Not only did Andre “Dre” Young help legitimize hip-hop in the cultural imagination—and finally put LA rap on even footing with New York—he changed the vocabulary of the music itself. His production on N.W.A’s provocative 1989 debut Straight Outta Compton (see the classic title track and inflammatory “F**k tha Police”) ushered in the era of the sampler, quickly leading to tracks that were denser, harder, and more reference-heavy. But he was only getting started, and his 1992 solo turn The Chronic—included on Apple Music’s Best 100 Albums list—introduced the mainstream to Snoop Dogg (“Nuthin’ But a “G” Thang”) and the West Coast’s slinky, synth-licked G-funk, both of which immediately became ubiquitous at the time. Dre would collaborate with Snoop many more times over subsequent decades, as well as helping to build careers for some of the most significant rappers of their generations, including Eminem (2000’s “Bitch Please 2”) and Kendrick Lamar (2012’s “Compton”). All the while, he reasserted his continued relevance with two more savvy solo albums, reminding us that he was a formidable rapper as well as a foundational sonic architect on tracks like 1999’s “Still D.R.E.” And teaming up again with Snoop in 2024, Dre sounds downright ageless via the funky backdrops luxuriating beneath “Gorgeous.”