Dre Day

Death Row vs Ruthless

January 1994

Dre POV

Man, the Village Recorder Studios was buzzin' with energy, and Snoop's "Doggystyle" was back on top, killin' it on the charts like it owned the place. But in the midst of all that success, there was this heavy tension hangin' in the air, thicker than smoke in a hotbox.

Jade stood by my side, worry etched all over her face. She kept pushin' me to make things right with E, to patch up the mess between us. But I knew it wasn't that simple.

"Dre, why can't you and Eric just squash this? Blood's thicker than water, you know?"

"Jade, you gotta understand," I told her, leaning against the board, "things ain't the same no more. E and I... we're on different paths now."

Her eyes pleaded with me, tellin' me 'bout family and how deep that bond should run. And yeah, I felt that. We built somethin' real once, but it fell apart like shattered glass. Some breaks, they just can't be fixed, no matter how much you wanna glue 'em back together.

Jade's voice softened, still pushing for something that might be gone for good. "But family, Dre. You and Eric, you had something real."

I nodded, but my mind was set. "I know, but sometimes, things just break. Can't glue shattered glass back together, you feel me?"

I took a beat to let it sink in, gazin' at Snoop and the crew, acknowledgin' the success we'd scored. But behind that success, there was this ache, this regret for what was lost—a bond that used to be unbreakable, now torn apart by the craziness of the music game.

"Dre, I'm just tired of this mess," Jade sighed, her frustration evident. "Y'all dissing each other in magazines, on wax... it's exhausting."

She had a point, and deep down, I knew it too. "I get it, Jade. But this ain't like patching things up with Cube or keeping it cool with Ren and Yella. It's different."

I shook my head, memories flashing by. "Me and Eric, we were brothers once. But things went down, lines got crossed. It's a whole other level of messed up."

Jade's gaze softened, but her determination remained fierce. "But Dre, y'all built something big. Something real. Ain't that worth fighting for?"

Her words hit hard, echoing in the studio. Yeah, maybe it was worth fighting for. But some fights, they leave scars that ain't gonna heal easy. "I wish it was that simple, Jade. I really do."

"Hey, what about T.A and D.O.C?" Jade asked, shifting the conversation. "Do they feel the same way as you do about Eric?"

I nodded, trying to convince myself more than her. "Yeah, they do. We're all on the same page, you know."

But Jade wasn't buying it. Her gaze held mine, searching for the truth. "I don't think so, Dre. T.A, he's been distant lately, and D.O.C... I don't see the same fire when it comes to this."

I felt a pang of doubt, but I pushed it aside. "They're solid. Trust me, Jade. We're a team."

Still, her skepticism lingered, a silent challenge to my conviction. Maybe she saw something I didn't or refused to acknowledge.

"Jade, you know the American Music Awards are coming up, right?" I mentioned, trying to shift gears a bit. "Nominated for New Emerging Solo Rap Artist and Best Hip Hop Album."

Her face lit up with genuine excitement. "Dre, that's amazing! You deserve it."

Before I could respond, Suge strolled in with T.A and D.O.C in tow. His voice, filled with confidence and a hint of swagger, boomed across the room. "Y'all ready for the American Music Awards? Death Row's gonna be there in full force."