ARTIST: Dr. Dre
ALBUM: Compton
LABEL: Aftermath and Interscope
RELEASE DATE: August 7, 2015
Off The Wagon
Written by Silas Valentino
It finally arrived. The album we’ve been waiting for since 2007 when the notorious Detox started getting passed around as the title to Dr. Dre’s third (and final) studio album. We all know what happened – or more like what didn’t happen – with the abandonment of Detox and the hip-hop community might as well exclaim “good riddance” because in the wake of Detox’s miscarriage arrives a sleeker beast: Compton. Dr. Dre didn’t have to record and release an official new batch of tracks in 2015, no one would be foolish enough to hold a gun to that bulging temple of his, but it’s this lack of a strained demand that gives precedence to Compton. Dr. Dre is making music because he wants to and our feenin’ ears are more than ready for this re-up.
Dr. Dre has exhibited a lifetime of achievement and this is his moment of reflection. Through N.W.A., his production grabbed the wheel of hip-hop and retuned the horn to that iconic high-pitched wheeze that solidified the West Coast hip-hop genre. His two solo albums – The Chronic (1992) and 2001 (1999) – might as well be stocking stuffers for the rap enthusiasts. And he was the presiding godfather to Eminem, 50 Cent and Kendrick Lamar. Dre’s past paints the storyboards of Compton, a reoccurring motif, and it was during the production of the biopic blockbuster film Straight Outta Compton that the inspiration snagged him and dropped him hands first in the studio.
After a quick introduction that samples an audio clip describing community home developments in Compton, followed by the underwhelming lead song “Talk About It” arrives the true Compton opener: “Genocide.” From the opening sample of a car engine revving up, leading to the smack of the beat which skittles its way to the drop, “Genocide” is an immediate pleaser featuring Marsha Ambrosius, Candice Pillay and the current Compton CEO: Kendrick Lamar. Dre’s beat is rich and full of juicy supplements that buff up the track’s bravado yet the crown is shared with Lamar. Opening his verse with a warm yawn like he’s just risen from a slumber to slay, Lamar’s contribution comes off as a hand-over-heart salute to the city that raised him and you can almost hear Dre smiling from behind the studio console.
“Loose Cannons” is an aggressive track featuring Xzibit and COLD 187um that ends with a tearful shooting of a female character. The detail used to describe the covering up of the murder is vivid (“Alright, I got the legs/Man this bitch is heavy/You gotta get under her armpits, man”) and it’s not made clear if Xzibit’s car was used – we all know his trunk is full of pimped-out subwoofers. Ice Cube gives a solid contribution on “Issues” as does Snoop Dogg on the robotic “Satisfaction” and the penultimate track, “Medicine Man,” has Eminem joining in guns blazing.
The final moment of Compton (and quite possibly the final Dr. Dre studio album song ever) is the zero assist, solo outing “Talking To My Diary.” The beat is heavy on the horn – the final 1:45 of the song is just a somber trumpet solo – and includes an orchestral sampling from Sixties French film composer François de Roubaix. Like those old movies themselves, “Talking To My Diary” is a black and white depiction of Dr. Dre’s nostalgic yearnings (“Now I remember when we used to do all-nighters/You in the booth and Cube in the corner writing/Where Ren at? Shout out to my nigga Yella”) juxtaposed to the immense appreciation he has for his modern success. Humble might not be the first word to come to mind when considering Dr. Dre but with “Talking To My Diary,” he makes it his final statement.
Of the top qualities to posses for anyone in the spotlight, one is the claiming and bearing of your roots. Forget where you’re from and you may forget who you are. Dr. Dre remembers – and he’s spent his final hour paying tribute.