Tonight (Feb. 5), the inaugural Dr. Dre Global Impact Award was presented to the Compton, California native at the 2023 Grammy Awards. Fellow hip hop living legend LL Cool J gave “The Next Episode” rapper a heartfelt introduction before the 57-year-old took the stage.
While speaking before the audience, Dre thanked the Academy for the special recognition and shared his excitement for the soon-to-come tribute saluting 50 years of hip hop. The “F**k tha Police” artist is known for founding game-changing record labels such as Death Row Records and Aftermath Entertainment. His genius has launched the careers of some of the most notable names in the industry, including Snoop Dogg, Tupac, 50 Cent, Eminem and many more.
LL Cool J presents the Global Impact Award to Dr. Dre #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/tNrWA2JEiW
— Leon Carrington (@LeonCarrington) February 6, 2023
Last year, the West Coast powerhouse gave an Emmy-winning Super Bowl halftime performance, where he was joined by some of the aforementioned artists along with Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar. “That lineup changed the world. They changed music, they changed politics, they changed the way that we dress. They had a seismic influence in music, culture and beyond, and not one of them had been on a Super Bowl bill before, and all of a sudden, they’re all on the same Super Bowl bill, and by the way, it’s near Compton, where some of this started, where Dre started, literally this is his backyard,” the big game’s director, Hamish Hamilton, told Billboard following the sporting event.
During his acceptance speech, Dre noted that his career has spanned 40 years and shared how proud he was of the inaugural award in his name that would inspire the next generations of artists, producers, engineers and other creative talents in the industry. Tonight’s Grammys took place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, where former The Daily Show host Trevor Noah served as the event host.