Dr. Dre Reveals He Thought About Quitting Music While Creating Classic Album ‘The Chronic’

Famed music producer, Dr. Dre was on the cusp of quitting music while making his classic album, “The Chronic,” according to an excerpt from a book that was released on Oct. 3, “The Streets Win: 50 Years of Hip-Hop Greatness.”

According to Rock The Bells, legendary hip-hop recording artist, LL COOL J authored the new tome, which has stories from many esteemed hip-hop artists who have made their mark over the past 50 years of hip-hop. In this soon-to-be classic book are anecdotes from artists such as MC Lyte, Grandmaster Flash, Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick, KRS-One, Nas, and many others expressing various moments in hip-hop. One that stands out is the story of Andre Young, AKA Dr. Dre almost giving up his career due to the issues he was facing at that time.

This moment took place while he was just getting started on the solo classic project, “The Chronic” when he was fighting with former N.W.A. member Eazy-E and his former manager, Jerry Heller. As many hip-hop fans know, Dr. Dre was the second person to leave the group, N.W.A. after Ice Cube left in a dispute over money. Cube already broke out with a successful project, “Amerikkka’s Most Wanted” and Dre was prepping to become a success as well.

“In 1992, I had just bought a new house. Eazy-E and Jerry Heller were trying to starve me out and refused to pay the money they owed me. I was driving on the 101 freeway headed to the studio and, on that drive, I was thinking about quitting. I had been working on music for The Chronic for at least a month, and everything I was doing either sounded like what I had already done or not as good as what I had already done. I started second-guessing my ability and whether music was what I was supposed to be doing, but I pushed those doubts aside and persevered.”

He goes on to explain that after the brief moment of wanting to give up, his creative juices started flowing and he went out to create what we as hip-hop fans consider one of the best albums ever made.

“A week later, I started making the best music I had ever made. That moment was crucial to helping me solidify my determination to be a success. It also confirmed that I possessed everything I needed, and all I had to do was stay patient and persistent. If I had listened to that little thing that told me to quit, my entire life would be different now.”

Lucky for hip-hop fans and enthusiasts around the world, he kept on that path to become one of the most successful music producers of our time.