NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - June 2, 2010) - ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) will honor hip-hop pioneer Dr. Dre with the prestigious ASCAP Founders Award during its 23rd annual Rhythm & Soul Music Awards. The invitation-only event will take place on June 25, 2010 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California, and will also honor the songwriters and publishers of the most performed ASCAP songs on the 2009 R&B/Hip-Hop, Rap and Gospel charts.
The ASCAP Founders Award is among the most prestigious honors that ASCAP gives to songwriters and composers who have made pioneering contributions to music by inspiring and influencing their fellow music creators. Each recipient is a musical innovator who possesses a unique style of creative genius that will enrich generations to come. Past recipients include Garth Brooks, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Smokey Robinson, Paul McCartney, Ashford & Simpson, Patti Smith, and Berry Gordy Jr. and Motown Industries.
Commenting on the award to Dr. Dre, ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams said, "Dre is one of the most important voices in modern music. He created a unique, recognizable sound that dominated rap music in the early 1990s, and has played a major role in developing and launching the careers of some of the biggest names in the business. He continues to inspire artists and producers across all genres with his musical techniques, and we are very proud to honor him with ASCAP's Founders Award."
Legendary artist and producer Dr. Dre has enjoyed both critical and commercial success throughout his career, changing music, culture and perceptions while always remaining true to himself and his vision. As an artist, Dr. Dre began his career creating groundbreaking music as a member and producer of renowned hip-hop group N.W.A. His two solo albums which followed, "The Chronic" (1992) and "Dr. Dre 2001" (1999) are two of the most influential and essential hip-hop albums. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine listed Dr. Dre as the 54th Greatest Artist of All Time. Dr. Dre has won five Grammy awards including Producer of the Year in 2001. He has produced albums that together have sold more than 120 million units worldwide and has worked with artists including Eminem, Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, 2Pac and 50 Cent. In 2008, Dre released his high-performance brand of headphones, Beats by Dr. Dre. In October 2009, he teamed with HP to launch a line of computers that feature the extraordinary sound of Beats by Dr. Dre.
The 23rd annual ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards celebration will also feature a special presentation of ASCAP's highly coveted Songwriter of the Year award to the songwriter with the most award-winning songs of 2009. Past recipients of this top honor include Johntá Austin, Mary J. Blige, Kandi Burruss, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Jermaine Dupri, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Alicia Keys, Terius "The Dream" Nash, Stargate's Mikkel Eriksen and Tor Hermansen, C. "Tricky" Stewart and Timbaland. Special awards will also be presented to Publisher of the Year, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Song, Top Rap Song and Top Gospel Song. The evening will feature performances by several award-winning songwriters/performers.
Members of the press may apply for credentials at
http://www.ascap.com/press/pressroom/rhythmsoulawards/
About ASCAP
Established in 1914, ASCAP is the first and leading U.S. Performing Rights Organization (PRO) representing the world's largest repertory totaling over 8.5 million copyrighted musical works of every style and genre from more than 380,000 songwriter, composer and music publisher members. ASCAP has representation arrangements with similar foreign organizations so that the ASCAP repertory is represented in nearly every country around the world where copyright law exists. ASCAP protects the rights of its members and foreign affiliates by licensing the public performances of their copyrighted works and distributing royalties based upon surveyed performances. ASCAP is the only American PRO owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. www.ascap.com
