Dr. Dre’s first album in 16 years will benefit his hometown, as the singer announced on Thursday he will donate the royalties to build a performing arts and entertainment facility for youth in Compton, California.
On Aug. 1, Dr. Dre announced on Beats 1, to the obvious surprise of everyone in the studio, that he would release the album, "Compton: A Soundtrack by Dr. Dre." It was inspired by the movie, "Straight Outta Compton," about the success and troubles of N.W.A., the band that launched the career of Dr. Dre, 50,
whose real name is Andre Romelle Young and who's not any kind of real doctor, as far as anyone knows.
“I was leaving the set coming to the studio and I felt myself just being so inspired by the movie that I started recording an album. I kept it under wraps, and the album is finished,” Dr. Dre told Beats 1 DJs.
Later, he told Beats 1 DJ Zane Lowe about his decision to donate the album royalties to the community to help youth,
the Los Angeles Times reported.
"I've been really trying to do something special for Compton and just couldn't quite figure out what it was. She (Compton Mayor Aja Brown) actually had this idea and she was already in the process of working on it. I said, 'Boom, this is what we should do,'" he told Lowe Thursday.
Brown tweeted:
The city and "Straight Outta Compton" could use the good vibe. Both have been in the media shadow of Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight's murder trial in the
January hit-and-run killing of one man and injury of another following an argument on the set of promo there for the film.
Dr. Dre, who sold his popular Beats music company to Apple for about $3 billion, has referred to the "Compton" album as his "grand finale, "
reported Rolling Stone.
"When it comes out, the record will boast 16 new Dr. Dre songs and feature appearances by Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, the Game and Xzibit, among others, " RS wrote. "Its release also signals an end to years of speculation about the release of Detox, the long-in-gestation, mythical album which he says he has abandoned. "
The album was released on iTunes Friday.
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