Compton, California Mayor Aja Brown says she wants to give Dr. Dre, who has represented Compton throughout his career, a key to the city, according to TMZ.
Brown also says she wants to involve Dre in the restoration of Compton. Specifically, Brown says she hopes to have Dre’s assistance in sponsoring performance arts or music programs in the city, according to the publication.
If Dr. Dre were to accept the the key to the city, he wouldn’t be the first emcee to do so. The report says DJ Quik has also earned a key for his efforts in charity.
In April 2011, Quik spoke with HipHopDX about receiving the key to the city. “I was such a philanthropist I probably gave away $250,000 to the city of Compton, my guy,” Quik said at the time. “And who will ever say that? I got the key to the city of Compton when I was 29-years-old. They didn’t give me that for my music. That music was violent. They gave me that because of how I was going back into them schools and raising money for them schools.”
This Dr. Dre news follows reports of the producer being involved in a deal between Apple and Beats Electronics. According to reports which surfaced last week, Dre stands to make $1 billion if Apple purchases Beats. The rapper appeared to confirm the reports in a video released by Tyrese.
“The first billionaire in Hip Hop right here from the motherfucking West Coast,” Dre says in the clip.
Dr. Dre has referenced Compton in many of his songs. For example, on “Bitch Niggaz” off 2001, Dr. Dre raps the following: “Straight off the streets of chaos and no pity / The aggravated, makin’ these punk mothafuckers hate it / Compton is the city I’m from / Can’t ever leave the crib without a murder weapon.”
