Name at birth: Andre Romelle Young

Music producer and hip hop performer Andre Young, a.k.a. Dr. Dre, co-founded the notorious rap group N.W.A. (with Ice Cube and Eazy-E). The group was one of the most successful hip-hop groups of the late 1980s and helped lay the foundations of whats known as West Coast gangsta rap. In 1991, Dre got out of his deal with Ruthless Records and co-founded Death Row Records with Suge Knight. Dres 1992 solo effort, The Chronic, was a critical and popular success and made his fame as a producer. He also won a Grammy for the albums single, Let Me Ride. He helped launch the careers of Warren G., Snoop Dogg and Eve of Destruction, and has collaborated with a variety of artists, including 50 Cent, Eminem and The Game. Dres albums include Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath (1996), 2001 (1999) and the long-awaited, long-delayed Detox. His singles include Nuthin But a G Thing, California Love and Forget About Dre.