Roots of Dr. Dre

Roger Troutman, also known simply as Roger, was an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the founder of the band Zapp who helped spearhead the funk movement and influenced West Coast hip-hop due to the scene's heavy sampling of his music.

Cypress Hill is an American hip-hop group formed in South Gate, California in 1988. One of the first Latin American groups to gain mainstream recognition in hip-hop, they have sold over 20 million albums worldwide, and have obtained multi-platinum and RIAA platinum certifications. They are considered to be among the main progenitors of West Coast hip-hop and 1990s hip-hop. All of the group members advocate for recreational marijuana use as well as medical marijuana use of cannabis in the United States. In 2019, Cypress Hill became the first hip-hop group to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Earl Simmons, known professionally as DMX, was an American rapper, songwriter, and actor. His accolades included an American Music Award, a Billboard Music Award, and six Grammy Award nominations. Regarded as an influential figure in the late 1990s and early 2000s and one of the greats of hip-hop, his music is characterized by his "aggressive" rapping style, with lyrical content varying from hardcore themes to personal themes such as trauma or childhood abuse.

Aston George Taylor Jr., professionally known as Funkmaster "Funk" Flex, is an American DJ, rapper, record producer, and host on New York City's Hot 97 radio station. In 1992, he became host of the first hip hop radio show on Hot 97 in New York, which was a dance radio station at the time.

S. Frederick Small and better known as Daddy Freddy, is a Jamaican ragga vocalist.

Blackstreet is an American R&B group founded in 1991 by Virginia Beach, Virginia-based record producers Chauncey "Black" Hannibal, Joseph "Street" Stonestreet, and Teddy Riley. The group released four albums with Interscope Records between 1994 and 2003. They achieved moderate commercial success leading up to their 1996 single "No Diggity", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks.

David Axelrod was an American composer, arranger, and producer. After starting out as a staff producer for record companies specializing in jazz, Axelrod became known by the mid-1960s in soul and jazz circles for his recording skills. In 1968, Axelrod embarked on a solo career and released several albums during the 1970s that showcased his characteristic sound, which combined heavily microphoned drums and baroque orchestration, and avant garde themes ranging from the environment to heightened mental awareness.

Calibro 35 is an Italian cinematic funk band formed in 2007 in Milan. The band has released numerous studio albums, live records, and movie soundtracks, gaining international recognition for their unique sound inspired by 1970s Poliziottesco films.

Jerry Williams Jr., generally credited under the pseudonym Swamp Dogg after 1970, is an American country soul and R&B singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. Williams has been described as "one of the great cult figures of 20th century American music."

Robert A. Hall Jr., known by his stage name Lord Finesse, is an American rapper and hip-hop producer from The Bronx, New York, best known as the leader of the D.I.T.C. crew. About.com ranked him number 29 on its list of the Top-50 Hip-Hop Producers.

Aston George Taylor Jr., professionally known as Funkmaster "Funk" Flex, is an American DJ, rapper, record producer, and host on New York City's Hot 97 radio station. In 1992, he became host of the first hip hop radio show on Hot 97 in New York, which was a dance radio station at the time.

Death Row Records is an American record label that was founded in 1991 by The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and Dick Griffey. The label became a sensation by releasing multi-platinum hip-hop albums by West Coast-based artists such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and 2Pac during the 1990s. At its peak, Death Row made over US $100 million annually.

The Sequence was an American hip hop group formed in Columbia, South Carolina in 1979, that comprised Angie B., Blondy, and Cheryl the Pearl. The group rose to fame with the single, "Funk You Up" (1979), which was the first rap hit performed by women and one of the first commercially successful hip hop singles. Their debut album, Sugar Hill Presents The Sequence (1980), was released on Sugar Hill Records and was the first hip hop record on vinyl released by an all-female act.

David Keith McCallum was a Scottish actor and musician. After varied film roles in his native Britain, he gained wide recognition in the 1960s for playing secret agent Illya Kuryakin on the American television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964–1968), a role that earned him nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.

Devin Charles Copeland, better known by his stage name Devin the Dude, is an American rapper. In 2025, he co-created Coughee by Devin the Dude, a hemp and cannabis-culture brand.

Black Hippy was an American hip hop supergroup from South Los Angeles, California, formed in 2008. The group consisted of rappers Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, and ScHoolboy Q. Black Hippy was constructed after all of its members had signed to Carson-based indie record label, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE).