Dr. Dre’s Newest Discovery Is From Garland

Justin Mohrle drives through the streets of Sherman Oaks, California, Snoop Dogg playing faintly on the radio as the sun begins to set. The 23-year-old Garland native—JT to his friends—is behind the wheel of a rented high-end Hyundai sedan he definitely didn’t pay for. His last job, at Macy’s, barely paid enough to cover his rent. Riding shotgun is Thomas Biggars, his best friend and personal videographer.

It’s Biggars’ second night in town from Dallas, but Mohrle has been here since earlier in the summer. That’s when he was summoned to California by Dr. Dre.

Dre had heard a demo the young rapper made with the help of Dallas hip-hop legend The D.O.C. Now Mohrle is in a spot previously occupied by Snoop, Eminem, 50 Cent, and Kendrick Lamar: under Dre’s wing. Since making what he calls an “indefinite” move to the West Coast, he’s been spending marathon 13-hour writing and recording sessions at Record One, the cutting-edge studio complex in Sherman Oaks that’s been Dre’s second home for much of the past decade. As far as Mohrle is concerned, that means Record One is his second home now, too.

Tonight is a rare night off from the studio, and Mohrle and Biggars want to make the most of it. It’s almost 9 pm, but they are determined to get in a little sneaker shopping. Mohrle says he’s kind of starting to learn his way around, so he’s pretty sure we’ll make it to the mall in time. When we get there, however, the mall is closed.

Read the full article at dmagazine.com.