Dr. Dre listed his "dream" collaboration opportunities on a recent episode of Kevin Hart's Hart To Heart. He rattled off legends like Marvin Gaye, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Barry White, and Freddie Mercury. Then he let slip that there were a few star collab chances that he turned down. When Hart asked Dre who they were, he shockingly admitted he said no to both Michael Jackson and Prince. The two biggest pop stars of a generation were shunted by the amazing hip-hop producer.
"They just asked me to work with 'em. What the f*ck am I gonna do in the studio with them?" Dr. Dre said to Hart. "Those are my f*cking heroes, man!" Later in the interview, Dre said he also stood up Stevie Wonder back in the day. To be approached by not one, not two, but three pillars of music is a next-level dream. Rejecting them was difficult for Dre, but he definitely had his reasons.
Read more: Dr. Dre Says Making “The Chronic” Wasn’t His Decision: “It Was A Life Or Death Situation”
The Real Reason Why Dr. Dre Turned Down Michael Jackson & Prince
The music producer didn't want to work with Michael Jackson or Prince for two main reasons. The first was he enjoys working with up-and-coming artists, finding and developing talent rather than working with established pop icons. He said, "My entire life and career has been dealing with and working with new artists... It’s a ball of clay when they walk into the room. Just form it and do what you want—that’s what I want. Everybody else, especially my heroes, they’re comin’ in, and there’s a set plan as to how the s### should sound. I can’t explore."
The second reason is a deep respect for the crafted perception of Dre's musical heroes. "I like the way that I feel about Stevie, Prince, Michael, [Bruce] Springsteen, and all of these amazing artists, and I don’t want to change it by working with them. I don't need that on my resume." A musical purist through and through, Dr. Dre fell on the sword of his fandom for the betterment of music as a whole, as well as staying true to what he can actually provide artists, especially young rising stars.
Read more: Dr. Dre Surprises 50 Cent For 48th Birthday
[Via]
