Dr. Dre has certainly taken his place in popular culture as a hip-hop veteran. From his origins with rap group N.W.A. in the 1980s to his rise as a producer, artist and record executive, his career has spanned almost three decades.
But after 27 years, the legendary producer is stepping out of the studio, he said during an interview with Fader.
"I've been working on music for 27 years now, and the longest I've been out of the studio in 27 years has been two weeks," he told the site, which covers music and culture. "So I feel like I'm gonna take a little bit of a break."
Dre shared the news at the opening of the first ever Beats by Dre pop-up store on Nov. 3 in New York City, where music enthusiasts can find the mogul's popular headphones and other merchandise from the product line until Jan. 15. The producer partnered with Monster Cable Products to release the line of high quality headphones and earphones in 2008.
The West Coast rapper became a best-selling artist and won a Grammy Award with his 1992 debut solo album "The Chronic," released under Death Row Records. He later left the label to start his own Aftermath Entertainment, under which he produced the album "Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath" in 1996.
Beyond his personal success, Dre is known for catapulting the careers of artists like Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent with his production assistance, and is hailed in the industry as a pioneer. In the HuffPost Black Voices video series, "The Tanning Effect," music producer Jimmy Iovine opened up about how he broke down barriers with Dre and Snoop Dogg's 1993 single "Nuthin But A 'G' Thang."
But one thing Dre didn't discuss is his "Detox" album, the rapper's third project that still has yet to be released despite talk of upcoming dates. He is keeping fans on the edge of their seats, though, saying that he is not permanently ending his career.
"I'm never gonna stop music though, it's like air to me," he told Fader. "So I'm gonna take a little bit of a break, enjoy some time with the family, until I get that itch to get back in."