‘Compton’ by Dr. Dre
9 out of 10

By Anthony Totri ’16
THE ROUNDUP

Dr. Dre’s long anticipated album “Compton” has been the talk of the music industry since its release on Apple Music.

The album is well executed and demonstrates Dre keeping up with modern music after a 16 year hiatus.

The name “Compton” stems from Dre’s childhood when he lived in Compton, Calif. It’s also where his career was jumpstarted with N.W.A.

I strongly encourage everyone to take a listen to at least one song of this album, no matter what genre of music you like, it might just change the way you hear rap.

The lyrics and beats aren’t just rap genius but musical genius.

Those with an ear for quality rap music know how good this album really is.

However, some may be disappointed with the album because of the anticipation built around the legend of a “Detox” album.

For those who don’t know, “Detox” was a massive album Dre was said to be working on that contained between 20 and 40 songs.

Even though the hype may have crushed hopes for what could be one of the greatest rap albums of all time, it goes without saying “Compton” is greatness.

Dr. Dre was not only able to incorporate what made him such a great producer but he was also able to add what makes him a great modern rapper. With Ice Cube featured in the song “Issues” and Snoop Dogg featured in “One Shot One Kill” and “Satisfaction” the album caught the attention of Dre’s biggest critics.

Kendrick Lamar, one of rap’s modern day stars, made his presence on the album felt in a trio of songs, but my personal favorite “Deep Water.” The song is a perfect example of Dre moving along with modern-day music.

It’s one of those songs you can’t help but nod to the ferocity of the beat and if you listen closely to the lyrics, it makes sense why this song is one of the more popular on the album.

What makes this album different from the majority of modern day rap albums is that in each song Dre and the featured artists try to tell a story. The meaning behind the lyrics and the intense beats make this album one to remember.

My favorite song on the album is “Darkside/Gone,” the vibe of the song just gets me in a zone. It may sound silly, but this song is a well-told story with an unbelievable beat.

The story intertwined in the lyrics is Dre and the rest of the featured artists mindset before and after their success.

Dre is also rapping about embracing the “gangsta” mentality due to him living most of his life that way, according to the website Rap Genius.

This album is one of the best of the year–if not the best–but there is one thing keeping it from being a 10 out of 10: This isn’t what Dre fans wanted.

Every Dr. Dre fan was expecting the mythical “Detox” album, and since his last album was released in 1999 many were expecting this to be the year, especially after the news about the movie “Straight Outta Compton.”

“Compton” is going to be a candidate for album of the year and very well may win with just about every song being spot on, but what will always keep this album from being perfect is that it simply isn’t “Detox.”