Dr. Dre's new album Compton is a self-described soundtrack that had a lot of people, me included, thinking it was mean to accompany the soon-to-be released Straight Outta Compton movie. Turns out it's intended to act as a soundtrack for the Compton way of life. And in this respect, I think Dr. Dre absolutely nails it.
The album is fully immersive and commands your attention from the opening skit, introducing you to a cinematic-like entrance. You're then given a quick history of Compton before getting into the first song of the album. Normally I'm not a fan of skits on albums, but I feel like they really added to the experience in this instance. Some of the skits had my heart racing. They aren't pleasant, but I get the feeling that neither is life on the streets of Compton.
From there on, it's just banger after banger until the album's conclusion. Fans expecting Dr. Dre's signature old school west coast style will be disappointed in the style of this album. From a hip hop perspective, it's pretty progressive. The production is top notch and the lyrics dive deeper into Compton life than just gang-banging, getting money, and hoes. It's clear Dr. Dre has been keeping his ear to the streets when composing the beats for this album. There's a good blend of actual instruments and electronic enhancements that give the album a pretty unique sound. I'd compare the beats more to something from Flying Lotus than some of the stuff Kendrick Lamar has come out with. If you know me, you know I don't consider an album complete until it is graced with either a horn or saxophone. He held out to the end, but the final track of the album finally features a horn on the beat.
Dr. Dre also did a good job of bringing out the celebrities for this album. Kendrick Lamar joins Dre on quite a few tracks, and to me this combo is absolutely killer. Definitely one of the hip hop duos to come out of the west coast. But The Doctor also brings in some well-knowns like Ice Cube, Xzibit, Eminem, and Snoop Dog. Eminem lays down an absolutely killer set on "Medicine Man." Kendrick takes the time to subtly rip on Drake for a line or two during his searing feature on "Deep Water." I always appreciate Xzibit and Ice Cubes rap style, and no Dre album would complete with out Snoop entering the studio for at least one track.
I think the west coast sound is evolving, and Compton serves as yet another harbinger of the change. I enjoy the direction the west coast style is headed and hope Wikipedia is wrong when it says this is Dr. Dre's last album. And if it is, I hope to see continued collaboration with Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and relatively new comer Anderson .Paak, who is featured on a lot of tracks as well. I'll be keeping my ear out for him.
And seriously though, what happened to Detox?
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