Compton is coming on strong. Just two days after Dr. Dre announced the existence of his inspired by-soundtrack to the wildly buzzing N.W.A biopic, Straight Outta Compton(due 8/14), the star-studded Aftermath/Interscope set, Compton, A Soundtrack, is making mad stacks in preorder ahead of its 8/7 release. It will be an Apple exclusive, at least initially.
Preliminary numbers suggest a 300k first week or bigger, and that’s a week before the movie hits 3k screens and becomes a massive topic of pop-cultural conversation. Do we need to remind you about a little ditty from 1988 called “Fuck tha Police,” and how much it resonates in the moment? Not to mention the backstory of how a tech gazillionaire/revered producer and his bandmate, the current star of top-grossing family comedies, once terrified the establishment?
How big will this one get? Will it become a juggernaut akin to Taylor Swift’s 1989 and help the biz make its year? Will it have radio hits? Our crystal balls are currently deflated, but we know this thing is big—and we look forward to finding out just how big.
Dre made his announcement Saturday on The Pharmacy, his widely acclaimed show on Apple’s Beats 1 radio. Compton reunites Dre with N.W.A colleague Ice Cube as well as Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Xzibit, among others.
