With the release of Dr. Dre’s ‘Compton’ this past month, an era of hip-hop finally comes to an end. A highlight reel of Dre’s accomplishments over the years, ‘Compton’ includes bits of everything that made Dre Dre, from the iconic synth-heavy west-coast sound to the bass-heavy beats Dre has come to be known and loved by.

From Dr. Dre’s hit ‘Forgot About Dre’, which featured the then upcoming artists Eminem and Hittman, to ‘Recipe’, which featured the promising new artist Kendrick Lamar, Dre has used his time in the spotlight to put the shine on other upcoming artists. ‘Compton’ is no difference, with upcoming artists such as King Mez and Justus taking spots alongside industry legends such as Snoop Dogg and Xzibit.

At first glance, ‘Compton seems like more of the same we’ve come to expect from Dre. The synths have been used time in time again in several of Dre’s productions, the subject matter of Dre’s lyrics has changed little over the years, and he’s still repping the CPT. However, a perceptive listener will pick up hints of new influences mixed in with Dre’s classic style. In a world where old stars regularly bandwagon on the latest trend (see: Soulja Boy struggling to remain relevant), it’s refreshing to see an artist that not only sticks to what they know best, but also works in elements of the new with their old.

Overall, ‘Compton’, while far from living up to the hype of the scrapped album ‘Detox’ that it replaced, is worth at least a few listens, and a fitting end to the hip-hop legend’s studio career. Dre has done a great job of passing the torch to the next generation, and hip-hop fans across the world look towards the next generation of hip-hop with wide eyes and great expectations.