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Don’t forget about Dre
Why aren’t more people talking about Dorchester’s Robinson?
BY CHRIS RUCKER

It’s a refrain that’s as true in Boston hip-hop circles right now as it was when Eminem spit it: they forgot about Dre. In this case, the forgotten one is DRE ROBINSON, the Jamaica-born, Dorchester-bred MC who appears to be on the verge of a breakout. Boston is one of those little-big cities where everyone knows everyone else, and when things start popping, it doesn’t take the neighbors long to find out. So it’s strange that more people aren’t talking about Dre right now. Industry circles have been buzzing with rumors that three major labels were in competition for his services, and last week a distribution deal with Fontana/Universal looked imminent.

" I’m sincere like Nas in Belly, and groupies follow the boy like he’s a star already, " Robinson rhymed on " Get Right, " a track that made noise on the club-and-mixtape-circuit last year thanks to a cameo by Mobb Deep and a platinum beat. DJs from around the country put the song in rotation, spearheaded by home-town support from Clinton Sparks, JAM’N 94.5’s Gee Spin, and Hot 97’s Chubby Chub and Statik Selektah (not to mention yours truly). Soon after, New York got into the mix. Kay Slay the Drama King pumped " Get Right " on his influential " Drama Hour " show on NYC’s Hot 97, the East Coast’s biggest hip-hop station. " Give him a deal! " , the Drama King bellowed on the air. And not long ago, Sparks used his connections from his Shade 45 satellite-radio gig to pass along a CD to Eminem’s Shady Records, then brought Robinson on the air to speculate about the label’s interest. " I’m still amazed when I hear people responding to my work, " Dre told me last week. " Believe me, I appreciate it because I know it’s not promised. It makes me feel good to see people gravitating toward my music and [know] that DJs at these stations are showing me a lot of support. It gives me more drive to do what I do. "

Robinson says he’s " swamped with material " — he’s recorded about 80 songs and plans to have new material on the street by the end of the summer. He recently cut a freestyle over Kanye West’s " Diamonds " beat that’s due to show up on Who Am I, a mixtape teaser for his Pollymore/Mass Appeal debut studio album This Is Me. And he’s still in the studio with Marcus DL, a partner (along with Backstreet Boys’ Kevin Richardson) in Blue Jay Studios in Carlisle who produced " Get Right " and its follow-up buzz tracks " Pressures on Me " and " Searchin’. " (The latter was a tribute to his parents, both of whom died before Dre’s 24th birthday.) Also on the horizon is a debut by Robinson’s group Jacob Family featuring Shall and Don Black. In the meantime, you should get last year’s Pollymore Music Group/Mass Appeal mixtape Starvin’ 3: The Feeding (see www.pollymoremusic.com), which includes " Get Right " plus contributions from an all-star collection of friends from Boston and beyond including Wu-Tang’s Cappadonna, Nappy Roots’ Big V, and Smoke Bulga. And most important: don’t forget about Dre.

Chris Rucker is the host of New England Product, which airs Sundays from 9 to 10 pm on WFNX 101.7 FM.


Issue Date: July 29 - August 4, 2005
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