Aw Naw Hell Naw: DRE DAY and everybody's celebratin'!!!

So it's mid February and I think we all know what that means. February 18th, the birthday of Andre Young, otherwise known as Dr. Dre is fast approaching! Each year the masterminds at Burlesque of North America put on a party that has become such a tradition in Minnesota, it has spread to the fine cities of New York and Chicago and is even slated for a Canadian tour. Word even has it that last year's headliner, Arabian Prince (an original member of Dre's group NWA) has told the good Doctor about the birthday party that's thrown in his honor for the last seven years here in town, and he apparently lol'd and just kept saying how bugged out and awesome it was.

This year the party will be held on February 14th (hence the Minnesota Loooove theme) at the historic Varsity Theatre. As always it will feature local hip hop acts and DJs strapping on their Compton hats and locs and celebrating the music of arguably the best hip hop producer of all time. So to help get the good people of the TC area into the spirit, I've decided to make a list of the top 5 things you may or may not know about Dr. Dre (look for some download links in there too!).

5. He's been in the game for 25 years makin' rap tunes, ever since honeys was wearin Sassoon. Now it's '09 and they clock him and watch him, diamonds shinin' lookin' like he robbed Liberace.

4. The famed "Dee Barnes incident" in which Dre was sued by Barnes in 1991, was due to a fancy editing job on Barnes' show depicting Ice Cube dissing his former group NWA and vice versa. Per Dr. Dre: "it ain't no big thing-- I just threw her through a door."

3. In the NWA hit "Express Yourself"(download), Dre declares that he "don't smoke weed or cess, cuz its known to give a brotha brain damage." Four years later he dropped the classic album The Chronic, setting off his solo career with the quintessential album that celebrates both weed and cess (among other things).

2. Pre-NWA and Deathrow records days, Dre started his career with the World Class Wreckin Cru, showcasing both a smile and a gerry curl not to mention some shiny clothes. The group produced such West coast hits as "Surgery"←--download. A few years later, Dre dated '80s R&B star Miche'le and produced her first album which included the notable 80s pop/R&B hit "No more lies"←---download.

AND number one:

1. When you diss Dre you diss yourself (motherfucker).

So! Make sure you get down to the Varsity Theater on Saturday February 14th for Dre Day VII, featuring Muja Messiah, Trama, DJs Mike 2600 and Grocery, plus yours truly and your funky host Espada. The $20 sack pyramid returns and there will even be prizes for best dressed couple! Its Dre Day 2009 and everybody's celebratin', and we ain't leavin til 6 in the mornin'!

For more info, go to dredayparty.com, and in the meantime, check out this sweet video promo for Minnesooota Looooove. See you there!