In a new episode of Kevin Hart’s ‘Hart to Heart’ talk show, producer Dr. Dre revealed why he decided not to work with Prince and Michael Jackson when those opportunities came knocking. He explained:
“They just asked me to work with them, and I was just like, ‘What the f*ck am I going to do with them?'”
The producer added:
“My entire life and career has been dealing with and working with new artists. That’s what I like.”
Dr. Dre also shared with Hart that he enjoys working with lesser-known artists as a producer, where he sees more space to mold their sound compared to a mega artist like Prince or Jackson. He continued:
“… It’s a ball of clay when they walk in the room. You can just form it and do what you want. That’s what I want. Everybody else, especially my heroes, they’re coming in, and there’s a set plan as to how the shit should sound. I can’t explore.”
As a producer, Dr. Dre admitted that he would rather listen to Prince and Michael Jackson and look up to them than make their music by saying:
“These are my heroes. I like the idea of what I grew up listening to [them], and I want to keep it like that. I don’t want to f*ck up that idea and that look.”
Dr. Dre has worked with the likes of Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and Anderson Paak, but the producer revealed in his chat with Kevin that he also recently said no to a chance to work with Stevie Wonder. He continued:
“[He did not want to affect] the way I feel about Stevie, Prince, Michael, Bruce Springsteen, and all of these amazing artists [which] could change by working with them.”
You can read Dr. Dre’s interview with People here.
