Dr. Dre’s first album in 16 years will be an Apple Music exclusive

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Apple's most eagerly-anticipated exclusive yet?
Apple's most eagerly-anticipated exclusive yet?
Photo: Apple/Dr. Dre

Apple Music may have come under fire from big-name Apple commentators but you can’t say that the service hasn’t delivered when it comes to artist exclusives.

Over the weekend, Dr. Dre announced on his Beats 1 show The Pharmacy what, for long-time hip-hop fans, may be the most exciting exclusive of all: His first album since 1999’s The Chronic 2001 is debuting on Apple Music and iTunes this Friday.

Describing the August 7 release as “my grand finale,” Dre says the album was inspired by the upcoming N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton, which hits theaters this month.

“I felt myself being so inspired by the movie that I started to record an album,” Dre said on his radio show.

So is this the long-awaited arrival of Detox, the album Dre has been promising fans for the past 15 years? Not exactly.

“This is something you’re not gonna hear many artists say,” Dre explained on his Beats 1 show. “The reason why Detox didn’t come out is because I didn’t like it. It wasn’t good. The record, it just wasn’t good. I’ma keep it all the way 1000 with you. Seriously, I worked my ass off. I don’t think I did a good enough job, and I couldn’t do that to my fans, and I couldn’t do that to myself, to be perfectly honest with you. I just wasn’t feeling it.”

Instead, the new album, entitled Compton: A Soundtrack, is going to be a 16-track, guest appearance-heavy album with verses from Dre himself (natch!), but also Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, The Game, Snoop Dogg and others. The complete track listing is below:

  1. “Intro”
  2. “Talk About It” (feat. King Mez & Justus)
  3. “Genocide” (feat. Kendrick Lamar, Marsha Ambrosius & Candice Pillay)
  4. “It’s All on Me” (feat. Justus & BJ the Chicago Kid)
  5. “In a Day’s Work” (feat. Anderson Paak & Marsha Ambrosius)
  6. “Darkside/Gone” (feat. King Mez, Marsha Ambrosius & Kendrick Lamar)
  7. “Loose Cannons” (feat. Xzibit & COLD 187um)
  8. “Issues” (feat. Ice Cube & Anderson Paak)
  9. “Deep Water” (feat. Kendrick Lamar & Justus)
  10. “One Shot One Kill” by Jon Connor (feat. Snoop Dogg)
  11. “Just Another Day” by The Game (feat. Asia Bryant)
  12. “For the Love of Money” (feat. Jill Scott & Jon Connor)
  13. “Satisfiction” (feat. Snoop Dogg, Marsha Ambrosius & King Mez)
  14. “Animals” (feat. Anderson Paak)
  15. “Medicine Man” (feat. Eminem, Candice Pillay & Anderson Paak)
  16. “Talking to My Diary”

Given that this is said to be Dre’s last album (although retirement is as big a hook in hip-hop as “The Bridge Is Over”), let’s hope he goes out with a bang — and that this is closer to The Chronic than 1996’s disappointing Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath.

However, I’m sad Tim Cook didn’t get a guest appearance. Maybe he can dance in one of the videos.

Source: Baller Status

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