Jimmy Iovine

The Defiant Ones—not to be confused with the 1958 Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier film of the same name—is HBO’s definitive account of the unlikely and wildly successful partnership of Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre. How exactly did the Brooklyn-born studio whiz who mixed Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run and Meatloaf’s Bat Out of Hell end up linking with the Compton-born DJ/producer from World Class Wreckin Cru and N.W.A? How did they change the face of popular music by ushering in the rise of Death Row Records, The Chronic, Snoop Dogg, Aftermath Entertainment, Eminem, and 50 Cent? And how the hell did they go on to build a billion-dollar brand with the launch of Beats By Dre and Apple Music? Defiance of every law of the known universe, for starters. The four-part documentary was co-produced and directed by Allen Hughes, one half of the legendary Hughes Brothers, who gave us films like Menace II Society and From Hell. MASS APPEAL had the opportunity to sit down with Mr. Iovine recently, and decided it was a good time for some real talk. He spoke candidly about signing Tupac to Interscope Records, working with Suge Knight and Death Row, and shared whether he has any regrets about releasing “Hit Em Up.” (He insisted that Interscope didn’t release it, but the label did, however, distribute the incendiary diss record—the B-Side to “How Do U Want It” and “2 of Amerikkkaz Most Wanted.”) Jimmy also shared Eminem’s secret nickname for him. The Defiant Ones

Last week, HipHopSince1987’s own E-Money and Rick Dange traveled to New York to link up with one of the biggest and most influential people in the entertainment business, Jimmy Iovine. We sat down with Jimmy Iovine to discuss his upcoming HBO docu-series “The Defiant Ones”. Via www.DefiantOnes.com “The Defiant Ones is a docu-series directed by Allen Hughes following the stories of Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre — one the son of a Brooklyn longshoreman, the other straight out of Compton. Featuring interviews with the men themselves and the artists they influenced, the four-part series tracks their improbable partnership and surprising leading roles in a chain of transformative events in contemporary culture.” Jimmy Iovine talked to HHS1987 about his early career in the music industry as an engineer for John Lennon as well as his work with Bruce Springsteen. He broke down the importance of not being lazy and striving for your goals. Jimmy Iovine also talked about how Dr. Dre was so opened and honest in the docu-series, being Suge Knight’s mentor at one point and watching his career spiral out of control, and much more. Watch this exclusive interview now and make sure you watch the multi part series “The Defiant Ones” on HBO starting on July 9th.