N.W.A may have once been the World’s Most Dangerous Group, but the gangsta rap pioneers could become the world’s most honored after the announcement that Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and co. will receive a lifetime achievement award during Grammys week.
The Recording Academy, the organization that organizes the Grammys, announced on Friday (January 5) that the group would be among the recipients of the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award.
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The award will be presented on February 3 at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles.
According to the Academy, the Lifetime Achievement Award is “presented by vote of the Recording Academy’s National Trustees to performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording.”
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The other 2024 recipients are Gladys Knight, Donna Summer, Tammy Wynette, Laurie Anderson and the Clark Sisters.
Also given out on February 3 will be the rest of what the Academy refers to as its “Special Merit” awards: the Trustees Award (to DJ Kool Herc and Peter Asher); the Technical Grammy Award (to Tom Kobayashi and Tom Scott); and the Best Song for Social Change Award (to K’naan, Steve McEwan and Jarvis Church for “Refugee.”)
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“The Academy is honored to pay tribute to this year’s Special Merit Award recipients — a remarkable group of creators and industry professionals whose impact resonates with generations worldwide,” said Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy.
“Their contributions to music span genres, backgrounds and crafts, reflecting the rich diversity that fuels our creative community. We look forward to honoring these music industry trailblazers next month as part of our week-long celebration leading up to Music’s Biggest Night®.”
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Past Hip Hop recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award include Salt-N-Pepa, Public Enemy, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, Slick Rick, and Run-DMC.
This is the second year in a row that an N.W.A member has received a special Grammy-related award.
At the 2023 Grammys, Dr. Dre received the inaugural Dr. Dre Global Impact Award for all of his achievements in the music industry.
The award was created in partnership with the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and “recognizes the contributors, creatives and professionals with a proven track record of uplifting Black music.”
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Dre was presented the eponymous award by fellow Hip Hop pioneer LL COOL J, who in his introduction hailed the 57-year-old as “an icon who helped define West Coast Hip Hop and has become one of the most impactful success stories of our time.”
N.W.A was a pioneering Los Angeles rap group that consisted of Dre, Ice Cube, the late Eazy-E, MC Ren, and DJ Yella, alongside affiliates like the D.O.C and founding member Arabian Prince, the latter of whom left the group prior to their breakout success.
