The return of legendary West Coast pioneer Dr. Dre to the world of hip-hop has been widely publicized over the past few weeks and for good reason. While Dre has had his fingerprints marked on a handful of the genre’s most ground-breaking albums over the past decade and a half, the fact remains it had been 16 years since the release of 2001, a landmark body of work which influenced a generation of hip-hop fanatics. But with the fabled Detox not living up to doctors’ standards and upcoming box office smash biopic Straight Outta Compton providing Dre with necessary inspiration (both creatively and financially); Compton is an album which was meant to materialize in this exact fashion. And while it is not realistic to compare Dr. Dre’s third ‘solo’ effort with his previous magnum opus albums, Compton is a gravitating collection and a worthy addition to the profoundly concise catalog of an artist enjoying his last call.
Dr. Dre has never been the self-reliant type of artist and similar to his previous albums, the cast of characters Dre brings to the Compton table make their presence felt throughout the entire LP. A rush of youthful energy from relative unknowns such as King Mez and Justus is contagious on tracks such as the booming “Talk About It” with Dre reestablishing his stature by rapping about wealth before Beats By Dre and unopened Eminem royalty checks. The plethora of diversely talented guests positively contributes to the ravishing makeup of Compton from both a songwriting and production perspective. The first half of the album particularly benefits from this attribute with the harsh yet sonically vivid “Genocide”, smoothly introspective “It’s All On Me”, and grind focused “All In A Day’s Work” all flowing seamlessly with each other. Dre masterfully pulls the best traits out of each collaborator and mixes their talents to bolster his almighty return to the microphone. While never claiming to be a lyrical virtuoso, Dre puts forth a valiant effort in reinstating his commanding delivery in order to hush away the ‘he fell off’ naysayers as well as enlighten new listeners with reflective tales of his come-up in the game.
As the album moves along, Dr. Dre transitions from sunny L.A. indie vibes to a series of intensified, flexing records which invite several familiar veterans back to the booth. Tracks such as “Loose Cannons”, “Issues”, and “One Shot Kill” feature Dre with a three peat of legends (Xzibit, Ice Cube, and Snoop Dogg respectively) rocking over guitar-laden riffs and while the success rate isn’t quite as consistent as it would have been 10 years ago, there are other highlight moments on Compton to make up for any shortcomings. The Game’s ‘can’t let Dre down’ performance on “Just Another Day” and an expectedly whirlwind lyrical display from Eminem over thundering production on “Medicine Man” should satisfy listener expectations. However, perhaps the most riveting record on the album goes to “Deep Water”, a sonically advanced collaboration with Kendrick Lamar and an offering in which Dre can have comfort in knowing he has passed the Compton torch to an emcee that seems to execute maddening cadences and mind bending flow patterns with ease. And regardless of who is responsible for Dr. Dre’s lyrics throughout the project, the Compton curator deserves credit for adapting with the times by implementing a more nimble (and sometimes unrecognizable) approach on the microphone.
Compton is a multi-layered album that is a pleasant surprise for a multitude of reasons. Rather than retreating to previously applauded playbooks or just gravitating toward today’s trendy sounds, Dr. Dre was ambitious on Compton and selected just the right group of musicians to ensure the deliverance of a multi-faceted body of work. As if Dre’s ear for talent needed more validation, the prominent roles of artists such as up-and-coming rapper/singer Anderson Paak and producers such as DJ Dahi, Focus…, and Cardiak (hell we even got a DJ Premier collab on this album) all proved to be wise selections. Compton will not change the course of hip-hop history like Dre’s preceding classics. However, this album has just the right blend of smooth riding nostalgia, in your face gangster rap, and forward-thinking novelty to make things interesting, all of which being mixed by a man who prides himself on sonic perfection. Straight Outta Compton the movie will be at the center of attention for the masses, but Compton the album is by no means a standard ‘soundtrack’, but rather a quality (and fittingly) cinematic production from a renowned hip-hop giant.
Repeatable: “Deep Water”, “It’s All On Me”, “Talking To My Diary”
Skippable: “Satisfiction”
Purchase: iTunes
Official production credits: click here
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