Dr. Dre is helping the next generation break the mold with a new partnership. The music mogul has teamed up with Adidas and Pensolbe Design Academy to launch an innovative school program “that blends fashion, technology and entrepreneurship,” according to Rolling Stone. Joining him to teach the young entrepreneurs is his longtime business and music partner Jimmy Iovine, reports AfroTech.
Students located in L.A. County will be offered a new curriculum spearheaded by the Iovine and Young Academy, the USC school founded by the duo in 2013. The collaborative effort kicked off with “Wood U,” a series of workshops led by adidas and the Iovine and Young Academy, according to the outlet. Students worked with Inglewood rapper D Smoke to design their own sneakers and gear.
Since 2013, Iovine and Dr. Dre have aimed to push past the traditional ways of education. With their upcoming magnet school, Regional High School #1, they’re continuing their dedication to having creativity taught to the youth early on.
The new high school is located in South L.A. — an intentional decision made by the two to provide opportunities to the Black and Latinx communities.
“I owe a lot to African American culture and the inner city, period,” Iovine said, according to Rolling Stone. “But a lot of these kids, you know, they have all these words for them: under-served, disadvantaged. But what they really have is superpowers.”
Regional High School #1 will open on Sept. 22.
