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Dr. Dre is such a big music icon, he now has an award named after him.
On Sunday night at the 65th Grammy Awards, the legendary rapper and producer was awarded the newly renamed, first ever Dr. Dre Global Impact award.
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Given out by the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective, the award recognizes “personal and professional achievements in the music industry.”
The award was first handed out in 2022, with John Legend being the inaugural winner.
But at Sunday night’s ceremony, the name of the award was officially renamed to honour the legacy of Dr. Dre.
Dre was awarded this year alongside Missy Elliott, Lil Wayne and Epic Records Chairman-CEO Sylvia Rhone, who all received their prize at a gala held on Feb. 2.
There’s a new award at the #GRAMMYs, and @llcoolj is here to present it to the icon who inspired it, @drdre. pic.twitter.com/JLjr9vaa1G
— CBS (@CBS) February 6, 2023
At the big Grammys gala on Sunday, Dre’s award was presented by LL Cool J.
“I’m extremely moved by this award,” Dre said, accepting the award. “I’m gonna say thank you to the Recording Academy and the Black Music Collective for this honour. I know everyone here probably knows this already, but this is the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.”
He continued, “Where would I be, where would a lot of people here be without hip-hop, to be honest? Hip-hop became a lifeline for me as a teenager growing up in Compton, and it started with a song called ‘The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel’. Scratching and mixing on the turntables had me hooked, and became the entry point to a 40-year career of doing something that I really love.”
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Dre went on, “And much of what I love is involved with collaboration, assembling a team of talented artists, engineers and musicians with gifts different from mine, and who shine in ways that I don’t, has been both inspiring and crucial to my success, and I’m extremely grateful to all of those who have comprised that team over the years, and I would not be here accepting this award without their contribution.”
Finally, he said, “I’m also thankful to all the people who have been by my side, often through difficult moments in my life that caused me to get to this point in my life. Inspiration is one of my favourite words, and as a creative, it’s what I’m always in search of, and I hope to leave behind long after I’m gone. So what I love about this award is that it uses my name to inspire the next generation of producers, artists and entrepreneurs to reach for their greatness and demand that from everybody around you. Never compromise your vision at all. Pursue quality over quantity, and remember that everything is important.”
