Dr. Dre to give back to Compton

Dr. Dre will donate all artist royalties from his new album to fund an arts centre in Compton.

The American rapper is about to release his first album in 16 years called Compton, after the area of California he grew up in. As a thank you to his neighbourhood, the 50-year-old not only named his record after it, but will be investing in the next wave of talent too.

"I decided to donate all the artist royalties [from Compton]," he told Zane Lowe on Beats 1 Radio Thursday. "I've been working on something to make this album really special."

He went on to reveal that he conversed with Compton mayor Aja Brown about the best way to give back to the community. Mayor Brown shared an idea of "an arts and entertainment facility" and the musician agreed it was the best thing for him to get behind financially.

"I feel like it's the right thing to do and I just hope everybody appreciates all the hard work I've put into this album," he continued.

Dre's last studio album was 1999's 2001, which was certified sextuple platinum. Since then, he has focused on producing hit records for the likes of Eminem, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg.

As well as working on his new album, Dre is also producing a biographical movie with Ice Cube about the hip hop group N.W.A, which they were both original members of. It has been titled Straight Outta Compton with Corey Hawkins playing Dre while O'Shea Jackson, Jr. will take on the role of Ice Cube. The film is set for release this month, while the album Compton is available from Friday exclusively on Apple Music and iTunes.