HIP HOP CLASSICS

 During the late 80's, when the east coast seemed to

dominate rap music, it seemed like rap was at its apex.

Rap fans were complex and as a result there were songs or

groups that catered to their diverse needs. Styles ranged

from braggadocio, pop, consciousness, romantic, politically

charged or even a combination of various styles. Rap was

the voice of a community and just when you thought there

was nothing left to be said, there was a group from the

west coast that stated "FUCK THA POLICE" and

"A BITCH IZ A BITCH".

NWA's "STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON" not only presented a new voice, but also transcended

it's west coast boundaries. No matter if you were from the east, west or any where in

between, almost everyone was able to relate to their tales of street realism. N.W.A. was

one of the first groups, on vinyl, that gave audiences a fierce dose of profanity, graphic

violence and sexually explicit lyrics. Considering there was very little promotion, their

material still managed to sell units and even draw the attention of the F.B.I., who sent

letters to Ruthless Records and its parent company, Priority. For a rap group to draw

this type of attention was "Gangsta" and they gained instant street creditability.

Thus welcome to "GANGSTA RAP"

The group was started when Eazy-E aka Eric Wright, a former drug dealer started

Ruthless Records with the money he earned by hustling. Ruthless Records began to

stabilize when it enlisted the talents of Dr. Dre aka Andre Young (World Class Wreckin' Cru)

and Ice Cube aka O'Shea Jackson who began writing songs for different groups on

the label. Eazy E eventually formed N.W.A. an acronym for Niggaz With Attitude.

N.W.A. also added DJ Yella aka Antoine Carraby (also from World Class Wreckin' Cru),

The Arabian Prince and the D.O.C. In 1988 one year after their unsuccessful album,

"N.W.A. and The Posse", the group added M.C. Ren aka Lorenzo Patterson. They

improved their sound, borrowing the noisy, yet melodic innovations of Public Enemy.

"Straight Outta Compton" was a solid album. Some of its highlights included:

"Straight Outta Compton", "Fuck Tha Police", "Gangsta, Gangsta", "Parental Advisory is

Advised" (featuring the D.O.C.) , "I Ain't Tha 1", and "Dopeman (Remix)". The album

was so exceptional that it was digitally re-mastered and re-released in 2002.

N.W.A. helped propel "Gangsta Rap" as one of the most popular forms of rap

during the 1990's. Their grim, outrageous, self-indulgent stance temporarily triumphed

over socially conscious groups such as Public Enemy and X-Clan.

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON, continues to be a relevant piece of work since, struggling,

surviving and speaking against unjust practices, will always be universal topics.

                                                                     K MERCER