Dr. Dre’s ‘Compton’: Review Revue

Carl Williott | August 7, 2015 10:37 am
Kendrick Dissed Drake On 'Compton'
Kendrick reignites his Drake feud with some blatant jabs on Dr. Dre's new album.

There are two big story lines in the immediate aftermath of the release of Dr. Dre‘s new album Compton. The first is that it somehow slaps despite being made by a 50-year-old who hasn’t released music in 16 years, in a genre dominated by the youth. The second hook is Kendrick Lamar‘s batch of fiery Drake disses.

The album has only been out for a little over 12 hours, but it’s never too early to see what hip-hop’s gatekeepers are saying about those angles and the LP as a whole across the web. So we’ve compiled a roundup of reviews — actually, consider it more a roundup of first impressions — of Dre’s long-awaited follow-up to 1999’s 2001.

See the reactions below.

:: The New York Times‘ thorough writeup describes “a combination of utter confidence and hodgepodge distraction. Musically, it’s ornate and grand-scaled, and somehow also deft. But there’s almost an open-door policy in place for collaborators, meaning attack dogs like the new Compton superstar Kendrick Lamar coexist alongside more dubious talents, like the young Dre protégés Justus and King Mez.”

:: Grantland posits that “at first blush, it is neither masterpiece nor mistake.”

:: The Guardian offered higher praise. “It’s the restless, soulful brew of a man who hasn’t put out his own long-player this millennium… This is not someone coasting on reputation; this is someone cementing their place in history.”

:: USA Today gave it three stars out of four, stating “Dre’s third effort has its standout tracks, sure, but like other albums with a conscience we’ve heard this year, he goes for something deeper and more cohesive… If this is indeed Dr. Dre’s final album, as he says, it’s one heck of a way to go out.”

:: EW opined “Like the city captured in its album artwork, Compton is grandiose and chaotic… But Compton also has heaps of instantly memorable moments.”

:: The New York Daily News posted a glowing, four-out-of-five review. “At his half-century mark he has created the most mature — and some of the most bracing — music of his career.”

:: The Boombox asks “Does 50-year-old Andre Young have enough left in the tank to make another great album? Compton answers that question with a resounding ‘yes,'” and concludes “”Dr. Dre is a perfectionist and he tastes perfection once again on Compton.”

What’s your first impression of Dre’s return? Let us know below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter.