So, after a looooonnnnnggggg 16 years that makes me feel really old upon thinking about it, Dr. Dre has dropped his third and supposedly final album, entitled "Compton." First off, A+++ album cover, that shit is DOPE.
So, on to the content...
It wasn't really what I expected, to be honest. I scanned through the samples on iTunes and almost didn't buy it at first. I think I was hoping for that more vintage Dr. Dre sound. The original "The Chronic" is hands down my favorite, I fell in love with the West Coast G-Funk movement when I was in junior high and high school. That's a cover-to-cover classic to me, no skipping necessary. That's what I like the most, the tracks with the high-pitched, whiny synthesizer sound of old 1990s West Coast rap. I'm trying to think of songs with that format that I DON'T like, and nothing immediately comes to mind. A song like "Let Me Ride", or Ice Cube's "You Know How We Do It" off of his Lethal Injection solo album are perfect examples of the way for a producer to synthesize their way into my heart. Just timeless, classic beats that put almost anything produced afterwards in a corner on Time Out, in my opinion.
The "Chronic 2001" album was also great, although I still prefer the original. But this is undeniably classic as well. I tend to shy away from commercial megahits at times. I recognize them as great songs, but I don't like "made-for-radio" stuff as much. So stuff like "The Next Episode" or "Still D.R.E.", while I enjoy them in the club, I'm more drawn towards stuff like "Bitch N*ggaz" or "Xxplosive", something you'll less likely hear on the radio. I'm basically more into deep cuts than hit singles. Either way, though, in Dre's case, I can get down with all of it.
So my expectations for "Compton" were very different. I expected more throwback type stuff. I'm not a big fan of new rap for the most part, I think it's taken a nosedive since the mid-2000s, which were already a nosedive from the early and mid-90s. I bought the album against my initial instincts, and after listening for a day, I give Compton a cautious thumbs up. The production is off the hook. Dre clearly put a lot of work in. I just wish the album had been more about showing the younger generation what real rap is about, and this felt like more like he was trying to show the younger generation he could fit in. So I was a little disappointed in that. But I got over that and tried to embrace it for what it was.
Going at it like that, I could safely say this album is well-done. I think people looking for radio hits might be disappointed. Or maybe I'm out of touch with what constitutes a radio hit these days. It helps if you're into the Kendrick Lamar style of stuff, which I'm 50-50 on. Kendrick is a great talent and would be conspicuously absent from this album though, as the new Voice of Compton. Speaking of conspicuous absences, I'd be remiss to not mention our fallen hero Nate Dogg. Nobody could blow in that G-funk style like Nate D-O-double-G. He would have been a great addition and would have changed the flavor of the album. There's a singer featured on a few songs by the name of Anderson .Paak, and he's pretty good. My favorite song on the album is probably "Animals", mostly featuring .Paak with one Dre verse. The instrumental behind it is OUTSTANDING, produced by DJ Premier of GangStarr fame, one of my favorite producers, if not my #1. It was like a "best of both coasts" kind of thing, and I really liked the song both sonically and as a message, in the wake of all the tension and rioting in black communities in response to police misconduct.
"And the old folks tell me it's been going on since back in the day, but that don't make it ok/And them white folks tell me all the lootin' and the shootin's insane, but you don't know our pain/And please don't come around these parts, tell me that we all a bunch of animals/The only time they want to turn the cameras on is when we fuckin' shit up"
Great song. "Medicine Man" featuring Eminem is excellent as well. Em murders his verse as usual. "For The Love Of Money" is another good one, and samples one of my favorite Bone Thugs N Harmony songs by the same name. It has a feel similar to the beat of the Wayne and Em song "No Love." I also like "It's All On Me" and "All In A Day's Work", and the final track "Talking To My Diary" is an excellent finale.
Overall, it's really well-produced, I just don't know how radio friendly it is. It's kind of like Jay-Z's "American Gangster" soundtrack. Really well done, but it doesn't have the big hits to give it staying power with the general public. That could be my old hip-hop head bias coming in though, maybe I've lost sight of what qualifies as a radio hit these days. But if you truly enjoy rap and well-produced beats and aren't just looking for "dance in the club" songs, I'd recommend giving this a listen👍👍
What Girls & Guys Said
Opinion
1Opinion
First off, excellent Take homeslice! Like I need you start a music column or something lol. But I haven't gotten the new album yet. I'm excited for it because it's so long awaited. I'm not a huggge rap fan but I do have my favorites, Eminem being one. I too appreciate the hydrolic inducing beats that comes with old school West coast rap.
I'm definitely going to give it a listen tho. And again, awesome Take! 👍👌✌
Thanks, I appreciate it! I think like 3 people read it, haha, no love for rap around these parts😂 Definitely check it out though, worth a listen!
Lol nahhh. Rap ain't for everybody. But you're welcome, and I definitely will check it out.
You already head it? Damn.
*heard
It dropped on iTunes at midnight Tuesday PM/Wednesday AM👍
Oh okay. Dre said he didn't drop Detox because it sucked. You think this album sucks too?
Hey bro what's your top 5 rap albums this year?
Honestly, there's very little new stuff that I listen to or even know of. As I get older I have less time to stay up on music, I didn't even know this Dre album was coming until like two days before. There's enough good older rap from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s to skate by on. Plus I listen to other genres here and there too, so I'm not starving for music. I couldn't even name you five albums that dropped this year, let alone my top five, haha. The music experience has changed for me in my lifetime, there used to be record stores EVERYWHERE, like 3 or 4 in the same mall, so as a teenager I'd go and comb through the racks looking for stuff. Nowadays I just happen across songs and artists and I'll check them out on YouTube when I have time. The only current artists I listen to with any frequency are Meek Mill, Wale, Action Bronson, Rick Ross if I'm at the gym, haha, and Drake if I'm with my girlfriend, hahaha. I have a few Kendrick Lamar songs on my iPod too, but haven't explored...
... his shit as much as I probably should have. I think he's crazy talented but the new rap vibe isn't really what I'm looking for. The 90s were really the sweet spot for rap, in my opinion.
Dr. Dre announced this new album and dropped it very quickly. He first announced it like at the end of last month. It's literally only been a couple to three weeks. That's why I was shocked it dropped already. I don't listen to 80s, 90s, and early 2000s as much now. I listen to new stuff, but I also listen to other genres too.
Meek Mill is so-so. He's okay. Wale to me is past his prime (in my view). Action Bronson is very good. His album wasn't as good as I thought it would be, but it's not a complete letdown. This is the only Rick Ross project worth listening to in my opinion
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Drake is good. Kendrick is at the top. In case you do want to explore into these here are my top five rap albums this year. Granted I haven't heard everything I want to hear yet.
1. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
2. Oddisee - The Good Fight
3. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2
4. Skyzoo - Music for my friends
5. Vince Staples - Summertime 06
It's actually been a good year for hip hop.
Run the Jewels 2 was released in 2014. So instead I got this
1. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
2. Oddisee - The Good Fight
3. Skyzoo - Music for my friends
4. Vince Staples - Summertime 06
5. *Tie * Czarface - Every hero needs a villain/ Earl Sweatshirt - I don't like shit, I don't go outside
Yeah, I have a particular affinity for hood shit, haha, so it doesn't always give you a lot of good lyricism. I can just appreciate all different subgenres of rap for different reasons I guess. I was pretty impressed with Meek's Tony Story, so that got me into him. And the "new" Wale I listen to is probably from 2011, haha, like I said I'm not as up to date as I used to be. Thanks for the suggestions, I'll definitely check those out👍 I've heard that Hive joint by Earl Sweatshirt, and Vince Staples was on it to. Definitely hot. Vince is the one with the "Ruger with the pork face/Jewish for the court case" line in the last verse, right? That had me going crazy, haha. The other guys are all news to me, so I'll look forward to listening.
I listen to trap/hood music too, but there's a lot of that kind of music. I think good lyrical, conceptual, high production, well thought out albums have really been strong in terms of hip hop this year. All the ones I've got in my top five fall in that category. Although, Vince's album is very trap/hood.
But I mean even that has been strong. Future has been dropping fire. His DS2 is trash, but the songs he's been dropping have been hot. little Reese even dropped Supa Savage 2. It was hot. Peewee Longway dropped M&M 2. It was a hot trap mixtape. Migos seem to still be going strong. A lot of people liked Young Thug's Barter 6. Gucci Mane has been dropping a lot of music. Travis Scott is on the way with "Rodeo". That'll be hot.
2011 was when Wale was right on the edge. Didn't like ambition.
Probably so. Vince has a unique rap style. In a way it allows him to flow seamlessly through verses (like Earl), but unlike Earl he doesn't have a good presence on his tracks. That's the one major flaw he has. He has bars. He has flow. He has good songs, but his MC presence isn't strong. Maybe he'll develop that eventually, but I'm not sure how. His album is still good, but his voice gets lost in production (by No I. D.) and features.
This is a good one from the album.
https://youtu.be/QRQHBz1Pf84
I'm not interested
But you were interested enough to say you weren't interested😜👍