From one of “Amerikkka’s Nightmares” as a “Ni**a With Attitude” to mentor, mogul and now…the face of the American Association of Retired Persons??? A big Happy Birthday (!!!) and CONGRATS to a Hip Hop legend as Dr. Dre Graces AARP Magazine Cover for 50th Birthday and the “Fearless at 50-Plus” feature of the publication. We’ve definitely come a long way…
It was only a few months ago when a Harvard grad was arrested for blasting “F*ck Tha Police” in Florida…seems like only a handful of years before that Chronic 2001 was out, Eminem was on a strong come-up and the Doctor was telling us “things just ain’t the same for gangstas.” A handful of years before that NWA was busting onto the scene literally with “Straight Outta Compton,” the good Doc would tell us a few songs later to Express Yourself to your “full capabilities.”
Well it’s 2015, and not only is “Straight Outta Compton” the movie about to be out (have you seen the trailer???) but Dr. Dre Graces AARP Magazine Cover for 50th Birthday, marking yet another milestone for himself and the culture of Hip Hop. A unpredictably-fitting match for a culture which was arguably the bane of America’s existence yet broke barriers to simultaneously become it’s global ambassador–and in its time one of the fastest growing economic markets.
“Dre’s presence in the American establishment hasn’t always been so welcome. The aforementioned early days of N.W.A. were marked by protests and concerned letters to editors; most famously, the FBI sent the rap group a coolly threatening letter after their hit single, “Fuck Tha Police,” began to reverberate through the country. Pre-dating the Los Angeles riots, N.W.A.’s music was a focal point of social protest among people of color, especially on the left coast, where most of the commercially-recognized, politically-engaged rap was imported from Chuck D’s New York.” –Paul Thompson
…and back to the Doc, full 360 in a (relatively) whole new world. Dr. Dre Graces AARP Magazine Cover for 50th Birthday and through his hard work, strategy, dedication and persistence for excellence in his craft he is one of Hip Hop’s best success stories. Sidebar: though AARP is a nonprofit organization it also operates as a powerful lobbyist block and is one of the largest interest groups in America. (Guess Dre’s definitely got a lot to smile about on that cover…”well connected!“).
Dr. Dre Graces AARP Magazine Cover for 50th Birthday and he can add that to his “rap sheet” along with his lasting impact on Hip Hop music–a laundry list of epic collaborations (NWA, DOC, Snoop, Tupac, Eminem, 50 Cent, Kendrick, up to his recent protege), creating Aftermath out of the ashes of the Death Row saga, teaming up with Interscope’s Jimmy Iovine to launch the ‘forever young’ brand of Beats by Dre headphones, audio hard-and-software–and then selling the entity to Apple in a record billion dollar deal.
Happy Birthday to a true OG, “Fearless at 50-Plus” indeed. Check the vid for a look at the journey of an unprecedented icon!
