Real Talk w/ Jimmy Iovine [Video]
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.
Dr Dre, Allen Hughes, and Jimmy Iovine • Photo coutesy of HBOMASS 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 premieres on HBO this Sunday July 9.