The last time Dr Dre released an album, he was still rapping about pagers. People were worried about the Y2K bug, Mp3 files were still relatively unknown, and Apple was on the verge of bankruptcy. Sixteen years later, the Dr finally released his third album and it was not the one we were expecting. A sudden surprise announcement introduced us to Compton, a soundtrack inspired by his work on the movie, Straight Outta Compton, due to be released in mid August. The movie details the histories and relationships between the members of hip-hop group NWA of which Dre was part. So put on a good pair of headphones (I have to emphasise 'good', the level of production on this can't be fully appreciated with your Chinese knock-offs) and let's jump into Compton.
The albums hits you pretty quickly; it feels grand, ambitious, and diverse — as it should be; it is Dre's final album after all. Even though it is hard-hitting, you still feel the laid back vibe that's been a Dre staple since the original Chronic, and the production is unbelievable (hence the need for quality speakers). He really did go out all on this one; the mixing is glorious and the mastering is supreme. The music is on a whole other level. From the heavy bassline of Genocide to the electric guitar on One Shot Kill, this doesn't sound like typical Dre, but somehow every single track still feels like Dre.
It's raw, yet polished, loud, yet laid back. And even though it's only 16 tracks, it feels like there's well over 20; some tracks switch up half way through and all of a sudden the song is a completely different vibe. The whole thing somehow still makes me feel the same way I felt when I put on my headphones and first played the Chronic album on my Walkman, 23 years ago.
The lyrics are the weakest part of the album, but then that was never Dre's strong point. The themes have definitely switched up from Chronic and 2001, and you're now listening to a much more mature Dr Dre looking back over his life — and even though he can be hailed as one of the greatest producer of all time and is sitting on a $700 million fortune, he's not being smug about it. In fact, he still sounds hungry for more, and so even though the lyrics are his weakest link, we're still looking at some pretty strong content overall.
I’m slightly disappointed that’s there’s no humour interludes and skits somewhere in the album — these seemed to be a standard in the previous albums and always struck me as memorable. As with all Dre albums, you have an entire line of newcomers featured (a handful of who will end up being pretty significant in Hip-hop), along with some of the classics, such as Snoop, Xzibit, Ice Cube; there’s even a quick cameo by Eazy E which gave me a chill when it came on.
Everybody, old and new, really brought their A-Game to this, and the performance and delivery is on another level. Performance-wise, I personally felt it lacking in just one aspect; Nate Dogg, undeniably the king of hooks, was missing, after being an almost necessity on previous Dre albums. Nate's death a few years ago was a tragic loss to the hip-hop industry, and sometimes I can't help but feel that this was one of the reasons that led to to the album Dre had been working on titled Detox, ultimately being scrapped, it just wouldn't sound right without him. Detox would have been a follow up to 2001, and this album definitely isn't that. It's not a commercial album, but feels closer to a modern day reboot of the original Chronic; I didn't really find any club bangers or party tracks; it's either hard-hitting raw basslines or chilled vibes. This isn't an album you'll shake your booty to at a club, but rather something you can sit back and appreciate. Dre didn't make this album for the general public, he made it for his fans. We all know he didn't need to, he's already cemented his legacy in hip-hop and music, but somehow or the other, he had to. Dre fans will love this, real hip-hop fans will love it, but it definitely isn't an album for everyone. It's not easy listening, but rather an intricate work of art that not everyone would understand by casually breezing through it. I have mixed feelings about Detox being dropped; that was the album we were waiting for, but the hype of the greatest hip-hop producer coupled with a 16 year wait amplified expectations to the point that, no matter how good it was, it would have been crucified by fans, critics, and the public. Dropping Detox and starting fresh was possibly the only way out for the Dr. Compton was a pleasant surprise though. This is Dre's third best album, and that's hardly an insult; Compton is shockingly strong. Listening through, it takes you on a ride through the CPT and through Dre's eyes, all the way to Talking to My Diary, and closes off perfectly with a minute long trumpet on the outro, and that's when it hits you — this is the end of an era, the legacy is complete, the fans have their closure, and Dr Dre is done.
Ammar Alaradi is a Dubai based director and producer. And of course a long time Dr Dre fan. You can follow him on @Ammar456
