to take this thing to Atlanta, Brooklyn. We're going everywhere to make sure that this thing that we're doing gets the attention. And these kids are going to school because they want to be there, and they want to learn something that actually benefits them in real life. A lot of the things that these kids are learning in school has nothing to do with real life. They don't learn about how to do their taxes or buy a home and loans, and all of that shit that comes up, they're learning about shit that has nothing to do with real life. So that's one of the things that we're trying to change.

[James]

It's an extraordinary legacy on top of what is already an extraordinary legacy. We're gonna end. We're gonna end on your out, okay? No, we're not. We're gonna end on your memory. The first time I spoke to you and asked you to talk about this, you said, I already know what my memory is. You said, it was the first live concert I ever attended. The first live gig.

[Dr. Dre]

Yes.

[James]

Tell me what it was and why it was so impactful for you.

[Dr. Dre]

Okay. The first concert I ever went to was in 1977, and it was called the Funk Festival with Parliament Funkadelic, Bootsy Collins. One, two, three. That was the first concert I ever went to. And I was 12 years old at the time, and it completely fucked my head up. And that was one of the things that made me go, okay, that's what I want to do. And I'm still friends today with Boosie Collins. We talk all the time, and he tells me these stories and this and that, but yeah. 1977, Los Angeles Coliseum, the Funk Festival, with George Clinton, Parliament Funkadelic and Booy Collins. That was it for me.

[James]

Dr. Dre, your place is being on your boat on the water. Your film was the Godfather. Your music choice is Curtis Mayfield and the Superfly lp. A song of your own that you've been involved in, you chose in the club by 50 cent, you're possessed session was your SSL mixing board. Your person, when pushed to choose one, you couldn't. You gave us Quincy Jones, Jimmy Iovine, Bootsy Collins. And your memory was your first concert that you attended in 1977. I cannot tell you what a thrill it is just to sit in your orbit. Thank you for this bit of time. Thank you for sharing this life.

[Dr. Dre]

Thank you for having me. I'll never forget it. Yeah. This is fantastic. Thank you so much.

[James]

Next week is this.

[Julianne Moore]

I'm Julianne Moore. Welcome to this life of mine. I came home and said to my parents, I'm gonna be an actor.

[James]

And what did they say?

[Julianne Moore]

They were like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You're so smart, Julie, don't do that. It's a waste. I'm not a music. It can make me crazy. I just can't concentrate. It's like it takes over everything. And then I can't think. I got to the Oscars, and you're sitting there and somebody came over to me and they said, you're gonna win tonight or else it's gonna be the biggest upset in Oscar history.

[James]

Who would say that?

[Dr. Dre]

And I thought to myself, I didn't.

[James]

Say that out loud.

[Julianne Moore]

I know. But then I went, I could be the biggest upset. You're sitting there thinking, this is crazy.

[James]

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