Dre is the actual meaning of a producer, not a beatmaker, as I would see it.
There was a good interview somewhere, where, as far as I remember, the typical production of a Dre beat would start with Dre talking to his crew (e.g. Mike Eliziondo (voted no. 1 bass player in 2003 in USA), Scott Storch (former Roots keyboard player) etc) about what he is seeking, they then start jamming until they come up with something good, then Dre comes in and lay down the drums and they're done...
In addition, I read that Dre is working with Burt Bacharach on his 3rd, and most likely final album. Dre is sending off little bits and pieces to Burt, then Burt arranges, plays new stuff etc and sends it back to Dre.