Urban Men of the Month: Dr. Dre and Ice Cube
Notorious gangsta rap group NWA put Compton, CA on the map. The group became national news in 2015 with the release of “Straight Outta Compton” a movie depicting the formation and rise of the six member group. Some of the members went on to have successful careers outside of NWA. The late Eric “Eazy E” Wright remained a successful record company owner. Andre “Dr. Dre” Young became a highly sought after music producer and O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson, found fame in the movie industry. What isn’t well known are their philanthropy efforts in the community.
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Dr. Dre made headlines with the release of his final studio album, “Compton”, which is the soundtrack to the Straight Outta Compton film. He has donated his royalties, from the album, to the city of Compton, to build a performing arts center.
Keonda ‘Professor KG’ Gaspard, CEO of The Producer Suite, shared what royalties consist of. “Royalties consist of ownership/splits of the song(s). Since they are private agreements, producers must make sure their percentage is high.” Gaspard went further to say, “Royalties are accumulated by the amount of times the record is played on air, in movies and performed live.”
It isn’t known how much the city of Compton will bring in, from those royalties, yet the mere fact he is donating them to the city is worth noting. Dr. Dre also made a sizable donation to the University of Southern California (USC) to create the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation.
Ice Cube’s philanthropy doesn’t make mainstream media.
Ice Cube is a strong supporter of eradicating homelessness and poverty. He has pledged his efforts to Chrysalis, a nonprofit located in Downtown Los Angeles, that assists with job training and placement for those living in/near Skid Row. Ice Cube was a past honoree, at the organization’s annual Butterfly Ball, which raises money to support their efforts. Speaking on his choosing to work with Chrysalis, Ice Cube said, “I’m real skeptical (about picking an org to support), but when I went down to the office on Skid Row and saw the work they were doing, it inspired me. I’m glad this is the organization that’s honoring me because the people they help are the people who come straight out of my neighborhood.”
2 Urban Girls salutes Dr. Dre and Ice Cube for giving back to their community and being an inspiration to others.
