Get to Know Dr Dre: 11 Things to Know about the Rap Icon from His Recent Divorce to His Son's Tragic Death

Dr. Dre is one of those rappers and producers that tend to stay out of the limelight as much as possible. To honor this media mogul, we’ve put together 11 facts about his life.

1. Dr. Dre is a father of 6 children: four sons and two daughters. The children are by five different women and they are: son Curtis Young, daughter La Tanya Danielle Young, son Andre Young Jr. who sadly passed away, son Marcel, and with his current wife, Nicole Threatt, he has two more children, son Trucie and daughter Truly.

2. Some of his fans might recall that he was a member of rap group N.W.A., but before he joined them he was with the World Class Wreckin' Cru. The group was originally named Disco Construction.

They consisted of Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, Alonzo “Lonzo” Williams - who set the band up, and Cli-N-Tel.

Dr. Dre at the after-party for the premiere of "Straight Outta Compton" on August 10, 2015, in Los Angeles, California | Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

HIS STEPBROTHER AND NICKNAME

3. Rapper Warren G is the billionaire’s stepbrother. The pair became stepbrothers when Dr. Dre's mother married Warren G's father.

4. Dr. Dre was not always known by that nickname, he was originally called “Dr. J.” The “J” was chosen by the rapper to honor his favorite basketball player, Julius Erving's nickname.

He finally changed the “J” to “Dre” with the new nickname being taken from his own name, Andre Romell Young.

HIGHEST-PAID MUSICIAN

5. The artist actually made more money with his “Beats” headphones than he ever made with his music. In 2014, he was named the world's highest-paid musician by “Forbes.”

He became the highest-earning musician after he sold the “Beats” brand to Apple for $3 billion. Before taxes, Dr. Dre earned $620 million. In 2019, his net worth was sitting at $800 million.

FILING FOR DIVORCE

6. The rapper is the CEO of Aftermath Entertainment which was founded in 1996. The star created the record label after leaving Death Row Records the year before.

7. Dr. Dre has been married for 24 years to Threatt. The couple got married on May 25, 1996, but reports state that she’s filed for divorce.

ABUSE ALLEGATIONS

8. Musician Michel’le once dated Dr. Dre but their relationship ended because of abuse allegations and reports that he’d cheated on her with Threatt. In 1990, the rapper also allegedly attacked hip hop journalist, Dee Barnes, after accusing her of disrespecting him in an interview with Ice Cube.

HIS SON’S DEATH

9. Andre Young Jr., 20, passed away in 2008. His mother, Jenita Porter, was the one who found him dead when she tried to wake him up out of bed.

DR. DRE’S LA HOME

10. Dr. Dre’s Los Angeles home was bought for a whopping $40 million in 2014. The mansion used to belong to NFL quarterback Tom Brady and his wife, Gisele Bündchen.

RAPPER’S FIRST FILM

11. Besides making music and headphones; the rapper has appeared in films. His first movie appearance was as weapons dealer Black Sam in 1996’s “Set It Off.”

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