ABOUT THE EVENT
Doctor Dre and Ed Lover
ABOUT THE EVENT
Yo! MTV Raps 20th Anniversary
Doctor Dre and Ed Lover are true hip-hop veterans. In the early days of hip-hop, the Long Island-born Doctor Dre cofounded the rap group Original Concept, whose 1986 Def Jam single "Can You Feel It" became one of the most sampled songs in hip-hop history.
While attending Adelphi University, Doctor Dre launched the hip-hop radio show "The Operating Room" on WBAU-FM, where he met another popular DJ named Chuck D, the future frontman of Public Enemy. That wasn't the only legendary hip-hop group with which Doctor Dre was affiliated: he wrote songs for Run-D.M.C. and was the DJ for the Beastie Boys on their "Licensed to Ill" tour.
From the hometown of Run-D.M.C. -- Hollis, Queens -- Ed Lover discovered his love for hip-hop early on. He formed the group No Face née Funktion Freaks, and he promoted and executive produced other acts.
In March of 1989, Doctor Dre teamed up with Ed Lover to bring their humor and hip-hop expertise to Yo! MTV Raps, where they became the hosts of the daily show. Quickly, their lighthearted antics -- along with the famed Ed Lover dance -- caught on with viewers, and they interviewed everyone from Tupac Shakur to Shaquille O'Neal to James Brown.
With Yo! MTV Raps as a launching pad, Ed Lover and Doctor Dre embarked on a series of high-profile side projects. They starred in the 1993 cameo-filled comedy, Who's the Man, directed by Yo! MTV Raps visionary Ted Demme. That same year, they took over New York City's WQHT/Hot 97 morning-radio show. Soon, WQHT's became the top-ranked music morning show in New York City. Ed Lover and Doctor Dre also went back to their recording roots and collaborated on the 1994 album Back Up Off Me.
After the final episode of Yo! MTV Raps in 1995, Ed Lover and Doctor Dre continued to host the WQHT morning show and in 2002 switched over to WWPR/Power 105's morning drive program.
Ed Lover went on to host the Power 105 afternoon show, where he has interviewed hip-hop greats and other icons, including Jamie Foxx and even Oprah Winfrey. He now helms the station's morning drive program.
