Music mogul Dr Dre has profoundly impacted the sonics of hip hop over the years, especially with his unique G-funk beats that introduced a new flavour to hip hop in the early 1990s. With such a diverse catalogue and being an individual of immense creativity, one can only question where he draws inspiration from.
Well, for his album third studio album Compton: A Soundtrack, Dre was inspired by a movie, and that movie was one about himself. Inspired by the N.W.A biographical film Straight Outta Compton the album features several collaborators from various points in Dre’s career, including Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Xzibit, and The Game, to name a few.
The 15-track album was his first since 2001, which boasted hits such as ‘Still Dre’ and ‘The Next Episode’, but after watching the final cut of the biographic film, which he co-produced, he knew that over a decade later, it was time to start work on a new music project.
In an interview with LA Mag, he told the story of the project’s conception, disclosing, “I was leaving the set, coming to the studio, and I felt myself just being so inspired by the movie that I started recording an album,”. He continued to reveal his secrecy surrounding the project, divulging, “I started recording a soundtrack and kept it under wraps. Now the album is finished.”
Dre labelled the album as his “grand finale”, explaining how even his old enemy Ice Cube came through to lay down some verses for him. “Cube came in, [and] he went bananas on the record,” the rapper claimed.
Compton: A Soundtrack included 15 tracks and was wholly inspired by the film Straight Outta Compton. You can see the tracklist below.
Compton: A Soundtrack (Tracklist)
1. Intro
2. Talk About It (Feat. King Mez and Justus)
3. Genocide (Feat. Kendrick Lamar, Marsha Ambrosius and Candice Pillay)
4. It’s All on Me (Feat. Justus and BJ the Chicago Kid)
5. All in a Day’s Work (Feat. Anderson Paak and Marsha Ambrosius)
6. Darkside/Gone (Feat. King Mez, Marsha Ambrosius and Kendrick Lamar)
7. Loose Cannons (Feat. Xzibit and COLD 187um)
8. Issues (Feat. Ice Cube and Anderson Paak)
9. Deep Water (Feat. Kendrick Lamar and Justus)
10. Jon Connor, One Shot One Kill (Feat. Snoop Dogg)
11. The Game, Just Another Day (Feat. Asia Bryant)
12. For the Love of Money (Feat. Jill Scott and Jon Connor)
13. Satisfiction (Feat. Snoop Dogg, Marsha Ambrosius and King Mez)
14. Animals (Feat. Anderson Paak)
15. Medicine Man (Feat. Eminem, Candice Pillay and Anderson Paak)
16. Talking to My Diary