Street Sounds: Dr. Dre

Way before 'Detox', 'The Chronic', and N.W.A., at the age of 19 Dr. Dre joined the electro group World Class Wreckin' Cru. Though Dre's tenure in World Class Wreckin' Cru would last less than three years, he produced a string of regional hits that are still landmark electro cuts.

Wreckin' Cru's initial hit was 'Surgery' which references Dr. Dre by name numerous times throughout the song. World Class Wreckin' Cru's second album 'Rapped in Romance' (with its often-lampooned cover) produced another minor hit titled 'The Fly'. In 1986, Dre left World Class Wreckin' Cru due to money issues and formed N.W.A. with Ice Cube, Eazy-E, DJ Yella, and the Arabian Prince who were also initially an electro group ('Panic Zone') before reinventing themselves as "the world's most dangerous group" in 1988.

Another notable production credit by Dre is the 1988 hit 'Supersonic' by J.J. Fad on the cleverly titled album 'Supersonic'. There's not much you can say about this one; it's still a dancefloor filler and there isn't much to talk about lyrically (am I asking too much?).

The Lowdown:
World Class Wreckin' Cru 'Surgery'
from 'World Class' (1985) (MP3/CD not available)
World Class Wreckin' Cru 'The Fly'
from 'Rapped in Romance' (1986) (MP3/CD not available)
J.J. Fad 'Supersonic'
from 'Supersonic' (1988) (MP3/CD)