Source: Jason LaVeris / Getty
Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine are backing up the Brink’s Truck to help Black and Latino teenagers get a good education in South LA.
Monday (Jun.14), L.A. Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner and Beats By Dre founders Andre “Dr. Dre” Young, a Compton native, and Jimmy Iovine, announced they are teaming up to launch what could be “the coolest high school in America.”
The school, currently known as Regional High School .1 until it is formally named, will help develop young leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs by offering students a unique curriculum of multidisciplinary, hands-on learning, with a strong emphasis on real-world projects with top companies and non-profits that is based on the USC Iovine and Young Academy’s approach to teaching students.
The USC Academy’s level of graduating talent currently attracts innovative companies like Apple, Google, Facebook, DreamWorks, and Sony. It also births students who have launched successful startup companies that have garnered over $120 million in seeding money. The high school will mirror the Academy’s program and successfully groom future innovators and young entrepreneurs.
“This new partnership with Jimmy, Dr. Dre, and the USC Iovine and Young Academy will help open the doors of opportunity for students, in particular, Black and Latino children, from communities which have been historically underserved,” Beutner stated.
“Much like the work of the Academy, this effort will help develop the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators,” he further added.
Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, newly-single Dr. Dre revealed he wants to reach “the inner-city kid, the younger me,” the student who doesn’t really care for school by giving them “a place that you can go where there’s something that you can learn that you’re really interested in.”
“This is for kids who want to go out and start their own company or go work at a place… like Marvel or Apple or companies like that,” Iovine added while also pointing out that “This is nowhere near a music school.”
Dre also opened up about his health. The 56-year-old legendary music producer suffered a reported brain aneurysm earlier this year.
“It’s a really weird thing,” he told the publication. “I’ve never had high blood pressure. And I’ve always been a person that has always taken care of my health. But there’s something that happens for some reason with Black men and high blood pressure, and I never saw that coming. But I’m taking care of myself. And I think every Black man should just check that out and make sure things are OK with the blood pressure. And I’m going to move on and, hopefully, live a long and healthy life. I’m feeling fantastic.”
Dr. Dre and Iovine will also be sparing no expense to make sure this school is successful. The two reported billionaires said they would do and spend whatever it takes to get the school built. The school, which is set to open in Fall 2022, will be co-located on the Audubon Middle School campus and serve up to 124 students and will expand to accommodate 250 students, according to the LAUSD.
—
Photo: Jason LaVeris / Getty
HipHopWired Radio
Our staff has picked their favorite stations, take a listen…
