Dr. Dre Was Initially Encouraged to Design Sneakers, Not Headphones

In an article by Wired, a conversation between Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine is revealed.

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Complex Original

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Dr. Dre defines the hip-hop mogul. His legacy has transcended beyond being someone who makes music, even sparingly so, as he sold his company, Beats By Dre, to Apple for $3 billion in 2014. The company, most famously known for its line of headphones, almost didn't happen at all. According to an article by Wired, Dre was told by his lawyer that he should start a line of sneakers.

Jimmy Iovine, the co-founder of Interscope Record, had other ideas. "How the two eventually formed Beats is an oft-told tale, so much so that it’s taken on a few too-good-to-be-true details, but here it goes anyway: One day in 2006, Iovine was hanging out at David Geffen’s house in Malibu when he ran into Dre on the beach. Dre’s lawyer had been encouraging him to design a line of sneakers. Iovine, in a flash of inspiration, suggested they make headphones instead," the article explains.

Iovine also infamously said, "Fuck sneakers — let's make speakers."

The sneaker industry, as big and lucrative as it is, is tough to break into. Dre made the right choice of carving out his own lane and building an empire, rather than try to build an athletic footwear company from the ground up or do a one-off collaboration. He's now laughing himself all the way to the bank.