Did Dr Dre leaving Death Row make much of a difference?

[WesCrook]

By 1996, west coast hip hop was fading anyway. The only things that kept Death Row relevant at that time were Pac (who really wasn't a west coast rapper aesthetically) and the East/West beef itself. Musically, Death Row/Dre/Snoop didn't have the same influence they had a couple years prior. Their popularity was more tabloid-driven

A second Chronic album should have dropped in '94 and Snoop should have followed up in '95 at the latest. Instead, they just lingered with random soundtracks and few projects with lesser artists that really didn't pan out as expected.

I'm not so certain that Dre's presence would have not made a difference had he stayed. Besides, "The Aftermath" was

They seriously would have had to start diversifying their talent base, because that gangsta shyt was done with. Eazy-E started expanding himself until he got sick.

 

[JustCKing]

It made a huge difference because Dre didn't just leave Death Row. He abandoned "gangsta rap" altogether and focused more on The Firm (an mafiosos East Coast collective ironically) and his sound was less West Coast. It set the stage for Bad Boy's dominance using mafiosos themes and aesthetics over glossy, commercial production. Then No Limit took "gangsta rap" and kept it in the mainstream. Snoop went over there. West Coast really didn't get a revival until Snoop/Dre reunited with an updated sound.

It would've been interesting to see how it all played out had Pac lived, but Dre leaving Death Row made a huge difference.

 

[Tommy Gibbs]

No it didn't cuz Dre's career was on egg shells. He did half of the firm(flop) after his aftermath presents album flopped. And I thought they were both good albums. If not for white amerikkka backing that cac Eminem, he would have went the way of guys like Prince Paul in the mainstream. Iovine kept Dre relevant in the mainstream. Even tricked people into believing a pos headphone like Beats are good. .

 

[African Peasant]

It made a huge difference because Dre didn't just leave Death Row. He abandoned "gangsta rap" altogether and focused more on The Firm (an mafiosos East Coast collective ironically) and his sound was less West Coast. It set the stage for Bad Boy's dominance using mafiosos themes and aesthetics over glossy, commercial production. Then No Limit took "gangsta rap" and kept it in the mainstream. Snoop went over there. West Coast really didn't get a revival until Snoop/Dre reunited with an updated sound.

It would've been interesting to see how it all played out had Pac lived, but Dre leaving Death Row made a huge difference.

You're giving Dre too much credit.

That trend started brewing before the Firm, when Dre was still making Gangsta rap.

 

[African Peasant]

No it didn't cuz Dre's career was on egg shells. He did half of the firm(flop) after his aftermath presents album flopped. And I thought they were both good albums. If not for white amerikkka backing that cac Eminem, he would have went the way of guys like Prince Paul in the mainstream. Iovine kept Dre relevant in the mainstream. Even tricked people into believing a pos headphone like Beats are good. .

Yep. Eminem and Iovine saved Dre.

 

[King Poetic]

They would have still been on top if suge didn't have whole compton up in the studios and fukking up nikkas money..

RBX said it right when he said nikkas didn't really feel like recording that much for the fact suge didn't want to leave nikkas in compton and do work in Beverly hills...nikkas was trying to escape that bad element of life but suge didn't...

Then when u go from having dollars in your pockets to nickles nikkas lose the heart to record hot shyt for u

 

[GoonieToons]

No, Pac dying killed everything though

Pac took Death Row to another level, more worldwide and next stage was to unite the coasts and bring Death Row to the East. Suge had the ultimate rapper in Pac, a true superstar, he could do it all, rap, act, speak, had the looks, the image.

Dre became a recluse taking credit for other producers work

 

[Phantom Dreamer]

it made a whole heap of difference.

 

[O YOU MAD BRA]

By 1996, west coast hip hop was fading anyway. The only things that kept Death Row relevant at that time were Pac (who really wasn't a west coast rapper aesthetically) and the East/West beef itself. Musically, Death Row/Dre/Snoop didn't have the same influence they had a couple years prior. Their popularity was more tabloid-driven

A second Chronic album should have dropped in '94 and Snoop should have followed up in '95 at the latest. Instead, they just lingered with random soundtracks and few projects with lesser artists that really didn't pan out as expected.

I'm not so certain that Dre's presence would have made a difference had he stayed. Besides, "The Aftermath" was

They seriously would have had to start diversifying their talent base, because that gangsta shyt was done with. Eazy-E started expanding himself until he got sick.

You used the word aesthetically wrong

 

[WesCrook]

it made a whole heap of difference.

He was living off his rep from his Chronic/Doggystyle days. His last couple years were no that significant.

Pac did them a favor by signing up

 

[old boy]

Pac (who really wasn't a west coast rapper aesthetically)

why do you say that?

 

[JustCKing]

You're giving Dre too much credit.

That trend started brewing before the Firm, when Dre was still making Gangsta rap.

I didn't say Dre started mafiosos rap. I was saying him abandoning "gangsta rap" set the stage for Bad Boy to dominate like they did.

 

[WesCrook]

You used the word aesthetically wrong

I knew that. I didn't want to be redundant with "musically", so I compromised. Good catch, though.

 

[JustCKing]

Yep. Eminem and Iovine saved Dre.

Eminem didn't save Dre. The records that Dre did for SSLP weren't even indicative of the direction Dre was heading. Dre's real come back was this record:



"My Name Is" got Dre's name back out there, but from him being "back", the Snoop record did more than the Em record did.

 

[Olu Dara]

Scott Storch saved Dre