Dre Young

Dre Young knew he wanted to pursue music after seeing his first concert in seventh grade. Master P was in town at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. The minks, rolex necklaces and crowds mesmerized the young emcee as he listened to the “gangsta” rhymes flow through the mic. The son of a military mother, growing up Dre Young moved around the country from Alaska to Atlanta and Seattle to California. Rapping and creating song concepts became his constant creative outlet.

In high school Dre Young was very active in the music club. During lunch he'd free-style and make beats with tables and fists. Dre experimented with tongue-twisting sounds and developed the quick and witty delivery that decorate his tracks today. He was also heavily influenced by Jay-Z's beats and boss-style. Inspired by the mogul's business acumen, Dre Young committed himself to developing as an artist and businessman.

In 2004, entertainment entrepreneur Kareem Lee approached Dre Young about a record deal with Simple Life Records – offering him a partnership as a flagship artist. Dre jumped at the opportunity to build a company and bring his brand of music to the market. Since then, he has recorded several mixtapes with Simple Life Records, including the most recent productions “Midwest Invasion: Volume 1” and “Droppin’ Bombs.”

Dre Young believes music is about having a good time, but also about keeping it 100. “My music is fun and unique,” Dre says, “But I never make a song just to make it. I like there to be some meaning behind it. I think that is what makes my music different.” Many would define Dre's style as hip-hop or rap, but he has another word for it: Funkadelic. “I’m always trying to come with something brand new. Something creative, something funky. It’s like a funkadelic rap!”

Another way that Dre seeks to be unique is coordinating choreography in his live performances. “My performances are a 10,” Dre says, “I like to entertain and give people their money’s worth. I think that putting choreography with my music is what makes it different, because you don’t see a lot of choreography with the style of music that I make.”

He is wrapping up production on “Midwest Invasion: Volume 2” – due out Fall 2010 – and building buzz for his currently Untitled album release. “My main goal is to get people hyped up about my album,” Dre says, “Once Midwest Invasion 2 drops, we’re going to hit the clubs with performances and reach out to multiple media outlets to really promote the music. I’m really excited about it.”