This is the guy that will soon occupy a corner office at Apple headquarters in Cupertino. Right next to Apple CEO Tim Cook, who praised Dre. Dre as a ‘rare talent’ during the Beats acquisition announcement this morning.
lyrics from Rap Genius.
Apple Executive Dr. Dre Talks About That Time He Gang-Raped a Prostitute and Then Killed Her…
who cares?
I do. That is why I’m not going to buy that apple product I was looking at the other day. Brilliant marketing strategy!!
It’s funny you say who cares, but when the owner of a basketball team says something racist, or the CEO of a company doesn’t agree with homosexuality, it’s “Off with their heads!” Double standards at it’s finest.
You are all just racist evil people who wish blacks were slaves instead being richer than you could ever dream. Did you know that a white man put out all of NWA’s music and sold it to all you white kids at the time who are in their 30s-late 40s and even 50s now. They know all about what was in the music so kill yourself. The deal is done and apple iphone 6 just set a record!!
Never heard any of their music. Barely ever heard of them.
Typical street thugs and gang bangers. No use in society except for target practice for police.
was wondering when someone would mention this plus tons of other shit.
That just makes you a weirdo, too.
You really shouldn’t be proud of that.
yeah who cares.
if apple had a problem with the lyrical content of N.W.A. they wouldn’t be selling it in the iTunes store. it’s been up in the store since 2002.
case closed.
Oh we’ll let them make the music and we’ll sell it, call it game changing and paradigm shifting. And we’ll profit off it. But let them have a seat at the table? Good heavens!
Right, because this post is… racist? Such a destructive double-standard in American culture.
Where did I mention race?
yes, this post at its core IS completely racist.
My intent wasn’t to call out any racism, but rather this: Dr. Dre, who’s been involved in who knows how many ventures throughout his career, is now being called out for his lyrics from 20 years by Resnikoff because he’s on the (I’m assuming: sacred, holy, untouchable, only for Gods Amongst Men) Apple board. It’s cheap, opportunistic, and this is a hack post. That Resnikoff thinks I’m calling him out on racism makes it even more hilarious.
“It’s cheap, opportunistic”
No, it’s worse — it’s slander.
Wow… If that was really true don’t you think hed be in jail now. I bet they laughing at you. Even more so I hope that superman pays back the money lost in destroying the city. Also don’t think this should be a race issue but if you don’t like rap ignore it – we tend to ignore the music we don’t like.
Because its wrong not to approve of violence, rape, murder unless the person is white? Is that what you’re sayin?
there is no american culture!
That is idiotic.
Rap has misogynistic and violent imagery. News at 11. The author is angry that a black dude finally made it into Silicon Valley.
I give up.
Don’t give up, Paul. Your point is very well taken and noted.
You actually think Paul has a point?
Don’t give up Paul .C. Delores Tucker gave up. She sued a major recording co with ties to Iovine in the 80’s ,when west coast garbage stole,what was a beautiful new culture and sound born in the the south Bronx .
Yayy
Many people believe you have an excellent point Paul. I agree so strongly that I created a petition and hope you and others will join me by signing it and asking Apple to rethink their decision: https://www.change.org/petitions/tim-cook-apple-reverse-your-decision-to-add-dr-dre-to-your-executive-staff
Keep up the good work. There’s a silent majority out there who think as you do and are tired of the garbage the entertainment industry sells and the double standard in our media.
You should give up. Some may not point it out but I will. Your post was racist at its core. Rappers are entertainers. Most ppl high up are ok with profiting off their music cuz it sells. But like others have said, the moment they want a seat at the table, suddenly their lyrics are problematic. Truth is, the lyrics in the song are about as real as Pacino killing a bunch of folks in Scarface. Nobody holds his old movies or characters against him when he wants to move up. I’d be on board with you had you picked something out that is factual and evidence based about the person, Andre Romelle Young. Even something he himself has spoken on in his past as him personally doing. Beating on past girlfriends or something. Instead you show your racism when you see him succeeding and hate it so much that you take his made up alter ego and use his made up song lyrics as factual. Meanwhile, people like you (not saying YOU did this in this EXACT scenario I’m going to use) are ok with white musicians being complete dirtbag human beings. So yes, you should give up and you should also do some serious reflecting. You won’t. Like most you’re too weak. But you should.
Maybe, but just think, I’m a consumer and it makes me angry. So I’m not buying any apple products now. F^ck Apple. Really Smart Marketing Strategy Tim.
Capitalism will gladly rake in profit using a rabid three-legged half-blind feral dog. Of course there’s no “seat at the table” for the feral dog. Being willing to make money off of something says nothing about whether it belongs in the seat next to them.
Is there some confusion as to the lack of talent or imagination Dr.Shit has? Gang banger rap….please..
Shall we start pulling quotes from all the executives in tech and music or how about all the other artists…or maybe actors and the roles they play and what about writers and on and on and on…I’m sure we could pull a few quotes from this blog that don’t really put it in the best light.
For a guy who pulled himself out of Compton and a life of poverty to this point, maybe you should cut him some slack and give him some credit. He’s now an exec at Apple and you are running this website.
And as far as an office next to Tim Cook…this guy also had an office next to Tim Cook:
“Steve Jobs denied paternity of his daughter Lisa for years. She and her mother ended up living on welfare.”
http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-jerk-2011-10?op=1
This is a pretty dumb post…you should apologize.
“For a guy who pulled himself out of Compton and a life of poverty to this point, maybe you should cut him some slack and give him some credit”
One can give him credit for that, except the means of doing so was apparently through producing this vile and amoral “art”. Nothing admirable in that.
….seriously? You’re posting this? Sounds like u jelly bro.
Shall we start pulling quotes from all the executives in tech and music or how about all the other artists…or maybe actors and the roles they play and what about writers and on and on and on…I’m sure we could pull a few quotes from this blog that don’t really put it in the best light.
For a guy who pulled himself out of Compton and a life of poverty to this point, maybe you should cut him some slack and give him some credit. He’s now an exec at Apple and you are running this website.
And as far as an office next to Tim Cook…this guy also had an office next to Tim Cook:
“Steve Jobs denied paternity of his daughter Lisa for years. She and her mother ended up living on welfare.”
http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-jerk-2011-10?op=1
You should apologize.
Thank goodness he didn’t talk about something terrible like disagreeing with same sex marriage. Then he would be fired.
Yes, and Johnny Cash actually shot a man just to watch him die.
Plus 1
“Johnny Cash actually shot a man just to watch him die.”
Not to mention the evil stuff people like John Travolta and Anthony Hopkins do in public.
I see both sides. While you may call his lyrics art, they still spring from a dark place in his mind where he thinks it’s cool and appropriate to promote violence against women to our youth. Yet, it has been 20 years. He has his own children now and hopefully regrets promoting such things like this.
Gangsta rap was tough, but the best songs had a social element to it. Tupac would sing about social justice in Keep Ya Head Up and Dear Mama.
“And when he tells you you ain’t nothin’, don’t believe him
And if he can’t learn to love you, you should leave him
Cause sister, you don’t need him
And I ain’t tryin’ to gas ya up, I just call ’em how I see ’em
You know what makes me unhappy
When brothers make babies, and leave a young mother to be a pappy
And since we all came from a woman
Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman
I wonder why we take from our women
Why we rape our women, do we hate our women
I think it’s time to kill for our women
Time to heal our women, be real to our women”
“Gangsta Rap” (the corporate media created moniker, which i loathe) was/is still written and based on fairytales. Rap lyrics are like movie scripts. It’s pure shock and entertainment. Rappers are hardly Gangsters. Why? Because that would compromise their careers and $$$. It’s safer to talk about the streets than live in the streets.
“Rap lyrics are like movie scripts”
Exactly — all these movie guys should be accused of rape and murder, too.
Why you gotta playahate with the clickbait?
Look, you either believe that words are powerful or you don’t. It’s been my experience that trying to convince people who think of music as purely entertainment with no responsibility to society aren’t likely to change their minds. They will attack you rather than the artists who degrade, glorify violence, exhalt materialism and consumerism, etc, etc, etc; as you’ve already witnessed.
Dre only did what many artists do: profit off of ignorance. I agree that people should be held accountable for the words and the message that they put out there but you won’t find many sympathetic or even aware folks who give a damn about the power of words and music to transform and inspire people.
For every Lupe Fiasco or Q-Tip there are scores of Jay-Zs, Dre’s and Rick Rosses that know the easiest way to fame and fortune is to never challenge the listener. Never show them there’s another way or try to combat the ignorance that’s so pervasive and ultimately destructive to the poverty stricken neighborhoods where some of us live.
It reminds me of my liberal, college-educated friend who remarked to me as we walked through my neighborhood years ago:
“The graffiti here is so vibrant and colorful. It’s wonderful”
“Those are tags. They indicate who’s turf you’re on and why you shouldn’t fuck with them”
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Yeah, the kid who tagged this wall is my girlfriend’s younger brother. I’m 100% sure.”
“C’mon baby light my fire
Everything you drop is so tired
Music is supposed to inspire
How come we ain’t gettin no higher?”
– Someone who gets it (Lauryn Hill / Superstar)
Thank you. That was a really insightful comment.
“He Gang-Raped a Prostitute and Then Killed Her”
Paul, what’s the matter with you?
Nobody ever taught you to distinguish between facts & fiction? Do you regularly accuse writers/actors/directors/producers of imaginary crimes — or is just Dre?
I like you and your site, but I sincerely hope Dre will sue you!
Man, I can’t get over this…
I saw that insane headline but didn’t have the time to read the story so I kept thinking:
“How the f*** could I not know this? And how can Apple hire a murderer“
And here’s the worst part:
I keep thinking: “Well, does Paul know something I don’t? Only a natural born retard would print a headline like that if it didn’t reflect reality at all. So could these lyrics actually be… autobiographical?”
That’s how slander works, Paul.
These lyrics are retarded and misogynistic. Idiolising sexual violence against women by weak and pathetic men. There is nothing that makes those lyrics ok and nothing that speaks to Dr Dre being anything other than a misogynistic arsehole. Calling him out on that is not racist. It’s standing up for women. Good for Paul Resnikoff!
“There is nothing that makes those lyrics ok”
What could you possibly mean by “ok”?
Let’s get this straight:
The lyrics are legal — Paul’s comment is not.
What about Arnold and Sylvester then? They must have killed a million people in their movies. Or is it different somehow because it is fictional films and not a fictional rap text? Would it have been a non-issue if Dre had killed and raped her i a movie instead?
Hmm. I don’t remember Arnold or Sly acting in any violent pornographic snuff films. But if they had, that would have just been make believe, right?
So instead of apologizing to Dre, you’re saying that his song is snuff — i.e. depicting actual murder?
If that’s the case, why don’t you go to the police?
You’re right. Snuff means real thing.
What I meant is, I’ve never seen them act in anything remotely as gruesome and dark as this. They would never accept a role like that. There’s a line.
“There’s a line”
And you crossed it.
Unjustifiable, Paul, just unjustifiable.
My culture has finally brought dignity and class to the United States. You are welcome!
The Medusa line is funny…
Most rap is fantasy fiction based on a tiny bit of fact or observation.
Based on 50 Cents recent pitch at baseball I now think he might have shot himself those nine times.
But if you are Dre or Iovine you will be aware there are some serious journalists now trawling your past as you just popped your head above the firing line and into a different league of scrutiny.
@dandanmusicman
Just another day in the neighborhood. Apple cares about the future and not the past. what bothers me is has Dre’s views to women changed over the years or is being a misogynist working for a company like Apple OK?
“has Dre’s views to women changed over the years or is being a misogynist working for a company like Apple OK?”
Huh?
Whatever makes you think Dre’s a misogynist? The voices in your head?
Sure it is, until me and my vagina go to buy an electronic product that Apple competes in the marketplace for.
The other thing that gets me is that this is the music industry, which has been making money off of, in some shape or form, drug use, violence, and sex (and I say this as a huge fan of music). Did everyone just now happen to forget rock music in the 70s and 80s? This is an industry built on being provocative, but now we become Puritans because one of our artists has some business influence?
I’ll say it again: this hackery at it’s finest (or worst? Both I suppose). No one seemed to mind when he was making labels tons of money. No one seemed to mind when Beats was printing money. For Resnikoff to make an issue out of this shows that he more interested in sensationalized clickbait than actual reporting on the issues. My congratulations to you Resnikoff for continuing and contributing to the shitty state of affairs in the record business.
You know I’ve been reading your column for years now, even reprinting certain articles (with your permission of course) and I’ve pretty much agreed with your columns till now.
I think you’re reading way too much into this. Everyone knows that the only person in NWA that was really living a gangster’s life was Easy E. Dr. Dre was was decked out in sequins as a member of the World Class Wrecking Cru before landing with NWA.
While NWA’s first album was very close to what was going on in the streets of Cali at the time, their second album was an over the top slickly produced album that tried to one-up the original album. These guys played “characters” just the way Ice Cube does in movies now. Hell Dre doesn’t even write his own lyrics.
In my mind the characters that the guys portray in their songs is no different from Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro or a Joe Pesci playing gangster roles in Scarface, Carlito’s Way, Casino, Goodfellas or any of the Godfather movies.
Most of us understand that none of these rappers are going around doing the things they say in their raps. All these gangsters that screamed “we don’t love them hoes” are married with kids. 50 and Jay Z came from a certain lifestyle and no one truly believes regardless of what they state in their raps that they’ll actively pull out a gun and blast someone.
Hell, David Hess’s rape scene in Last House On The Left is more disturbing than anything in a Dre song.. but I understand that it’s a movie and can separate the reality from the fantasy.
I can’t believe the title of this post. This is the most ignorant, bias, non-news worthy, slanderous post I’ve ever seen from this blog. Paul you should be ashamed. You are better than this.
This might be the stupidest fucking post I’ve ever seen on this site, and that’s pretty impressive.
wait. did Paul really give up? 🙂
Yes, Dre rapped that verse, but where does it say he wrote it? Everybody knows Cube wrote Dre’s lyrics most of the time. EZ, after leaving NWA commonly referred to Dre as a “studio gangsta” meaning he wasn’t a real G like he claimed to be on record. This article doesn’t even come close to being journalism. Ignorant rabble rousing might be a more accurate description.
it’s pretty strange, your using rap genius to prove your point inasmuch as they regurgitate much of what you seem to find so offensive. rap genius is, after all, the brainchild of a guy who just wrote some really dumb shit on the heels of a mass murder. your post is the best example that services we admire and freely use, quite often come from people we can’t respect. i should think it would be easier to ride that high horse if all its legs were of equal length. just saying…
I guess NBC should cancel Ice-T’s character on Law & Order SVU. He has admitted he is a murderer in several of his lyrical confessions.
Anything to get so good ol’ “rabble! rabble!” goin hey there Paul?….
…..Ah-Thay Took Our Jobs!
Paul, you should really take this post down. It’s slander and border-line racist. I truly hope Andre Young sues you.
Really guys? This is newsworthy? Who writes this garbage? This wasn’t a problem when Dre was one of the most successful west coast producers on the market and it shouldn’t be now either.
Hello, it’s a song. He’s inhabiting a character. Yeah, it’s vile. Yeah, it hurts to read it. But fiction — and there is no reason to assume this isn’t fiction — is art, not diary. We don’t know his motives for writing it. If an artist can’t say whatever he wants within the context of his art, then his art is compromised. Yeah, this stuff is easy to hate. But art doesn’t exist only to please.
Not buying any apple products now anymore. If you didn’t like that person, then you should have stayed away from them – nobody forced you to be around her, she didn’t kidnap you. So you’re a rapist murderer and should have been an abortion. Actually, considering what you’ve become, you should have been raped as an infant, severely disfigured, burned and maimed, then maybe you might have become a human with compassion for other humans. So now Apple is just plain disgusting too.
“you’re a rapist murderer […] you should have been raped as an infant, severely disfigured, burned and maimed”
Omg.
Happy now, Paul?
These lyrics promote extreme sexual violence against women and heroise the misogynist pig who wrote the song and who is now joining Apple. As one of the largest companies in the world Apple has an obligation to some standards. Appalled their judgement has been so off on this. I hope women boycott them.
“misogynist pig”
🙂
I can’t believe I have to say this, but writers create characters like Dre’s when they want to portray bad guys.
That’s fiction 101…
Who’s the prostitute now?
Shame on you Paul. But nice job of baiting the number of commenters up the charts. I rarely visit this site anymore. The writers who work at DMN are damaging their careers by association. Someone please ensure that Guardian and other outlets and news watchdogs such as Poynter are aware of this.
Whether Dre wrote the lyrics or not, he chose to rap them. I wouldn’t. His decision, even if it’s 20 years later, he still has to live with them because they are on record. Anybody who doesn’t see something wrong with this has serious problems; stop worshipping the guy as an untouchable idol, get your heads out of your asses and wake up. If we were talking about someone else, you’d agree with the post.
Dre chose to rap this, he’s got to live with it. As for racism in this post, what??? People who see it as racist just don’t have arguments to defend their point so they resort to name calling.
I’m glad I dislike Apple for all the crappy products they put on the market, but these lyrics could even be the reason they hired Dre to begin with. Why do you think your iPhone has only 1 button (the prototype had 5)? Because Steve Jobbs thought Apple users were too stupid to use more than one button.
The debate here is whether is can be said that “Dre rapped and killed” and then we discover it is lyrics of a rap song. Did he actually do that ? apparently not. Does he think it is cool ? we don’t know. No one asked him.
People working in Finance in Wall street and anywhere else actually kill and ruin people everyday to make profit. They don’t see it, we don’t see it, it is indirect, but it is real, it is known, it is proven. they can be CEO of apple better than Dre ??? So let me know, what’s the problem with someone who is not an acting criminal and who did not do the things said in the title of this article???? (well, may be making and selling the Beats headphone is a actual crime against all musicians producers and the audience, but no one sued him for this,yet 🙂
“making and selling the Beats headphone is a actual crime”
Haha, yeah he should be severly punished for that!
But that’s the only crime he did. And Apple’s white earbuds are worse…
Idiot – this was what? 25 years ago?
Who cares.
Who does the majority of the raping.
I know,I went to college!
I hate you guys.
F@$king haters.
Rape,so many black men lost their freedom for that stupid shit!
Well, if you looked like a kardashinan maybe, I would understand.
Reminds me of when Steve Wozniak called Eddie Murphy the n word.
Don’t give up Paul, many people agree with you and are sick of the crap the entertainment industry sells and the double standard in the media. I agree so much I created a petition asking Apple to reconsider their decision to hire him, and I hope you and others will consider signing it: https://www.change.org/petitions/tim-cook-apple-reverse-your-decision-to-add-dr-dre-to-your-executive-staff.
Many people agree with you Paul so don’t stop voicing your opinion. I agree so strongly that I wrote a petition asking Apple to reconsider, or at least explain their justification: https://www.change.org/petitions/tim-cook-apple-reverse-your-decision-to-add-dr-dre-to-your-executive-staff. I can’t figure out why the media is silent on this one in light of the outrage toward Deen, Sterling, Eich, and others. Guess you have to be offensive on the right subjects. Feel free to add your voice.
Dr. Dre’s music doesn’t appeal to me at all. In fact 99% of rap doesn’t appeal to me. Rap to me is, well, spoken word with a beat. Anyone who writes lyrics that glamorize the degredation of women and the attainment of wealth by any means(moral or immoral)way possible is either going for shock value and/or faux “street cred”. Most of these lyrics are highly fictionalized anway and bear no resemblance to any truth. In the Black community it doesn’t matter if it’s true or not It only matters if it is “cool”. And the Whites that listen to it don’t care as well because they are trying so hard to be Black. When did White folks start to think acting Black was cool? And when did Blacks start to think acting White was cool? Be yourself…that’s cool. You could make a song out of ordering at a drive thru if you put a beat behind it. Now there are some artists out there with genuine talent. Talent with lyrics, arrangement, melodies, hooks, etc. Dre just happened to come up at the right time. He is a nominal talent at best musically. Now as a business man…that’s a whole other story. He has either had excellent people advising him or he is a genius or both. As far as his lyrics from 20yrs ago are concerned if you don’t agree don’t drink the Apple Aid and don’t buy one of their products. Simple as that.
Sex quality mothafuckas! This is a good thing, if it had been a guy he would had done the exact same thing, this is a win for all the Sex equality fighters!
Live with it,
Peace!
he isnt talkin about it he is rapping it different concept entirely
sounds like your mad you weren’t one of the bitches dre was beatin on