Dr. Dre has seven Grammy awards, five No. 1 hit singles, and multiple platinum albums to his name. But now, as he’s over 30 years into his professional career as a rapper and producer, he has earned an accomplishment that nobody in hip-hop ever has.
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On Thursday (June 22), the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) will host its Rhythm & Soul Music Awards Celebration of 50 Years of Hip-Hop ceremony in Los Angeles. At the event, Dre will be awarded the company’s first-ever Hip-Hop Icon Award. As noted on their website, “(the) ASCAP Hip-Hop Icon Award is presented to ASCAP members whose musical contributions have made an indelible impact on the art and culture of hip-hop.”
When speaking about the prestigious honor, ASCAP’s chairman and president Paul Williams showered praises on the multi-hyphenate rap superstar.
“Dr. Dre’s groundbreaking early work laid a foundation for hip-hop as we know it today,” Williams said. “As a champion for some of today’s biggest artists and a successful entrepreneur, he changed the culture around hip-hop.”
Williams could not be any more correct in his assertion. Along with helping form the legendary group NWA with the likes of 50 Cent and Eazy-E, Dre also mentored and worked closely with all-time great rap acts like Eminem, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and more.
Dre receiving this honor comes just over a year after he was celebrated similarly at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in Los Angeles, where all these aforementioned artists and more joined him for one of the best performances in the history of the NFL.
Currently, Dre is also helping Snoop work on his upcoming album Missionary. Although it has not been given a release date, the album is expected to arrive at some point in 2023, exactly 30 years after the two worked on Snoop’s debut album Doggystyle.
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
