LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) – The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Rhythm and Soul department has announced legendary multi-platinum-selling rapper and producer Dr. Dre will receive the inaugural ASCAP Hip Hop Icon Award at the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards Celebration of 50 Years of Hip Hop. The celebration is set to take place on Thursday (June 22) in Los Angeles.
“Dr. Dre’s groundbreaking early work laid a foundation for hip hop as we know it today. As a champion for some of today’s biggest artists and a successful entrepreneur, he changed the culture around hip-hop,” states ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President Paul Williams. “Dre continues to be a pivotal figure in the music industry, and we are thrilled to recognize him with the inaugural ASCAP Hip-Hop Icon Award as we mark 50 years of hip-hop.”
Eight-time Grammy Award-winning artist, producer, founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, entrepreneur and philanthropist Dr. Dre began his career as a World Class Wreckin’ Cru member. Shortly after, he co-founded the revolutionary group N.W.A. with Ice Cube, Eazy-E, DJ Yella, Arabian Prince and MC Ren.
The Compton native embarked on his solo career in 1992 when he released his solo debut album The Chronic, which has been certified triple platinum by the RIAA, reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200 and won a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance (“Let Me Ride”).
Dre launched Aftermath Entertainment in 1996, where he is widely credited with having launched the careers of hip-hop superstars such as 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem.
American record executive and co-founder of Interscope Records, Jimmy Iovine and Dre established Beats Electronics in 2008 and later launched Beats Music, both acquired by Apple in 2014. Among many other accolades, Dre won a Grammy and an Emmy for the HBO docuseries The Defiant Ones and the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and 50 Cent took home three Emmys.
In 2013 the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation was funded and established. In 2022, they expanded their efforts to the Los Angeles Unified School District, opening the Iovine and Young Center (IYC) Integrated Design, Technology and Entrepreneurship (IDTE) Magnet. This new high school will offer students a cutting-edge curriculum.
Grammy Award winner DJ Kid Capri will provide music at the June 22 event, and attendees will include top names in the music and entertainment industry.
