A viral Instagram post insisted an Uber driver possessed such industry clout that he could play a passenger's songs and promptly send them to Dr. Dre. According to the post, the passenger told the driver he made music, which surfaced on April 22. The driver responded, "J, I'm not your average Uber driver. "To the rider's surprise, the songs played over the car speakers without a beat missed before he called up the legendary producer. The clip also includes a phone call with a Suge-type and one who is purported to be Dre, who claims that he couldn't listen right then because he was "rollin'."
Enter Producer Focus… is a highly respected producer within Dre's orbit with many receipts. He saw the clip and did what any friend of Dre's should do: he called B.S. He swooped the fake voice out of the sky there that was Dre's voice and zeroed in on the word "rollin'" as the telltale. "That ain't Dre. I'm rolling!?!? Trust me. That ain't Dre," Producer Focus… wrote, including four laughing emojis to signal how ridiculous he found the situation.
Little Brother's Rapper Big Pooh also shared the sentiment and threw some laughing emojis. The internet being the internet, the jokes came immediately: Someone rechristened the mystery voice "Temu Dre" and compared the faux Dre to the discount shopping site that has come to be synonymous with knock-offs.
According to a University of Georgia survey, people lie online to make themselves appear better to others. They want to seem cooler, more talented, more connected. A tale of your Uber driver with Dr. Dre on speed dial? That's gold in the currency of internet attention.
It goes beyond receiving likes and comments; it's about feeling recognized. Creating a spectacle such as this makes some think spectacularly, if only for a quick 15 seconds. As AI technology and deepfakes continue to gain popularity, the line between fiction and reality seems to be getting blurrier and blurrier.
In this instance, the truth arrived quickly. Thanks in no small measure to Producer Focus… leaping into action, the brakes were pumped on this fairytale before it could gain too much traction.
Just because someone with a playlist took your phone call doesn't mean you've found your ticket to the top. And if someone says Dre is "rollin'," rest assured you're being driven.
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