Eminem, whose new album is expected to top the U.S. pop chart next week, made a rare appearance at a music-industry bash on Friday to honor Dr. Dre, the hip-hop pioneer who made him a superstar.

Dr. Dre received the Founders Award for career achievement during performing rights group ASCAP’s annual Rhythm & Soul Music Awards ceremony at a Beverly Hills hotel. Dr. Dre rose to fame in the 1980s as a member of rap group N.W.A. before going solo and launching Death Row Records. He also shepherded the careers not only of Eminem, but also 2Pac, Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent, and produced recordings for artists as diverse as Gwen Stefani and Mary J. Blige.

“He believed in me when not many others did,” Eminem told the audience. “It would have been a lot easier for Dre to dismiss me like most people did: What’s with the white guy from Detroit that raps with a funny voice? But he didn’t. He stepped up to the challenge because he saw something in me.”

Dr. Dre signed Eminem to his Aftermath Entertainment label in 1998, and his protege is set to score his sixth consecutive U.S. No. 1 album next week with “Recovery.” Eminem generally avoids big showbiz events, preferring the seclusion of his Detroit home. He did not even show up at the Academy Awards in 2003 to collect his Oscar for best song.

For his part, during a speech filled with pauses as he fought back tears, Dr. Dre said he was “living an incredible life,” and paid tribute to his mother, who got pregnant with him when she was 15.

“She was always told by family, friends and neighbors or whatever she was going to ruin her life and mine,” he said.

Dr Dre says Detox is coming out by the end of this FALL, says he wants to make sure he give everyone what they are waiting for so they are not disappointed? Dre also tells HardKnock.TV’s Devi Dev in this interview that the “Under Pressure” leak featuring Jay-Z is not a finished song, its not blended right and there is no hook on it yet! Ps the lovely lady next to Dr Dre is his WIFE!

This interview took place at the 23RD ANNUAL ASCAP RHYTHM & SOUL MUSIC AWARDS where DR DRE received the ASCAP’s Founders Award.

Dr. Dre and Timbaland went back to school Wednesday night. Both shocked students when they appeared at a Culver City High School graduation party. Dr. Dre introduced Timbaland, who performed the tunes “The Way I Are,” “Promiscuous Girl,” “Carry Out” and “Say Something” on a stage inside the school’s gymnasium. Students invited had no idea the hip-hop masterminds were the guests of honor.

“When we walked in, we were like, ‘Whoa. Is this a second prom?’” said 17-year-old junior Saul Salmeron.

The surprise performance was sponsored by Hewlett-Packard and Interscope Records, who have partnered with the aim of improving digital sound quality. The promotional event, which was recorded for an online documentary, also featured free food, photos and a raffle of HP gear. The company said it was donating $10,000 worth of computer equipment to the school.

“Y’all got a curfew?” Timbaland asked the audience at one point.

Students held up their camera phones and gathered around the stage to get a glimpse of Timbaland and Dr. Dre, who sneaked a peek of the crowd before he took the stage. Dr. Dre, who is currently working on his next album, did not perform with labelmate Timbaland.

Is a possible collaboration is in the works?

“We should be so lucky,” said Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Interscope, Geffen and A&M Records, who attended Wednesday’s event. “I can only get them so close. The rest is up to them.”

Dr. Dre.’s “Under Pressure,” featuring Jay-Z, leaked online. The unfinished (old) track has no chorus and isn’t mixed or mastered. The word is, that “Under Pressure” is off “Detox”!

“I want to set the record straight for everybody who’s been waiting to hear my music. The song that’s on the internet is an incomplete song that I’m still working on. When it’s ready, you’ll be hearing it from me”, so Dr. Dre!

Make sure to check out DrDre.com and Detox-DrDre.com!

Fans voted Dr. Dre the winner of VIBE’s Greatest Producer of All Time contest. He went up against DJ Premier in the final round, garnering 62% of votes to take the title.

“I just found out that I got voted VIBE’s best producer of all time. That shit is incredible,” Dre said. “I’m a humble person and I would’ve never expected that, seriously. I just go in the studio. I try to do my thing to the best of my ability.”

Overall, there were 189,425 total votes in six rounds of voting among four categories: Homegrown Sound, Soul Sample, Mass Appeal and Boom Bap.

ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) will honor hip-hop pioneer Dr. Dre with the prestigious ASCAP Founders Award during its 23rd annual Rhythm & Soul Music Awards. The invitation-only event will take place on June 25, 2010 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California, and will also honor the songwriters and publishers of the most performed ASCAP songs on the 2009 R&B/Hip-Hop, Rap and Gospel charts.

Commenting on the award to Dr. Dre, ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams said, “Dre is one of the most important voices in modern music. He created a unique, recognizable sound that dominated rap music in the early 1990s, and has played a major role in developing and launching the careers of some of the biggest names in the business. He continues to inspire artists and producers across all genres with his musical techniques, and we are very proud to honor him with ASCAP’s Founders Award.”

Legendary artist and producer Dr. Dre has enjoyed both critical and commercial success throughout his career, changing music, culture and perceptions while always remaining true to himself and his vision. As an artist, Dr. Dre began his career creating groundbreaking music as a member and producer of renowned hip-hop group N.W.A. His two solo albums which followed, “The Chronic” (1992) and “Dr. Dre 2001″ (1999) are two of the most influential and essential hip-hop albums. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine listed Dr. Dre as the 54th Greatest Artist of All Time. Dr. Dre has won five Grammy awards including Producer of the Year in 2001. He has produced albums that together have sold more than 120 million units worldwide and has worked with artists including Eminem, Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, 2Pac and 50 Cent. In 2008, Dre released his high-performance brand of headphones, Beats by Dr. Dre. In October 2009, he teamed with HP to launch a line of computers that feature the extraordinary sound of Beats by Dr. Dre.