(KTLA) — The “Next Episode” for Dr. Dre is a big one.
The native of Compton, California, received a high honor from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) on Thursday night, becoming the first-ever artist to be presented with the organization’s Hip-Hop Icon Award.
“I feel so fortunate to be involved in a movement where disenfranchised Black youth had a hand in revolutionizing our culture,” the producer said accepting the honor. “Hip-hop gave an outlet to a creative young man like myself and allowed us to be seen and heard beyond the concrete walls of our neighborhood.”
Dr. Dre’s friend and frequent collaborator Snoop Dogg was also in attendance to celebrate the former’s award.
Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, has a career that spans four decades.
The rapper and producer rose to fame as the co-founder of the Los Angeles-based “gangsta rap” group N.W.A. in the mid-’80s. He left the group in 1992 and created Death Row Records, soon releasing his wildly successful solo project “The Chronic.” Death Row went on to sign hip-hop greats like Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg.
In 1996, Dre left Death Row and founded Aftermath Entertainment, where he signed artists including Eminem, 50 Cent and Kendrick Lamar.
He later founded Beats in 2006 with record company executive Jimmy Iovine. The company became a subsidiary of Apple in 2014.
In 2016, the “Still D.R.E.” rapper was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.
