Dr. Dre has evolved from a young musician raised in Compton into one of the most influential and prosperous men in entertainment. Now, years after setting up a multi-million-dollar program at USC, the mogul has broken ground on a new school in his hometown.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the producer-turn-executive has donated $10 million out of the $200 million it will take to build the performing arts center on a new Compton High School campus.
Reflecting on his life as a Compton youth, Dre said at the groundbreaking ceremony, “I was an artistic kid in school with no outlet for it. I knew I had something special to offer to the world, but with nothing to support my gift, schools left me feeling unseen.”
Dr. Dre attended Centennial High, another Compton staple not far from the new business, but transferred to Fremont High in South L.A., before dropping out of school altogether to pursue his career in music.
The space on the Compton campus will be extraordinary, seating more than 900 people and be named the “Andre ‘Dr. Dre’ Young Performing Arts Center.”
In addition to donating to the Compton school, as AllHipHop.com reported in 2021, he and his Beats Electronics co-founder Jimmy Iovine are opening a magnet public school in South L.A. Classes start in the fall.