Compton generated a discrepancy between critical and fan-based acclaim. Critical music publications generally lauded the album as a musical success, whilst many long-time Dr Dre fans deprecated it as a poor alternative to Detox.

Both of these views get this wrong though - critical publications failed to highlight the potential significance of Compton. This power comes from both the uniqueness of the album, analogies to To Pimp a Butterfly, structural excellence and other factors.