On a somewhat biased note, I am excited to present this next topic of hip-hop history to you all in discussing my favorite rap group, N.W.A. Standing for N***as With Attitudes, N.W.A was formed in the year 1987 by crew member Eric “Eazy-E” Wright, a so-called rebel without a cause, in Compton, California under Ruthless Records.
Adding to the iconic group, we were blessed with members such as Andre “Dr. Dre” Young, O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson, Antoine “DJ Yella” Carraby, and Lorenzo “MC Ren” Patterson. N.W.A. refers to their music as West Coast hip-hop, however, many others refer to it as “gangsta rap” because their record “Straight Outta Compton” is considered to be the first-ever album to be shipped with the “parental advisory” label on it. However, the record still managed to become the group’s best-selling effort.
In addition, the group, like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, tackled issues that were facing urban youth including police brutality, racial profiling, and the struggles of the inner-city. This was particularly known within the song “F**k tha Police” which was strongly criticized for its violent and controversial lyrics.
Historically, N.W.A gained their long-lasting legacy the day that they received a letter from the FBI in regards to the song “F**k tha Police.” The letter read, “law enforcement officers dedicate their lives to the protection of our citizens, and a recording such as the one from N.W.A are both discouraging and degrading to these brave, dedicated officers.” They were then specifically asked to not play this record at one of their concerts in Detroit in 1989 for anti-protest reasons. Did they listen? Absolutely not.
Follow up for my next post coming soon to see what went down with N.W.A’s legacy and “tha Police”!