Watch Dr. Dre Explain Why He Thinks Social Media Has Shattered Artists’ 'Mystique'

While social media has been helpful for a younger generation of artists, some veteran players don’t necessarily see the benefit.

In a new interview with British GQ, Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine opened up about their thoughts on social media, saying the platforms have given fans too much access to artists’ lives.

“I probably would’ve hated social media when I was coming up,” Dre said around the 15-minute mark in the video above. “There’s a certain mystique that gets destroyed. I like the mystique. I like waiting. I don’t need anybody to know where I am every minute or what I’m doing. Or what I’m about to do… There’s a certain mystique that came along with music that was entertaining to wait to see what was about to happen.”

Iovine also reflected on what role digital fame plays in a musician’s success these days. “If Michael Jackson had Instagram, would he have ended up healthier?” Iovine said. “Who knows.”

“I think what’s happened is, ‘great’ was never behind fame as much as it is now. Fame is what the currency is. Likes or whatever the stuff is,” Jimmy continued. “So fame, and if you happen to be great…musicians up until recently, that’s why people put music out every day. That’s marketing.”

Last month, Dre and Iovine donated money to support Compton residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, which helped cover medical testing and supplies, and provided 145,000 free meals for residents.

Watch Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine’s interview above.