The 58-year-old Compton, California-born Andre Romell Young (aka Dr. Dre) is likely the most important beatmaker in the history of hip-hop. He’s so beloved that even the headphones and speakers he produces with his Beats company have helped him become a billionaire.
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While Dre is known for the music he makes and the artists he discovers like Eminem and Snoop Dogg, he is also one to enjoy on the silver and small screens. Below are three movies every Dr. Dre fan should see.
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1. Straight Outta Compton (2015)
The musical biopic is about the Southern California-born rap group N.W.A., co-founded by Dr. Dre, along with Eazy-E and Ice Cube. The 2015 movie was co-produced by Dr. Dre and shows not only his origin story but also that of his four band compatriots, as well as the rise of gangsta rap. It’s one of the most informative musical biopics on the market and should have earned Ice Cub’s son O’Shea Jackson Jr. an Oscar nomination.
2. The Defiant Ones (2017)
This technically isn’t a movie. But it is part of the HBO family, meaning it’s of the highest movie quality. Either way, it’s something every Dr. Dre fan should see, and frankly, any fan of music or pop culture should watch. The 2017 release is a four-part documentary about the longtime partnership between Jimmy Iovine and Dre. In it, we see how both rose to fame out of a recording studio and took the world—from business to popular music to headphones—by storm. It’s essential. Check out the trailer below.
3. Training Day (2001)
“Training Day” has little to nothing to do with music, but it does feature a cameo by Dr. Dre as a gangster. The film that earned Denzel Washington the Best Actor Oscar also has a lot of smaller parts from folks you’d recognize. Including Dre, who gives a believable performance. Check out a scene that features the iconic producer below. It’s a movie that fans of Dre (not just his music) will enjoy.
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