![]() ![]() Paak, and Jill Scott complain about the ills of loving money. “For the Love of Money” –Dre, Jon Connor. The song’s punchy horns and throbbing kick drums make for an even more dramatic listen. “Been shot, robbed, stabbed, chased home, stocked out, jabbed by esses, cops, degenerate n**gas with rags,” he raps. Jayceon Taylor represents his city with pride, but his own encounters with crime will likely deter tourism. “Just Another Day” – Even though The Game’s contribution is only two minutes and 20 seconds, Dre’s prodigal protégé, like usual, does not disappoint. Snoop raps, “These verses is like curses consistently killing y’all with instrumentals.” ![]() “One Shoot One Kill” – Dre and Snoop abandon their G-Funk safe haven for rock guitars, snares, and hi-hats on this track, which also responds to haters. Kendrick offers Dre all the venomous backup he needs. He raps, “Would you look over Picasso’s shoulders and tell him about his brush strokes? / Them opinions I don’t trust those.” The song continues with water references (i.e., sending his naysayers to the sharks) and the haunting track is perfect score for a thriller film. ![]() “Deep Water” – Dre opens the song with the disturbing sound of splashing water, and a man gasping for air as a metaphor to describe the retaliation he wants to impose on his critics. “Issues” – Hearing Ice Cube and Dre on the rock-fueled song is reminiscent of another post-NWA collaboration, “Natural Born Killaz.” Here, they aren’t villains, but reflect on the dramas of growing up in the inner city. Though it is an odd fit for the album, the expert storytelling is captivating. “Loose Cannons” – Cold 187um, Xzibit, and Sly Pyper collab on the album’s chilling entry, which depicts one of the characters having a mental breakdown and killing his girl. “Darkside”/”Gone” – Again, King Mez takes advantage of his moment to shine, kicking off the pulsating “Darkside” with the kind of honest lyrics not often heard in rap: “Now, I ain’t never been the one that would pull a gun on you / But I know who got em.” The beat switches one and a half minutes into the song, providing Dre, Ambrosius, and Lamar a mellower music bed to wish good riddance to their haters. ![]() Paak, a multitalented singer who makes several appearances on the album.Paak and Dre trade stories about their hustles as the music settles on soothing production featuring horns. “All in a Day’s Work” – Dre reveals one of Compton’s secret weapons, Anderson. Co-produced by Bink, it’s more soulful than hip-hop and is complimented by fitting crooning from BJ the Chicago Kid. “It’s All on Me” – This autobiographical song, in which Dre recounts his rise to fame, could have been used in the Straight Outta Compton film. An unexpected, brief a cappella vocal and beatbox add refreshing accents to the song. “Genocide” – The music pace slows down a little for this more sinister track, which incorporates reggae chants, ad-lib raps from Marsha Ambrosius, and Kendrick Lamar’s tales of survival. Over a ferocious beat helmed by Dre and DJ Dahi, Dre makes an explosive introduction, boasting about buying California and having so much money that he “still got Eminem checks I ain’t open yet.” No more scholarly narratives about Compton: King Mez is on a rampage, dissing counterfeit rappers for ruining the game. “Talk About It” – King Mez’s shattering opening lyric, “I don’t give one f***,” immediately changes the direction established in the intro. As the description worsens rapidly, it ends abruptly. Backed by a warm, thematic track, a documentary-styled narrator explains how Compton was once the American dream … that is, until it became predominantly black and plagued by crime. This audio would accompany a video offering the history of the city. “Intro” - Imagine visiting Compton’s Department of Tourism. Many of the featured guests, for instance, collaborate on multiple tracks, each time adding something specific to enhance the record.īelow, see our track-by-track review of Compton, highlighting his work with not only all-star protégés Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and The Game, but also his best crop of rising acts since his 1992 solo debut, The Chronic. Every track, contributor, and concept achieves a purpose. He is clear that this project is a representation of his hometown, and he never loses focus. Inspired by the making of the film Straight Outta Compton (in theaters next week), which tells the story of Dre’s old rap group NWA, Compton’s main strength is that Dre is at the helm as the executive producer and artist. ![]()
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