It's A Compton Thang: The Best Albums To Come From Compton

What's the deal folks?!  In giving props to Queensbridge and all the greatness that particular section of Queens, NY presented, it was only right to travel across the country to the left coast and a salute to arguably the most legendary city outside of Los Angeles in Cali, and that's Compton.  For a fairly small town in contrast to bigger cities like San Francisco, Oakland, and San Diego, Compton is home to many celebs and dignitaries such as the iconic Williams sisters, actor Anthony Anderson, actress/comedienne Niecey Nash, actor/comedian Paul Rodriguez, legendary professional wrestler Leon White (aka Big Van Vader), and a slew of others.  However, it wasn't until a group of six men were determined to put on for their city in '88 called N.W.A. and with one album, the world knew all about that Compton life.  There were, on the other hand, a bunch of other outstanding and landmark releases to emerge from this city.  With that in mind, let's take a look at the twenty best albums with the Compton stamp of approval on them.

20. MC Eiht- We Come Strapped

With the break up of Compton's Most Wanted, lead emcee MC Eiht was still on the lips of all gangsta lovers, especially after his tremendous role on the riveting classic movie, Menace II Society as the ruthless hustler  A-Wax.  With his officially risen with the role as well as with his breakout solo cut, the exceptional "Streiht Up Menace", it was time to drop his debut album, We Come Strapped, and it definitely delivered all of what made him such a regarded emcee within the gangsta genre.  Draped with gangsta lyrics and fairly menacing production, the album went gold and showed that MC Eiht would keep the CMW name going strong all by himself.

19. The Game- 1992

If there was one person that has a very consistent catalog of tremendous music to come from the west, you better put The Game in the conversation quickly.  Following up that monster of an album, The Documentary 2/2.5 (see later) wasn't an easy task, but damn if he didn't do it with excellence on the album, 1992.  As noted, this was a pivotal year in the life of Jayceon Taylor, as he not only grew to fully accept hip-hop into his life, but he also embraced the streets and thus getting into the gang culture.  Balancing gang life with his love of hip-hop, Game does a great job blending the two, and with no true filler on this album, you strike it as not only just another smash for him, but truly one of his finest offerings.

18. DJ Quik- Safe + Sound

One of the most heralded producing emcees ever in the game is the legendary DJ Quik.  Known for his penchant of creating distinctive melodies and a love of funk and soul, Quik had started a rabid fan base by the time '95 came around, as he had delivered two outstanding releases in Way Too Fonky and Quik Is The Name (see both later).  For his third album, Safe + Sound, he got up with Deathrow Records CEO Suge Knight to have him executive produce this album, and it ended up being among his truly best efforts.  The album includes his contribution to the Murder Was The Case soundtrack, "Dollaz & Sense", as well as the title track, and the carefree "Summer Breeze".  At this time, he was also at the height of his beef with aforementioned fellow Compton native MC Eiht on the cut "Sucka Free".  As a whole, this album was rock solid and he officially became a household name if he wasn't before.

17. King Tee- At Your Own Risk

Arguably the most under-appreciated legend to emerge from the CPT is King Tee.  Among the forefathers to rep the Compton banner, King Tee generated an early buzz with his debut of '88, Act A Fool.  It was his second album, however, that got his name out more nationally and with just as much, if not more, acclaim with At Your Own Risk.  Filled with syrup-thick funk for your ass, King Tee had the sound strictly for your Impalas while cruising the strip on a Saturday night in the summer.  Doesn't get any better than that in any time of the year.

16. The Game- Doctor's Advocate

There was no album from the west that was even coming close to touching The Game's stellar debut, The Documentary in '05.  Hoping to continue that momentum, he dropped his sophomore effort Doctor's Advocate, just over a year later.  After a highly notable falling out with 50 Cent and G-Unit, plus not being on good terms with mentor Dr. Dre, he went at it without help from either, as opposed to his debut album.  The results were almost just as fantastic.  Pound for pound, this is his best album not named Documentary, as every cut is well constructed and focused.  Even without 50 and Dre, Jayceon Taylor's sophomore effort fared more than okay.

15. Dr. Dre- Compton: A Soundtrack By Dr. Dre

After being away from the booth for over a decade, the mighty Dr. Dre returned in quite the surprising fashion.  Around the time of the release of the Straight Outta Compton movie, Dre dropped his third, and reportedly final, solo album, Compton: A Soundtrack By Dr. Dre.  Critics were dying to see if this was the highly talked about and discussed Detox that had been promised to us for as long as he had been away.  According to the good doctor himself, Detox never could come together, but that this was a way better project.  The album itself shattered any notion questioning whether or not he still had it in today's time.  The near billion dollar man showed that he was still more than capable of holding down an album within today's generation.  Plus we saw the emergence of a star in Anderson.Paak with this release as well.

14. DJ Quik- Way Too Fonky

After the tremendous critical acclaim of his debut, Quik Is The Name, he came back in '92 with his follow-up, Way Too Fonky.  Easily just a compatible with the listeners speakers as the debut album, Way Too Fonky was a smooth, although sometimes aggressive, ride through Compton and the soulful grooves of the album made the trip hotter than Phoenix in the peak of Summer.  The album produced one of his most known singles, "Just Like Compton" and also resulted in a gold plaque for the highly talented emcee/producer.

13. Compton's Most Wanted- It's A Compton Thang

In '90, while the east coast was simply infatuated with the Nubian grooves of the Native Tongues click and their respective releases, the west had seen the emergence of an up-and-coming crew known as Compton's Most Wanted.  Emcees Boom Bam, Tha Chill, and MC Eiht, along with DJ Mike T, had provided a gritty and vivid soundtrack of the brutal streets of Compton with their debut, It's A Compton Thang.  Unforgiving and as real as you can get during those days, C.M.-dubb made you believe you were on the streets with them and you were in their world of violence and robberies.  

12.MC Ren- Shock Of The Hour

After the unfortunate breakup of N.W.A., the one member people were a little concerned about in terms of his future in the game was MC Ren.  Seen as the most underrated member of the group, Ren is the only one of the group (along with DJ Yella) to remain with Eazy-E and Ruthless Records.  His debut EP, Kizz My Black Azz, was an in-your-face lyrical assault to those that doubted his strength within N.W.A.  The EP was met with much acclaim, but many wondered how it would be with a full-length album.  The question was answered with Shock Of The Hour, and it was every bit of a critical smash as was predicted.  There was a different tone for half the album, as Ren had been converted to Islam and much of the ideologies of the Muslim faith are shown on the album, while balancing his loyalty and love of the streets that raised him.  The first half of the album was aggressive and full of angst, where the other half was cautionary and full of jewels.  It's a conflicting album, but one that made Ren a breakout emcee.  This album is a very important piece to the puzzle of the formation of Compton hip-hop in the early nineties.

13. Compton's Most Wanted- Music To Drive By

A seminal release within the gangsta genre, C.M.W.'s Music To Driveby was unrelenting and unabashed.  Continuing the momentum off their aforementioned debut, It's A Compton Thang, and their very decent follow-up Straight Check'n 'Em, this album was another level for them and provided shot after shot, especially disses to DJ Quik and Tim Dog on "Def Wish II" and "Who's Fuckin; Who" respectively.  Most known for the hit "Hood Took Me Under", Music To Driveby was a true gangsta's paradise.

10. DJ Quik- Quik Is The Name

A young man named David Blake had been making noise in Compton with his mixtapes in Compton and his production abilities.  After enough buzz, he was signed to a major label and the young man known as DJ Quik released his debut album, Quik Is The Name to big time acclaim.  In a year where we were blessed with esteemed classics such as De La Soul Is Dead, The Low End Theory, and Niggaz4Life, Quik Is The Name could easily be right up there with them, with classics like "Tonite" and the anthemic "Born & Raised In Compton".  This album established Quik in the game and was the start of a legendary career.

9. Eazy-E- Eazy Duz It

Many regarded him as the unofficial mayor of Compton.  He was definitely as charismatic as he was a visionary for his time within the gangsta genre.  The late, great Eric "Eazy-E" Wright was the epitome of a hip-hop rock star in the late eighties.  The mastermind behind the timeless album, Straight Outta Compton with N.W.A., Eazy delivered his debut solo album Eazy-Duz-It the same year.  Every bit as popular as Straight Outta Compton, the album sold double platinum units and Eazy became a worldwide star.  A knack for compelling, sometimes hilarious, stories of the streets, Eazy became known as one of the true godfathers of the gangsta genre, and Eazy-Duz-It remains one of the most appropriate examples of the heights of the genre.

8. The Game- The Documentary 2/2.5

In a year that saw some of the most stunning and breathtaking hip-hop releases in over a decade om 2015, The Game's exceptional double album was every bit on that list.  Not since his debut, The Documentary, had we heard Game sound this hungry, fresh, and innovative.  Although two separate discs were released within a week of each other, this was unquestionably a double album, and should be in the conversation of perhaps greatest overall double album of all-time in hip-hop (yes it's that serious).  Incredibly consistent, both production-wise and lyrically, this is the best album Jayceon Taylor has presented in many years, and that's saying a mouthful considering how good his albums in between had been for the most part.  Say what you will about Game, but one can't deny the consistency Game has brought over the years, and this one is definitely in the talks of his best effort ever.

7. N.W.A.- Niggaz4Life

With Straight Outta Compton establishing them a certified superstars, N.W.A. was riding a super wave of momentum.  That is until the departure and subsequent beef with member Ice Cube, which threw the energy of the group way off for a bit.  However, undeterred, they came back with Niggaz4Life.  Many have said that the group without its strongest and most notable lyricist made the album not as dazzling, however as the years have gone by, some have actually stated that the album might be even better than Straight Outta Compton.  It can be highly argued that Dre's production stepped up quite a few levels with this album, but so did the misogyny and violence within the album.  More of a shock value album than a cultural statement, this would be the group's last album together, but with Niggaz4Life, they went out in superb fashion.

6. Kendrick Lamar- good kid, M.A.A.D. city

One of the strongest debuts, not just to come out of Compton, not just out the west, but in hip-hop as a whole in many years came in the form of Kendrick Lamar's good kid, M.A.A.D. City in 2012.  Already achieving a ton of buzz with his simply dazzling underground album, Section.80, as well as earlier works like The Kendrick Lamar EP and Overly Dedicated, he signed a major label deal with Aftermath, but the beauty is that the album didn't have, nor did it need, and Dre influence.  It stuck to the sound of TDE, with the exception of Just Blaze and Hit-Boy.  The album shows a young man dealing with the conflicts of his environment while trying to come into his own as a young man as well.  A classic coming of age story very similar to albums like Illmatic and Fashawn's Boy Meets World (DON'T SLEEP), Kendrick became the next big thing from Compton, however we had no idea what was to come just three years later.

5. Dr. Dre- 2001

As if we couldn't get enough of the game-changer that was The Chronic, Dr. Dre took seemingly close to a decade to deliver his follow-up, 2001 (originally Chronic 2001).  A more updated version of The Chronic sonic-wise, 2001 was an amazing example of Dre's knack to not only construct some of the most monumental production of our time but can produce new stars as well.  On this album, we saw reunite with Snoop Dogg, exhibit the out of this world talent of Eminem, and show us new talent such as Hittman.  Who doesn't know cuts like "XXplosion", "The Next Episode" and "Still D-R-E"?  Really, who doesn't??  This is greatness from the good doctor and showed that he was still one of the greatest to ever do it.

4. The Game- The Documentary

If we were to be honest, the city of Compton had been in a lull quite a number of years in terms of anything fresh emerging.  In comes a young G-Unit associate named The Game.  Co-signed by both 50 Cent and Dr. Dre, his future was bright.  Very damn bright.  While nothing was really touching 50's classic debut, Get Rich Or Die Tryin' at this time, the anticipation of Game's Documentary was off the page, and many speculated that this would be that album to challenge it for best album of the year.  When the album dropped, we knew a star was officially born, as this album was just the new classic the west needed and hip-hop as a whole needed too.  A memorable debut to say the least, The Game had arrived, and with his debut selling upwards of five million units, he was going away anytime soon.

3. N.W.A.- Straight Outta Compton

The album that put Compton on the map.  One of the most landmark albums of any genre in history, gangsta had officially got appealed to the suburbs.  Five guys of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, MC Ren, and DJ Yella (shouts to original sixth member Arabian Knight) came together to make some noise and let the world know where they were from and how cold the world was from their perspective in Compton.  From nihilism (the title track) to freedom of expression ("Express Yourself") to corrupt police ("Fuck The Police"), N.W.A. covered ground that hadn't been walked on before so boldly, yet so universally accepted.  One of the most influential albums to ever exist, Straight Outta Compton still stands the test of time.

2. Dr. Dre- The Chronic

All of the west coast owes its prominence, especially in the early to mid-nineties to this album.  No other album from the west had established this kind of new sound and new direction in hip-hop.  His first solo album away from N.W.A., Dr. Dre changed the entire axis of the music world with The Chronic and set a new standard in gangsta rap.  Using soul samples as Funkadelic samples to help with his already impeccable production, this was an album that would stand the test of time and become subsequently the album to beat throughout the nineties that wasn't named Illmatic.  We saw new stars emerge such as Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, Lady Of Rage, and RBX, and each represented incredibly.  A game changer that forever changed hip-hop.

1. Kendrick Lamar- To Pimp A Butterfly

The new standard of excellence, creativity, and musicianship within hip-hop.  There hasn't been an album like this is well over a decade.  Kendrick's second major label effort, To Pimp A Butterfly, not only surpassed his debut, which was a feat in itself considering how incredible it was, but it became a cultural and musical experience the likes of which only got rivaled by timeless epics such as The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Marvin Gaye's Here My Dear, and The Low End Theory.  Conceptually, lyrically, musically, and technically, this album is light years beyond anything this current generation is exposed to currently, and if there were any doubts as to his aim for the crown in hip-hop, this landmark piece of art shattered them all.


Honorable Mentions

DJ Quik- Rhythm-al-ism
2nd II None- The Shit
MC Eiht- Death Threatz
MC Ren- The Villain In Black
Kendrick Lamar- Section.80
The Game- Jesus Piece
Compton's Most Wanted- Straight Check'n 'Em
King Tee- Act A Fool
King Tee- Thy Kingdom Come
YG- My Krazy Life
YG- Still Brazy


As you can see, Compton is not just a notable city based upon who came from there in terms of athletics and film/screen, but some of the most revered albums ever recorded came from the city as well.  True game-shifters originated from the notorious CPT, and there's even more to come from this city.  Until next time homies!