Source:
Raymond
Boyd
/
Getty
/
N.W.A
It’s
been
a
long
time
coming.
N.W.A,
Gladys
Knight,
and
others
will
receive
flowers
from
The
Recording
Academy.
Spotted
on
Variety,
the
Rap
group
that
pioneered
Gangsta
Rap,
iconic
R&B
singer,
Disco
queen
Donna
Summers,
Tammy
Wynette,
and
legendary
Gospel
group
Clark
Sisters
will
receive
the
2024
Recording
Academy
Lifetime
Achievement
Awards
at
this
year’s
Special
Merit
Awards
ceremony.
Other
notable
names
being
honored
included
Hip-Hop
pioneer
DJ
Kool
Herc,
Linda
Ronstadt/
James
Taylor,
producer/manager
Peter
Asher,
veteran
attorney,
and
longtime
Grammy
Academy
executive
Joel
Katz,
who
will
receive
the
Trustee
Award.
Harvey
Mason
Jr.,
CEO
of
the
Recording
Academy,
spoke
on
this
year’s
honorees,
adding,
“The
Academy
is
honored
to
pay
tribute
to
this
year’s
Special
Merit
Award
recipients
—
a
remarkable
group
of
creators
and
industry
professionals
whose
impact
resonates
with
generations
worldwide.
Their
contributions
to
music
span
genres,
backgrounds,
and
crafts,
reflecting
the
rich
diversity
that
fuels
our
creative
community.
We
look
forward
to
honoring
these
music
industry
trailblazers
next
month
as
part
of
our
week-long
celebration
leading
up
to
Music’s
Biggest
Night.”
It’s
About
Time
N.W.A
Gets
Their
Flowers
From
The
Recording
Academy
For
N.W.A,
it’s
about
time
the
rap
stable
is
getting
some
recognition.
Variety
shared
the
Academy’s
explanation
for
the
“Straight
Outta
Compton
crew
behind
honored.
“N.W.A
was
a
rap
group
from
the
Compton
district
in
Los
Angeles
who
are
credited
by
many
with
inventing
gangsta
rap.
The
group,
consisting
of
Eazy-E^,
Dr.
Dre,
Ice
Cube,
DJ
Yella,
and
MC-Ren,
developed
a
new
sound,
which
brought
in
many
of
the
loud,
extreme
sonic
innovations
of
Public
Enemy
while
adopting
a
self-consciously
violent
and
dangerous
lyrical
stance.
In
1988,
N.W.A
released
their
album,
Straight
Outta
Compton,
a
brutally
intense
record
that
became
an
underground
hit
without
any
support
from
radio
or
MTV.
This
negative
attention
worked
in
their
favor
as
it
brought
the
album
to
multiplatinum
status.
Although
the
group
was
short-lived,
gangsta
rap
established
itself
as
the
most
popular
form
of
hip-hop
during
the
mid-1990s.”
The
Recording
Academy’s
Special
Merit
Awards
Ceremony
goes
down
on
Saturday,
Feb.
3,
at
the
Wilshire
Ebell
Theatre
in
Los
Angeles.
For
the
rest
of
the
descriptions,
head
here.
—
Photo:
Raymond
Boyd
/
Getty
