All three rap heavyweights along with Epic Records CEO Sylvia Rhone will receive the Recording Academy Global Impact Award next month.
Dr. Dre, Missy Elliot and Lil Wayne
Rap heavyweights Dr. Dre, Missy Elliott and Lil Wayne will be honored by the Recording Academy and the Black Music Collective at a pre-Grammy event next month.
The Grammy-winning performers, along with Epic Records CEO Sylvia Rhone, will receive the Recording Academy Global Impact Award at the Feb. 2 event at Hollywood Palladium. They are earning the honor “for their personal and professional achievements in the music industry.”
“I am so thrilled to honor and celebrate these four giants in the music industry,” academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. said in a statement. “Last year’s inaugural event was such a highlight during GRAMMY Week and now with Dre, Missy, Wayne and Sylvia there to pay tribute to this year, it’s definitely going to be another night to remember. I continue to be proud of the work of our Black Music Collective as it’s a vital part of what we do here at the Academy.”
Last year John Legend, MC Lyte, D-Nice and the record label Love Renaissance (LVRN) — home to Summer Walker, 6lack and other acts — received the Recording Academy Global Impact Award.
Dre has won seven Grammys and this year picked up his first Emmy for his epic Super Bowl halftime show performance alongside Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and Kendrick Lamar. He’s produced all of his own hit songs and also crafted hits for Snoop Dogg, Blige, Lamar, Eminem, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Eve, Nas, Busta Rhymes, Gwen Stefani, Anderson .Paak and more.
Elliott has won four Grammys and like Dre, has produced her own hits and songs for others, including Aaliyah, Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, Monica, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Ariana Grande, Destiny’s Child, Fantasia, Jazmine Sullivan, SWV, Total, 702, Mya and Tweet. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019.
Lil Wayne has won five Grammys and dominated the rap and pop music scene for years. His hits include “Lollipop,” “Stuntin Like My Daddy,” “6 Foot 7 Foot” and “A Milli.” He’s a highly requested collaborator and helped launch the careers of Drake and Nicki Minaj.
Rhone has been been a top music executive since beginning her career in the ’70s. In 1994 she made history when she was promoted to chairman and CEO of Elektra Entertainment Group — making her the only African American and the first woman in the history of the recording industry to attain the dual title. She also served as president of Universal Motown Records and executive vice president of Universal Records, and currently oversees Sony’s Epic Records.
