USC Awards Presidential Medallion to Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine for Innovation in Education

Jimmy Iovine, left, and Andre “Dr. Dre” Young, right, celebrate with a graduate of the USC Iovine and Young Academy during commencement ceremonies in Los Angeles. (Photo: USC Iovine and Young Academy)

Andre “Dr. Dre” Young and fellow music industry titan Jimmy Iovine were awarded the University of Southern California’s highest honor — the Presidential Medallion — during this month’s Academic Honors Convocation, recognizing a decade of educational innovation and cultural impact through the USC Iovine and Young Academy.

The two co-founders, whose names now anchor USC’s 21st school, joined USC Dean of Religious Life Varun Soni and philanthropists Leslie and William McMorrow as the latest recipients of the medallion, which is given to individuals who bring "significant honor and distinction" to the university.

 

The announcement was made by USC President Carol Folt during April’s Academic Honors Convocation. “They’ve brought immeasurable value and innovation to the learning experience for our students,” she said. “It would be a privilege to honor everything they’ve done to usher in a new era of education.”

For Dre and Iovine, the moment represents a full-circle evolution from shaping the sound of a generation to reshaping the future of learning. In 2013, the duo donated $70 million to create the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy, an interdisciplinary program blending design, technology and business. The Academy has since expanded with affiliated high schools in Los Angeles and Atlanta.

“Education was siloed,” Iovine said during the ceremony. “So we said, ‘What if we create a school where people collaborate and learn to innovate together?’”

Dr. Dre, the Compton-raised hip-hop pioneer and co-founder of N.W.A., first teamed with Iovine while launching his landmark solo debut "The Chronic" under Iovine’s Interscope Records. That partnership later grew into Beats Electronics and Beats Music, companies that helped redefine consumer audio and streaming before being acquired by Apple in 2014.

Dr. Dre’s production resume includes shaping the careers of Eminem, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar and Anderson .Paak. He also co-produced HBO’s Emmy-nominated docuseries "The Defiant Ones."

Meanwhile, Iovine’s legacy spans decades in music and media — from engineering records for John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen to executive producing some of hip-hop’s biggest crossovers. “I think we created something really special,” Iovine told the audience. “And thank you, Dr. Dre — you’re the greatest partner and friend that ever lived.”

From ‘The Twist’ to ‘Hey Ya!’: Rock Hall’s 2025 Class Bridges Generations

Outkast’s André 3000 and Big Boi, leaders of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2025 induction class, redefined hip-hop with a style all their own. (Photo via Rock Hall)

"What's cooler than being cool?" For Outkast, the answer might just be the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The genre-bending Atlanta duo — alongside fellow hip-hop trailblazers Salt-N-Pepa and dance-floor icon Chubby Checker — lead the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025. The eclectic roster, unveiled live during American Idol on Sunday night, bridges the old school and new school with legends who rewrote the rules of sound, culture and swagger.

The Rock Hall’s chairman John Sykes said this year’s class "created their own sound and attitude that changed the course of rock and roll forever," giving "a voice to generations."

For hip-hop fans, Outkast’s enshrinement feels long overdue. From the slow-boil southern funk of Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik to the genre-bending masterpiece Stankonia and the pop brilliance of Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, André and Big Boi blew open the definition of rap, crafting albums that felt like entire worlds. Hits like “Ms. Jackson,” “Hey Ya!” and “Rosa Parks” didn’t just dominate the charts, they rewrote the rules.

Their induction underscores the Rock Hall’s slowly widening lens on hip-hop as a revolutionary musical force, not just a genre, but a movement with staying power equal to rock’s earliest legends.

Salt-N-Pepa will receive the Musical Influence Award, cementing their legacy as rap’s original bad girls — bold, sexy, self-possessed — who opened the gates for generations of women in hip-hop and pop. Long before “WAP” shook the mainstream, Cheryl James and Sandra Denton crashed it with tracks like “Push It,” “Shoop,” and “Let’s Talk About Sex,” making them household names without sacrificing their edge.

And for the oldest heads in the room, Chubby Checker’s induction feels like a homecoming decades overdue. His 1960 hit “The Twist” didn't just launch a dance craze — it transformed R&B’s relationship with youth culture forever, making dancefloor rebellion mainstream long before the Beatles or Stones caught fire.

Other honorees this year include Seattle grunge architects Soundgarden, pop trailblazer Cyndi Lauper, blues powerhouse Joe Cocker, and British rock staples Bad Company. In the Musical Excellence category, legendary Philadelphia producer Thom Bell (known for work with The Delfonics and The Stylistics), session keyboardist Nicky Hopkins, and bass pioneer Carol Kaye will be recognized, while Warner Bros. executive Lenny Waronker earns the Ahmet Ertegun Award for his behind-the-scenes influence.

The induction ceremony is set for Nov. 8 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, streaming live on Disney+ and airing later on ABC. Tickets and further ceremony details are expected later this summer.

Grassroots Campaign Aims to Fund Sun Ra Arkestra’s Return to Jazz Pioneer’s Hometown

Sun Ra appears in a 1973 publicity photo for Impulse/ABC Dunhill Records. A grassroots GoFundMe campaign aims to bring the Sun Ra Arkestra to his hometown of Birmingham for a four-day celebration of what would be his 111th birthday.

A grassroots GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $22,000 (as of press time) toward a $31,000 goal to bring the Sun Ra Arkestra to Birmingham for a four-day celebration of the bandleader’s 111th birthday. All proceeds will cover travel, lodging and production costs, with concert ticket revenue supporting local venues and youth jazz programs.

Herman “Sonny” Poole Blount, better known as Sun Ra, was born in Birmingham on May 22, 1914, and died there on May 30, 1993. A pioneering composer, bandleader and Afrofuturist philosopher, he fused big-band swing with synthesizers and cosmic theatrics to forge a sound that inspired generations. Over a 50-year career and nearly 200 albums, he composed more than 1,000 pieces, pioneering free improvisation, modal jazz and early electronic keyboards. His theatrical live shows — complete with elaborate costumes, dancers and spoken-word manifestos — helped lay the foundation for Afrofuturism and influenced artists from Parliament-Funkadelic to Janelle Monáe.

 

Since Ra’s passing, saxophonist Marshall Allen has led the Arkestra, preserving Ra’s “discipline” and expansive vision on stages worldwide. Allen, who turned 100 last year, remains at the helm of a band that has sold out shows from European jazz festivals to Tokyo’s Shinjuku Pit Inn.

The campaign, “Celebrate Sun Ra’s Legacy in Birmingham,” brings together the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, Sidewalk Cinema, Saturn Records, Seasick Records, Southern Music Research Center and East Village Arts. Two headline concerts — May 22 at Carver Theatre and May 23 at The Nick — anchor a slate of film screenings, art exhibits, panel discussions and youth workshops. Proceeds from the May 22 concert will benefit the Hall’s Saturday Jazz Greats initiative.

“This is our chance to honor Sun Ra where it all began,” said organizer Lee Shook. “Fans from Chicago to Tokyo to Johannesburg can join us in spirit — and help launch Birmingham’s first official Sun Ra Day.”

Tentative Event schedule (May 21–24)

• May 21: Screening of Space Is the Place at Sidewalk Cinema; House of Found Objects after-party

• May 22 (Sun Ra’s birthday): Seasick Records in-store signing at noon; workshop TBA; Arkestra concert at Carver Theatre; late-night set at Saturn Records

• May 23: “An Evening with the Sun Ra Arkestra” at The Nick, site of their famed 1988 show

• May 24: Craig Legg’s “Ark in Town” exhibit at East Village Arts; Moon Stew potluck and DJ sets by Rahdu, Suaze and The Audiovore

Full schedule and donation info at gofundme.com/f/4sc93-celebrate-sun-ras-legacy-in-birmingham.