Dr. Dre is the rapper whose 2015 album Compton was his first studio album in 16 years. It followed 2001, released in 1999, making the long gap between solo albums a defining part of Compton’s story.
Dre originally conceived Compton as a soundtrack to Straight Outta Compton, the 2015 biographical film about N.W.A. The project grew into a standalone album inspired by his hometown and his career. It was released on August 7, 2015, through Aftermath and Interscope, primarily as an Apple Music exclusive at launch.
The album features a large guest cast, including Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit and Anderson .Paak. Its title can cause a small mix-up: Compton is Dre’s third solo studio album, not his second. His earlier solo albums were The Chronic and 2001. Detox, the long-promised project discussed for years, was never released as a completed studio album.