But behind the shades and blunts lay Dr. Dre’s masterstroke. In the early '90s, Dre plucked Snoop from obscurity, introducing him to the world on “Deep Cover.” The chemistry was electric.

In the late 1980s, Dr. Dre came onto the music scene as a member of the hip-hop group N.W.A. Once he left the group, he embarked on a solo career that included releasing a few albums, such as his ...