'Straight Outta Compton' film about N.W.Dr. It shows the business skills he's gained through decades building his Aftermath Records and Beats Entertainment empires, and more recently as an executive at Apple Music.ĭre even embedded a sly ad for the service into the album's closing track, "Talking to My Diary." Implicitly addressing the problem of compensation in the streaming era, he raps, "I used to be a starving artist so I would never starve an artist - this is my passion, it's where my heart is."įROM THE ARCHIVES: N.W.A keeps progressing, it may become the most raw, compelling L.A. It's also, at least for the time being, an exclusive to Apple Music, which means that Dre is generating cross-platform attention. It was announced suddenly, never leaked and arrived on time as promised, quite literally the complete package. Dre fans' ears with the skill of an expert surfer riding a smooth wave. Keenly marketed to promote both the album and Apple Music's new platform, "Compton" glided into Dr. Such lessons, both musical and lyrical, are all over "Compton," but equally impressive was the album's arrival. Dre's 'Compton: A Soundtrack': Eminem, Snoop Dogg and more Eminem honors his mentor on "Medicine Man" and rapper-actor Xzibit shines on "Loose Cannons." Snoop, whose essential early work was produced by Dre, stars in the throwback-grooved "Satisfiction" with creepy voices echoing in the background and a weird beat, the former Dre protégé delivers what he calls "another lesson from your Uncle Snoop, what what what." up, come on."įor his part, fellow Compton rapper Lamar, whose recent album "To Pimp a Butterfly" served as another reminder of the Compton talent pool, confirms his import and skills on three tracks. "The only time they wanna turn the cameras on is when we're. "The police don't come around these parts - they tell me we're a bunch of animals," sings Paak. He's especially potent in "Animals," on which he and Dre address media invisibility and institutional racism over a crawling DJ Premier co-produced track. Most notable is Ventura County artist Paak, who appears on a number of "Compton" tracks. He does so by ceding to talented upstarts. "Would you look over Picasso's shoulder and tell him about his brushstrokes? Those opinions, I don't trust those."ĭre, though, understands the deal, and for reasons both artistic and savvy, he works to stay away from seeming like a "kids these days" grandpa. He traces his rise from hanging at swap meets to collecting cars while remembering the price on "Darkside/Gone." On "Deep Water," Lamar and Justus trade verses and choruses and Dr. On "Medicine Man," the rapper indicts contemporary culture, decrying in one quick verse Internet addiction, underpaid teachers, hip-hop fakers, fame, government databases, teenage girls acting like they're 22, grown men who act like boys and money leeches. It's also so verbally dense that to attempt to wrestle it into shape after only a few serious listens is as ridiculous as skimming David Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest" synopsizing the plot.ĭre's heavy, workman-like verses fill the record, and he uses his pulpit without hesitation. Maybe this is why Dre announced on Thursday that all profits earned from the new album - released in conjunction with the forthcoming N.W.A film, "Straight Outta Compton" - will help fund a new arts center in his hometown.įULL COVERAGE: 'Straight Outta Compton' and N.W.A's legacyĪs fit and tightly flexed as the man himself, "Compton" is sturdy with untrendy beats built in collaboration with a producing team that includes DJ Dahi, DJ Premier and Dem Jointz. In N.W.A's aftermath, Dre struck platinum with "The Chronic" and continued producing throughout the 1990s while working on his now-abandoned album "Detox." But decades later the same issues persist. Inextricably linked with gang culture, police violence and the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the band's crucial early work changed the direction of hip-hop while documenting a township both furious and desperate. The total "Compton" package is dense with themes that are as relevant today as when N.W.A burst onto the scene in the late 1980s. tha Police," "Dopeman" and "Straight Outta Compton." Dre and his "Compton" collaborators argue in rhymed couplets, expertly built beats and sharp vocal hooks that little has changed in the city that he and his N.W.A colleagues documented in classics ".
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