I always wondered but too many signs to confirm it...
why is dude wearing Mac Dre's outfit...hair twisted up like Dre...talking like Dre...AND they chose a Bay Area artist to do the part...
very disrespectful but the fact of the matter is Dre had fallen off at that point and was seen as a weirdo. Of course many of the styles and dances eventually caught on after his death.
Here is a video of him performing in 04....there were people who knew him because of his history but he wasnt as huge as many make it out to be back then. Even considering being underground wasn't the thing to be in the early 2000's.