According to Tony Yayo, Dr. Dre has unreleased collaborations tucked away with Harlem’s own Diplomats. During a recent appearance on Club Shay Shay, the G-Unit vet explained that while Dre did hit the studio with Dipset, none of the music ever saw the light of day.
“Dr. Dre is just a real picky motherfucker,” Yayo said. “He did records with Dipset and that shit ain’t never come out. He did records with certain people and they never coming out. But he’s like a real particular n***a. I remember he used to tell 50 to do one line over and over again. ‘Do it over, say it like this.’ And I understood sometimes it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. Dre is a perfectionist. That was an experience.”
Jim Jones also confirmed the collaboration years ago, recalling in a 2010 MTV interview that Dre came to their studio to cut a few tracks, even giving him personal coaching in the booth.
This isn’t the first time Dre’s meticulous studio approach has been highlighted. Xzibit, who’s worked closely with Dre throughout his career, spoke recently about how transformative the producer’s direction can be. The two have created classics like “What’s the Difference” and “U Know,” and they reunited for Xzibit’s latest album Kingmaker on the Swizz Beatz-produced “Leave Me Alone.”
X described the feeling of being pushed creatively by Dre: “The direction Dre gives when he’s in the studio only elevates the record, because you rely on his experience. Even if it takes you out of your comfort zone.”
Whether or not Dre’s sessions with Dipset will ever surface remains uncertain, but with his reputation for perfection and vaults stacked with unreleased heat, fans can only wonder what kind of Harlem-meets-Compton magic was created and left behind.