Dr. Dre honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
You can take the Walk of Fame off the list of those who "Forgot About Dre": Tuesday was officially Dre Day in Hollywood.
(KTLA) – You can take the Walk of Fame off the list of those who "Forgot About Dre": Tuesday was officially Dre Day in Hollywood.
Dr. Dre was given some "California Love" as he was honored with the 2,775th star on the Walk of Fame.
The Compton native — real name Andre Young — received the star in the recording category.
Artists such as Eminem, Xzibit, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg were in attendance as well as former record executive Jimmy Iovine, with whom Dre founded Beats Electronics and the Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy at the University of Southern California, which focuses on entrepreneurship.
"I'd like to thank the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce who felt that I was finally ready to walk in the footsteps of Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent. All of whom got stars before me for some f-----g reason," Dre said, laughing. "Don't trip, I'm not bitter. It's all good, I'm here now."
Jokes aside, the producer and rapper gushed about being memorialized on the iconic star-studded strip, saying it was an "incredible tribute" to his artistry.
"Growing up in Compton, I never imagined that I would one day be represented here among some of my childhood heroes," he said.
Dr. Dre is a nine-time Grammy award-winning artist and producer. He co-founded Death Row Records and later became the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics.
He credited his success to staying focused on his passion, saying it allowed him to become an integral part of hip-hop and rap history.
"I've been fortunate enough to make a living doing exactly what I love to do," he told the crowd. "Isn't that the dream?"
Dre began his career with the hip-hop group N.W.A. in the mid-to-late '80s as a producer alongside Ice Cube, Eazy-E, MC Ren and DJ Yella. The group was a main pillar in the rise of the gangsta rap genre.
In 1992, he debuted his solo album "The Chronic," which achieved triple-platinum status within a year of its release. It ended up making him one of the top 10 best-selling American performing artists of 1993, and it earned him a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance, for the song "Let Me Ride."
Dre is also credited with finding, producing and working with several now-successful artists, helping to jumpstart the careers of Anderson .Paak, Kendrick Lamar, the Game and Eminem, the latter of whom brought 50 Cent to Dre's attention.
"I'm incredibly grateful for your support throughout the years; most of us have grown up together," Dre said during his speech. "At nearly 60 years old, you're still rocking with me, and I really appreciate that, which is really good because I'm nowhere near done.
"You better believe there's a lot more coming," he added.
Dre's star is located at 6840 Hollywood Blvd., in front of the Jimmy Kimmel Studios.