Wisconsin Man Raps Dr. Seuss Books Over Dr. Dre Beats

September 2024 · 3 minute read

Wes Tank is serving his fans green eggs and ham with a side of gin and juice.

The Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based actor and comedian has become a viral star during the past month for his spirited mashups of the works of two of the world's most beloved doctors: acclaimed children's book author and illustrator Dr. Seuss (né Theodor Seuss Geisel) and superstar rapper/ producer Dr. Dre (a.k.a. Andre Romelle Young).

On his YouTube page, Tank has been spitting Dr. Seuss' infamous rhymes over Dr. Dre's legendary hip-hop beats.

His series started with Dr. Seuss' 1965 book Fox in Sox, which he scored to both "What's the Difference" — Dr. Dre's 1999 tune with Eminem and Xzibit — and "Let Me Ride," his 1993 single off his debut studio album, The Chronic (featuring a chorus sung by Ruben and Jewell and Snoop Dogg).

Filmed in Tank's home, the clip showed the performer rapping Dr. Seuss' words while his colorful drawings filled the screen.

That video did well, with well over 2.2 million viewers since it was posted on March 29.

From there, Tank dove all in, with five additional videos and counting. He first reinvented the 1960 classic Green Eggs and Ham with Dr. Dre and Eminem's 1999 smash "Forgot About Dre," and then took 1971's The Lorax over three Dr. Dre tunes — 1999's "Still D.R.E." (ft. Snoop), 1996's "California Love" (which Dre produced for Tupac Shakur) and 2012's "Lil' Ghetto Boy."

The Cat in the Hat (1971), one of Dr. Seuss' most-cherished titles, was up next — Tank rapping that book over instrumentals for 1996's "Blue Flowers" (by Dan the Automator of Dr. Octagon) and 1992's "Nothing But a G Thang."

His most recent videos are extra-impressive, given the tricky nature of their words. There was the 1960 tongue-twister One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish which Tank rapped over 1992's "Deep Cover" (with Snoop), 2011's "The Next Episode" (with Snoop, Nate Dogg, and Kurupt) and Eminem's 2000 tune "The Real Slim Shady" (a Dre production). And then there was 1963's Hop on Pop — the book, designed to introduce basic phonics concepts to children, now set to the beat to "Game Don't Wait,' the 1999 Warren G., Snoop and Nate Dogg's song Dre helped make happen.

Tank told WMTV-15 that he spontaneously stumbled upon the idea of a Dr. Seuss/Dr. Dre crossover during a live show before the coronavirus pandemic, and decided to dive into his passion project amid the national stay-at-home orders.

"I needed something to do, and I had been meaning to do some of these Dr. Seuss books rapping them with Dr. Dre beats, and I decided what better time to do this than right now," he told the outlet.

He said he never expected his videos to get the attention they did.

"I had no expectations of that, absolutely not. I was shocked to find out we were on the front page of Reddit and then trending on YouTube," Tank recalled. "After that happened it just sort of spiraled. The views were tripling and quadrupling, and before you know it, we were above a million."

"It's helping me stay positive, and from the comments that I get reflected and the videos that people send me of their kids dancing, parents and kids dancing together, or cuddling on the couch, it just warms my heart," he added. "I never expected all of this, it's really beautiful to see."

ncG1vNJzZmiolaS9rbGNnKamZ52qwKqvjrCgrJufo8CquoymmKdlopa9tHnDq2SsnaWowG6uzqiirGWfq7KzecOrZJ2qlWKvpq3TrGSipl2dtq2t0aKmrqtdq7alsc5mqp6qmZrAcA%3D%3D