Dr. Dre Clarifies That N.W.A. Never Made Gangsta Rap: “That’s Never What We Went In To Do”

Dr. Dre addresses the music made by N.W.A. during the late ’80s and ’90s, clarifying that he didn’t contribute to its “gangsta rap” nickname.

During a recent interview on Kevin Hart’s Hart to Heart series, the legendary producer discussed the type of music he believed the iconic West Coast group created and how it differed from others.

“By the way, I never liked it being called that, ‘gangsta rap,’” Dre said. “That’s never what we went in to do. We were just making hardcore Hip Hop. That’s all it is. I don’t know why it got that title, or who gave it that title. I don’t know who the f*ck that was but, it wasn’t us.”

When Hart inquired whether N.W.A. had been bothered with correcting the categorization of their music, Dre responded, “We let it go.”

He added, “We just embraced it and let it go, but that’s not what we decided to do. That’s not what we called. We [were] just doing Hip Hop. Hardcore Hip Hop.”

In another part of the interview, Dre shared that The Chronic album was not initially his own idea; rather, he was persuaded to embark on the project. He further revealed that his friend and collaborator, The D.O.C., advised him to enter the studio and begin the creative process, ultimately convincing him to commence work on his debut solo album.

“A close friend of mine, we’ll call him D.O.C., talked me into doing the Chronic album,” he continued. “It wasn’t my decision, I was talked into doing that. I just went in there and went for it because I felt, at that time, it was a life or death situation.”