Compton by Dr. Dre

It's been 16 years since rapper/producer Dr. Dre has released a full-length project of his own. However, after years and years of delay and rumours, Dre has finally come through and released his third studio album, Compton. While it was often speculated that it would the iconic Detox album that would be the former N.W.A member's last LP, it now appears that Detox will never see the light of day. But that doesn't mean that Compton won't scratch your itch for Dre's signature west coast hip-hop sound.

Compton was, for those who don't know, inspired by the production and filming of the N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton, as Dre said on his Beats 1 radio show.

"During principal photography of Straight Outta Compton, I felt myself going to the studio and being so inspired by the movie that I started recording an album,"

In my opinion, that inspiration has led to what is the most mature record in Dre's discography. It's not surprising considering the emcee is now 50 years old, but the subject matter is quite a bit more broad and introspective than his earlier music, which took a much more laid back west coast approach. The album discusses the ways of life in Dre's hometown of Compton, California. To tell this story, Dre brings along a pile of guest features from the likes of hip-hop veterans Snoop Dog, Xzibit, Eminem, and Ice Cube, as well as guest appearances from some much younger faces like Kendrick Lamar, Jon Connor, Anderson .Paak, and King Mez. While in most cases, that many appearances by other artists on an album would cause the listener to question who's album it really is, the fact that Dre was able to assemble a cast of this caliber, and have them all deliver so well, is one of the things that makes this album so brilliant. Above that, is the exceptional fluidity and consistency that the contributors offer throughout the track listing.

Alongside the plethora of guests that appear, Dre also collaborated with a large group of producers behind the boards when it came to crafting the instrumentals for his newest project. Much like his previous two efforts, the production on this LP is magnificently done, and due to the texture and detail used in the creation, it helps tell the story of the songs just as well as the lyrics do. Dre's one of the most known producers in the world for a reason, he's just that good at what he does. While you have the hard-hitting, hi-hat rattling, bass cranking tracks like Deep Water, Genocide, and Talk About It we also get your typical west-coast flavoured instrumentals like Just Another Day, Darkside/Gone, and It's All In A Day's Work. The variation in production is one of the key elements to the album, as there's enough of a change in each track to keep the 16 track LP from dragging, or sounding too repetitive.

One of the more interesting elements of the album has to be the choice that Dre made by having two songs on the album done completely by other artists, which is something we've seen him do before, as he does focus mainly on the production throughout the album. The tenth track, One Shot One Kill is performed by Jon Connor, with the help of Snoop Dog, and the following track, Just Another Day, is performed by former G-Unit member Game, and sees Asia Bryant lend her vocals to the hook. Neither the young, underrated Connor, or the iconic veteran Game, drop the ball on their respective tracks, as both deliver exceptional cuts. In fact, in Connor's case, he delivers what is possibly the best take on the whole album.

There were, in my mind, a few weaknesses on the album that do hold it back a little bit. One of course, is the fact that Dre does at times take too much of a backseat role on his own tracks due to the amount of guests that show up. While it is, as I mentioned, a producer's album, Dre should make sure he really does deliver when he shows up and drops a verse of his own. Another downside are the pop influenced hooks on songs like Talk About Me, It's All On Me, and For The Love Of Money, which are in some cases are just a little too cheesy for my liking, and reminds me too much of something you'd find on an MMG or YMCMB affiliates' album.

The feature that draws perhaps the most attention on the album, is Eminem's guest appearance on the fifteenth track, Medicine Man. Everyone knows the history between Em and Dre, and most hip-hop fans also know of how far off Eminem has fallen off in recent years has far as his lyricism and song writing skills go. However, on this track, we see a little bit of a return to the always controversial 8-mile raised emcee's past, as he delivers a verse discussing being white in the rap scene with a flow much more interesting than that that he has used on his last few projects. He doesn't stop there however, as he includes a line that wouldn't feel out of place on one of his earlier Slim Shady era projects, as he raps "I even make the women I rape cum." While surely controversial, and perhaps over the line to some, it's still a surprise to see the former grammy award winning rapper deliver a verse that's comparable to his early material.

On Compton, I do believe Dre delivered his third best album, of the three in his discography. That's simply because it's much too enjoyable to be called his worst. Compton is an excellent release, and shows that Dre has been both able to mature in the music he makes, and yet still include elements of his previous releases into his sound. That helps make for an album that is both visual and detailed, while still containing tracks that run just fine as singles. It's a cohesive project, that shows not only that Dre still has it, and that some other west coast greats do too, but also allows some of the younger emcees that are featured to showcase what they're capable of on a big stage. In almost all cases, the artists, regardless of age, deliver. Dre said before the release of the album, that this would be his "grand finale" of sorts, if that truly is the case, it's a great way for one of the hip-hop greats to ride off into the sunset.

Rating: A-

Favorite Tracks: Genocide, All In A Day's Work, Darkside/Gone, Loose Cannons, Issues, Deep Water, One Shot One Kill, Talking To My Diary

Least Favorite Tracks: Talk About It, For The Love Of Money