Dr. Dre is paying it forward to his hometown with a sizeable donation.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the hip-hop icon recently donated $10 million to aid Compton High School's new $200 million project. On Saturday (May 9), the California school broke ground on its new campus, which will be decked out with a new gym, an aquatics center, a football stadium, a track, and a performing arts center in honor of Dr. Dre.
Dr. Dre said at Saturday's groundbreaking ceremony, “I was an artistic kid in school with no outlet for it." He continued, “I knew I had something special to offer to the world, but with nothing to support my gift, schools left me feeling unseen.”
“This city is special, and [the] young people living in it are special,” Dr. Dre added.
The new "Andre ‘Dr. Dre’ Young Performing Arts Center" at Compton High School will serve 1,800 students, doubling the capacity of the old facility. The decision to name the performing arts center after the Grammy winner was made unanimously back in 2017.
Compton Unified Board President Satra Zurita said in a statement, “I am looking forward to seeing this tremendous vision break ground and am so thankful to Mr. Young, who has done Compton proud." Zurita added, “He [Dr. Dre] is firmly planting a legacy of opportunity for our students!”
Superintendent Darin Brawley said, “I am grateful to Mr. Young, not only for making such [a] contribution to our District and its students, but also for seeing our students as valuable… as having potential and deserving of opportunity.”
The $200 million project is funded by the school district’s bond measure passed in 2015, Los Angeles Times reports. The new campus is scheduled to open in 2025.
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