Dr. Dre is one of the greatest producers of all time, but there was a time when he almost called it quits on music. The 58-year-old mogul revealed reasons why he almost gave up and how his decision not to while making The Chronic led to him hitting an impactful creative stride.

The Aftermath Entertainment founder had the honor of writing a portion of LL Cool J‘s new book The Streets Win: 50 Years of Hip Hop Greatness and reflected on his career. “In 1992, I had just bought a new house,” Dre wrote. “Eazy-E and Jerry Heller were trying to starve me out and refused to pay the money they owed me. I was driving on the 101 freeway headed to the studio and, on that drive, I was thinking about quitting.”

He continued, sharing that he was working on The Chronic at the time, but was not satisfied with the music he was making. “I started second-guessing my ability and whether music was what I was supposed to be doing, but I pushed those doubts aside and persevered. A week later, I started making the best music I had ever made. That moment was crucial to helping me solidify my determination to be a success.”