If we told you that Dr. Dre was almost a part of the Mickey Mouse club, would you believe us?
According to the New York Post, the legendary west-coast rapper caught the attention of Disney with his 1992 debut studio album, “The Chronic.” The album’s success caused then-chairman and CEO Michael Eisner to hone in on the rising emcee whose real name is Andre Romelle Young.
“We’d have these music meetings every week with Michael Eisner at Disney, and Michael Eisner came by and he sees the record’s at No. 1 and he goes, ‘I thought you had a relationship with this guy?’ I said, ‘I do,’” Dr. Dre’s lawyer, Peter Paterno, explained during an episode of the “Connection is Magic” podcast.
Not the Right Fit
According to Paterno, Eisner was only familiar with Dr. Dre’s success, not necessarily the lyrics to his songs.
“He said, ‘How come we don’t have this record?’ I go, ‘Well, Michael, let me just read you some of the lyrics…Muthaf*cka, muthaf*cka. And you know what this is on the cover? That’s a marijuana leaf,'” he continued. “The deal was $4 million. He goes, ‘We can’t do that!’ I go, ‘That’s why he’s not on the label.’”
With $4 million riding on the deal, the Disney executive quickly realized that popular tracks like “Nuthin’ but a G Thang,” “F*ck wit Dre Day,” “The Chronic,” and “Let Me Ride,” were not appropriate for Disney’s family-friendly image.
Can you imagine what the uproar would have been if this deal would’ve saw the light of day?
Still Dre
Although “The Chronic” didn’t land Dr. Dre a deal with Disney, it did land him a spot in the Library of Congress, which was previously reported by AfroTech.
Furthermore, he broke records when he took the stage at Super Bowl 56. His classic alongside Snoop Dogg hit one billion YouTube views following the show.
