Dr. Dre's Mixing Console Sells Record $165,000 Los Angeles

Dr. Dre’s SSL 4000 G+ mixing console, which was used to produce iconic albums for artists such as Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg, has sold at auction for a record-breaking $165,000, surpassing the previous high set by RZA’s E-mu SP-1200 drum machine. The auction was conducted by the Realest platform, known for authenticating memorabilia across music and sports, in an event titled "Straight Outta The West Coast Hip-Hop." Cultural collector Ryan Zurrer acquired the console and announced plans to display it publicly at the Hip-Hop Museum in New York, following its current exhibition at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. The auction also featured other significant West Coast hip-hop artifacts, including handwritten lyrics from Snoop Dogg, DJ Yella’s gold and platinum plaques, and Xzibit’s signed scripts. The SSL 4000 G+ console was originally used by Dr. Dre at Record One Studios and was obtained from longtime collaborator Che Pope. This sale highlights the growing cultural and monetary value placed on hip-hop history and its artifacts.