Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine Think A.I. Is Good for Music

Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre had already spoken three times on the phone by the time I showed up on a recent morning to interview them at Mr. Iovine’s art and memorabilia-filled mansion in Los Angeles.

Mr. Iovine, a record producer from New York, and Dr. Dre, a hip-hop star from California, have been an influential creative force since the 1990s. Mr. Iovine’s Interscope label backed Dr. Dre’s seminal solo albums, and the two later spotted and signed artists like Eminem. Their creative chemistry also hatched Beats by Dre headphones and helped build Apple’s streaming music service after the tech giant acquired their company.

Mr. Iovine’s mind seems to move a mile a minute, bouncing from one idea to the next. Dr. Dre, who joined midway through the interview, comes across as more measured, generally allowing Mr. Iovine to speak first before jumping in.

At one point, Mr. Iovine, 73, tried to describe his relationship with Dr. Dre, 61, using an extended metaphor about the parts of a car. Dr. Dre added his own touch: “Sometimes I’m the gas pedal, sometimes I’m the brakes.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/23/business/jimmy-iovine-dr-dre-beats-usc.html