Hood Surgeon

In the mid- to late 2000s, both New York and California rappers found themselves struggling to make their respective coasts relevant again in light of the South's domination of urban and popular radio. Compton rapper and self-proclaimed West Coast revivalist Hood Surgeon already had a leg up in that department, being the son of the West Coast's most venerated hip-hop producer, Dr. Dre. Born in December 1981 in Paramount, CA, Curtis Young and his mother relocated to Compton when he was very young and attending elementary school. He grew up in Compton just like his old man, but did not find out that Dr. Dre was his father until he was 12 years old. From that point on, nothing could steer Young away from becoming a rap artist, especially after he finally met the legend when he was 21. Following in his father's footsteps, he went on to establish his own independent label, So Hood Records, and quickly acquired several newcomers to its roster. He also had taken up production and learned how to handle some of the engineering aspects of recording all on his own. Having shelved out a few local mixtapes, Hood Surgeon started receiving exposure through some national publications and Internet sites (sometimes together with Eazy-E's son Lil' Eazy-E) in 2006, which revealed his relationship, and young facial resemblance, to Dr. Dre. The following year, the Surgeon's two singles, "Paradise" and "All I Need," preceded the summer release of his independent debut, The Autopsy of Curtis Young.