Dr. Dre is getting ready to release his first new album in over 14 years on August 7, with new music inspired by his N.W.A. biopic entitled Compton: A Soundtrack. As reported by Billboard, the rap mogul confirmed the release over the weekend, as well as revealing the name of the new venture, and a full track list. As one might imagine, given that Dre now works for Apple as a music consultant, the album will be released on iTunes and Apple Music.
As we previously reported, Ice Cube first leaked info about the new album’s release date in an interview with Philadelphia radio station Power 99 on Wednesday, originally claiming the album would be released on August 1. “Actually, Dre is dropping an inspired album, inspired by Compton” Cube told the listeners (per Entertainment Weekly). “It’s mega. It’s Dr. Dre. It’s what everybody has been waiting for. It’s definitely a dope record, and he’s dropping it all on the same day. It’s crazy.”
However, while Cube had the dates wrong, Dre confirmed via Twitter, and (you guessed it) Apple Music’s Beats 1 radio station, that the album is happening. Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre sold their stakes in Beats Electronics, including the streaming service that would become Apple Music, for $3 billion last year.
My grand finale. #Compton http://t.co/nbebhWfLqw https://t.co/DF0i2fqaQF
— Dr. Dre (@drdre) August 2, 2015
Dr. Dre originally teased the new album back in March, but said he wasn’t going to make the music public. The hip-hop mogul told Rolling Stone, “I’m working on something right now. I don’t want to put it out there just yet and say that I’m gonna put it out.”
Earlier this month, Straight Outta Compton director F. Gary Grey told MTV “Dr. Dre, it took him 15 years to step out and say, ‘I want to do music again’ in the way that he’s been doing it. The soundtrack is insane. You can hear some of his influences, with jazz and soul and a little bit of funk.”
Along with Dre, the album will feature Eminem, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, and Kendrick Lamar, among others. In his tweet dropping the news, Dre called the album “My grand finale,” meaning this could be the last original music we hear from the rapper. The full track list is posted 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. “All 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. 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 & 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”
Straight Outta Compton shares the story of how the famous hip-hop group N.W.A. came to be in the mid 80s. The movie shows how the group stood up to authorities at a time when the police force was considered by many to be racially biased, and tracks how their music expressed told the story about life in Compton, California.
Straight Outta Compton hits theaters on August 14, 2015.
Updated 8/3/2015: This post has been updated to include new info about Dr. Dre’s new album, including a new release date, full track list, and more.
