Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine documentary series The Defiant Ones announced at HBO

ALL CROPS: 458495086 Honorees Jimmy Iovine (L) and Dr. Dre attend WSJ. Magazine 2014 Innovator Awards at Museum of Modern Art on November 5, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Desiree Navarro/WireImage)
Photo: Desiree Navarro/WireImage

Hip-hop moguls Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine are one of music’s most successful yet unlikely tandems. HBO is telling their story with a huge documentary event.

The cable network announced The Defiant Ones, a four-part documentary from director Allen Hughes (Menace II Society) on the longtime business relationship between Dre and Iovine. The series will follow Iovine, “the son of a Brooklyn longshoreman,” and Dre, who came “straight out of Compton,” through their solo careers and their partnership, which led to founding Aftermath Records, finding Eminem, and creating the instantly recognizable Beats Electronics brand.

Hughes filmed the pair over a three-year period and also interviewed Bono, Eminem, Bruce Springsteen, Ice Cube, and more. Unearthed footage of old recording sessions from their early years — including moments with Springsteen, N.W.A, Eazy-E, and Stevie Nicks — will also appear in the documentary.

The Defiant Ones has everything you expect in a great story — drama and humor, tragedy and triumph,” HBO’s President of Programming Casey Bloys said in a statement. “Allen Hughes takes you on a journey through some of the most important flash points of popular culture, and I’m delighted that we can bring this unforgettable saga to our viewers.”

The Defiant Ones will air in 2017.

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