Awesome Dré
Awesome Dré, Detroit rap pioneer whose 1989 album You Can’t Hold Me Back on Priority, with “Frankly Speaking,” gave the city its first national rap profile.
Background
Awesome Dré is the stage name of Detroit rapper André Acker, who is credited as writer on his debut album. In an interview with history.hiphop he said he grew up on Woodrow Wilson, just off West Grand Boulevard, near Motown’s original Hitsville studio. He recorded with a crew billed as the Hardcore Committee. His first 12-inch singles, “Hard Core” on Just Chillin’ Records and “Out Of Reach / Lame Loser” on Jorlands Records, are both dated 1988 on Discogs.
You Can’t Hold Me Back
His debut album, You Can’t Hold Me Back, came out in 1989 on Bentley Records and was distributed by Priority Records. Kick Magazine called it “Detroit’s first real attempt at a national rap identity” and the work of the first Detroit rap group signed to a major label. The title track challenged the New York rappers Kool Moe Dee and LL Cool J on its cover and in its video. “Frankly Speaking,” filmed in downtown Detroit, became the first Detroit rap video to appear on Yo! MTV Raps. Metro Times names Awesome Dré as the first Detroit emcee featured on both Yo! MTV Raps and BET’s Rap City. The album made the Billboard Black albums chart.
Later work
Discogs dates his second album, A.D.’s Revenge, to 1993. He later appeared on Psychopathic Records-related projects, including DJ Clay’s Let ’Em Bleed mixtapes and Insane Clown Posse’s Bang Pow Boom (2009), and hosted a show called Awesome World on Psychopathic’s internet radio. In 2016 he released the CDr A.D.E.P. on his own Awesome World Entertainment label.
Reissue
blocSonic and Get On Down released a 30th-anniversary remaster of You Can’t Hold Me Back on translucent red vinyl on May 18, 2020, with new mastering by Shawn Franklin at TDX.
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