N.W.A (Niggaz With Attitude) was a hip hop group that was formed in Compton, California in 1986. They continually redefined, over the course of 5 years, the face of West Coast hip hop in both lyrical and instrumental ways. N.W.A was one of the first gangsta rap groups to achieve commercial success.
N.W.A | |
|---|---|
| From left: Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Yella, MC Ren | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Compton, California |
| Years active | 1986–1991 |
| Members | Dr. Dre Eazy-E (deceased) Ice Cube (1999-2000,1986-1989) MC Ren DJ Yella Arabian Prince (1986-1988) The D.O.C. (1986-1987) |
Their second album, Straight Outta Compton, marked the beginning of the new gangsta rap era as the production and lyrics were revolutionary with respect to the previous early 80s releases of the genre. Many of the band members have gone on to lead successful solo careers.
Beginning
Drug-dealer Eazy-E began Ruthless Records. Ice Cube had already written a song for him, "Boyz-N-Tha-Hood", and when one of the bands on his label rejected it, Eazy-E decided to rap it himself. He formed the "Niggaz With Attitude" (N.W.A) with Ice Cube as an MC and former World Class Wreckin' Cru members Dr. Dre and DJ Yella as producers as well as rappers Arabian Prince and The D.O.C.. Eazy-E released the party album N.W.A. and the Posse on his Ruthless Records label. Half of the songs were from N.W.A. After this, for unknown reasons Arabian Prince and The D.O.C. were no longer in N.W.A, but both continued to ghostwrite for the group. MC Ren was later added to N.W.A.
"The World's Most Dangerous Group"
N.W.A first released the groundbreaking Straight Outta Compton in 1989. Many consider it a wake-up call to the problems that were going on in the West, particularly in South Central Los Angeles. It should be noted, however, that the only member who could possibly be considered an actual gangsta in the group was Eazy-E due to his drug-dealing past; the group has acknowledged that the situations portrayed in the album are entirely fictional, and were not meant as any kind of deep political statement. Most of the songs on Straight Outta Compton were about life in the ghetto. The opening three songs seemed to express the feeling of the people in Compton. "Straight Outta Compton" reflected a rising anger in the city, "Fuck tha Police" talked of police violence, and "Gangsta Gangsta" spoke of gang life. While there were 13 tracks on the original album in total, it has become best known for these three that open it.
Each member of N.W.A. made significant contributions to the album; both Ice Cube and to a lesser extent MC Ren contributed lyrics, with Eazy-E providing comical relief within his rhymes. Producers Dr. Dre and Yella composed beats for each song, and Dre occasionally rapped on the album as well.
Some of the lyrics were considered highly dangerous, especially those of "Fuck tha Police," their most notorious song. It resulted in Milt Ahlerich, an assistant director of the FBI, sending a letter to Ruthless Records and its parent company Priority, advising the rappers that the law enforcement took "exception to such action (fucking the police)." The FBI's letter only served to draw more publicity to the group.
Fans of all kind and critics alike consider Straight Outta Compton to be one of the greatest albums ever in gangsta rap, opening the door for more acts to come. Straight Outta Compton eventually went double-platinum and Rolling Stone magazine recently placed it 144th on their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. [citation needed]
Disputes
Contracts, money and especially the way of directing the group's productions and conceptions were often a source of disputes.
Ice Cube and N.W.A
Ice Cube left the group in late 1989 when he discovered that Eazy and his manager, Jerry Heller, were stealing money from the group. N.W.A. didn't take well to Ice Cube's departure, so the remaining members began a feud by insulting Ice Cube on their two discs without him. On 100 Miles and Runnin', Dr. Dre told the public "It started with five but one couldn't take it/ But now it's four because the bitch couldn't make it," and on Efil4zaggin, the group called Ice Cube by the name "Benedict Arnold", after the notorious traitor of the American Revolutionary War.
The assault upset Cube. His first album AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted had no mention of N.W.A., though he had a prominent role in the film Boyz N the Hood (which was an N.W.A song until John Singleton appropriated the title), which contained a scene depicting a chain snatcher wearing a "We Want Eazy" sweatshirt being beaten.
On his second album, Death Certificate Ice Cube fired back at his former group by releasing the song "No Vaseline", proclaiming "The World's Most Dangerous Crew" as "phonies" and Eazy-E to be a "snitch". He also made remarks about his former manager Jerry Heller that some hold to be anti-Semitic, rapping "you let a Jew break up my crew."
Dr. Dre and Eazy-E
Soon after, The D.O.C. found that Cube's words were true: Eazy and Heller were in fact skimming money off the top, and Dre left the crew behind as well. This, more than anything else, meant the end of N.W.A; Dre began his solo career, forming the legendary Death Row Records with former bodyguard Suge Knight. When he released his first solo album The Chronic, he began a well-publicized feud with his ex-bandmate by constantly poking fun of Eazy-E on the song and the video for "Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')" and other songs on his solo debut, wherein he and new collaborator Snoop Dogg taunted him and called him "Sleazy-E."
Eazy-E responded by releasing the EP It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa dissing Dr. Dre and showing pictures of Dr. Dre in makeup during the days he was in the "World Class Wreckin' Cru" However, Dr. Dre and his Death Row juggernaut was on the rise, and there was little Eazy-E could do to stop him.
Impact on the Industry
Though N.W.A released only two full albums and an EP, its impact has been enormous, with its legacy enduring in the solo careers of the members. After the ground-breaking efforts of N.W.A, all of the members pursued different occupations.
Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre had a successful solo career as a rapper and producer. After N.W.A, he introduced the world to a new type of West Coast hip hop known as G-Funk, which consists of P-Funk-influenced beats and samples and "gangsta" subject matter. The style grew to be very popular, as his debut album The Chronic went triple-platinum and launched the career of Snoop Dogg, who featured prominently on the album and went on to release his Dre-produced debut Doggystyle, which went 4x platinum. Such enormous success overcame New York's dominance on the hip hop scene, making West Coast rap a serious competitor.
Prior to the death of fellow Death Row artist Tupac Shakur, Dre left the label, forming his own label known as Aftermath Entertainment. In 1999, he re-emerged as a formidable force on the hip-hop scene with Eminem's The Slim Shady LP, which was executive-produced by Dre, and his own 2001, which featured similar "gangsta" subject matter as The Chronic but saw his production style take a significantly different direction. The former went on to become 4x platinum and the latter 6x platinum, helping establish Aftermath on the hip-hop scene. Eminem's follow-up album, The Marshall Mathers LP, featured increased production involvement from Dre and was an enormous commercial and critical success, selling 1.7 million copies in its first week and eventually certified 9x platinum. In 2003, rapper 50 Cent signed a joint deal with Eminem's Shady Records and Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, going on to become one of today's biggest rap superstars with his debut Get Rich or Die Tryin' and its follow-up The Massacre. Dre has also launched the career of Compton rap newcomer The Game, executive-producing his 2005 debut album The Documentary.
Rolling Stone magazine recently named Dre the 54th Greatest Artist of All Time. There is a great deal of anticipation surrounding the release of Dre's final solo album Detox, which currently has no set release date but is expected to be released sometime in autumn 2006. [citation needed]
Eazy-E
Eazy-E remained the head of Ruthless Records under which he signed was the executive producer of some of the most acclaimed acts in the scene of gangsta rap including Above the Law, his N.W.A fellow MC Ren and the mainstream success Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. His street credibility was damaged in Compton due to public political associations with the Republican party, specifically President George H.W, Bush. Regardless, he continued to be, perhaps, the most influential and most representative image of the hardcore gangsta rap in hip hop circles. Eazy-E kept the feud with Dr. Dre by verbally attacking him and his protégés in his albums. It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa, while not as successful as Dre's The Chronic, managed to go platinum in 1993. In 1995 he was working on a comeback album, Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton when he checked into a hospital with the belief he had strep throat, but what he found was far more serious. In a publicized statement, Eazy announced he had contracted HIV, the virus that caused AIDS. This is due to his history of unprotected sex with multiple partners exemplified by the fact that he fathered seven children with six different women. No one, including Eazy-E himself, had a clue about how sick he actually was. During the week of 20th March, the star drafted his last message to fans. One month after making that announcement, Eazy succumbed to the disease at a local hospital in Los Angeles. He was 31 years old at the time of his death. Before he died, Eazy had made amends with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre.
His son, who goes by the name of Lil' Eazy, is now a burgeoning rapper who has vowed to carry on his father's legacy. His album is in the works and is to feature appearances and production from most of his father's old groupmates and friends.
Ice Cube
Ice Cube also became a highly successful rapper. To this day he has released 6 solo albums. Whereas N.W.A rapped about gang life on the street, Ice Cube continued to rap about social commentary on his records on subjects such as gun control in the ghetto and the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Like Dr. Dre, he has gained a lot of influence by other hip hop rappers such as Tupac Shakur, Eminem and The Game. His political albums are most remembered about the U.S.A in which he named AmeriKKKa, as well as hypocrisy and addressing issues such as ganglife and racism. As a result all of his solo albums, except his first, debuted in the top 5 and were critically acclaimed. In 1996 he himself got landed into the West Coast/East Coast rivarly. He teamed up with Mack 10 and WC to form the rap supergroup known as Westside Connection, which released hit singles such as "Bow Down" and "Gangsta Nation." The band are known for their hardcore music and spewing insults and threats to the East Coast. After only two albums, the band split up in 2004 after feuding and personal issues. Recently, Ice Cube has experienced success as a film actor, starring in critically acclaimed films such as the aforementioned Boyz N the Hood, Friday, XXX: State of the Union and Barbershop. Not only has he starred in films, he has produced and directed films as well as releaseing a reality tv series in March 2006, named Black.White. After an attempt to sign a contract to be on Aftermath Records and plans to have his seventh solo album produced by his old comrade Dr. Dre, he announced the independent release of his new album Laugh Now, Cry Later which is to be released in 2006 on his own record company, Da Lench Mob.
MC Ren
Like Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, MC Ren had differences of opinions with Eazy-E but not as deep as the other members. He began a solo career under Eazy-E's Ruthless Records label and after the death of his friend and producer, DJ Train, he departed from Eazy-E's side. He remained on the record label, releasing four albums, including his first gold release and his critically acclaimed platinum LP Shock of the Hour which made him more an underground act than his former colleagues. In 2004, Ren announced plans for an as-yet unreleased project with West Coast political rapper Paris.
Yella
Being a DJ, there was not much of a solo career for Yella to pursue, thus he was the lone member to remain loyal to Eazy-E after the breakup. He continued producing Eazy-E's records, including a couple of tracks for Eazy-E's protégés, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, debut EP Creepin on a Come Up. He also claimed he was the lone member of N.W.A to be by Eazy-E's deathbed when he died. After the death of his friend, Yella released a solo album as a tribute to his former bandmate, but as with N.W.A, Yella did not touch the mic; instead, he hired guest rappers such as Dirty Red, Dresta, Traci Nelson, Leicy Loc, B.G. Knocc Out, and Efil4zaggin lyricist Kokane to perform. Yella has since retired from the music business and is now directing pornographic movies.
Compilations and Collaborations
In 1994 Ice Cube reteamed with Dr. Dre for the song Natural Born Killaz for the soundtrack to the short film Murder Was the Case. The reunion was a hit, as it helped propel the album to number 1. 1998 saw the beginning of a slight N.W.A reunion when Cube and Dre were soon rejoined by MC Ren to record some new songs. They first recorded "Hello" for Ice Cube's sixth solo album War & Peace - Volume 2 (The Peace Disc), and featured the line "I started this gangsta shit / And this is the mutherfuckin' thanks I get?" Later, the three recorded "Chin Check"" for Ice Cube's movie Next Friday with Snoop Dogg in place of deceased Eazy-E. Yella was not included on either reunion tracks but was supposed to get involved later as he wasn't on the road with the Up in Smoke Tour along with the others, who were recording the tracks in a mobile studio. These tracks were planned to be a part of a conceptual comeback album of N.W.A called Not These Niggaz Again, that was to be produced by Dre on the part of the beats and Ice Cube on the part of the lyrics. But due to the artists' fully booked schedules and some label problems - that were in one hand coordinating the three different labels signing them (Priority, No Limit, Interscope) and at the other hand foreclosing the copyright of the use of the name "N.W.A" and endorsing the whole project to gain exclusive rights - the new album never came out. Supposedly they didn't succeed in realizing these goals so those two songs were added to N.W.A's Greatest Hits album when it was remastered (archives by VH1 from 1999, 2000, and 2002). To cover the immense influence the members of N.W.A accomplished as a unit and on their own, Capitol and Ruthless Records released The N.W.A Legacy, Vol. 1: 1988-1998 in 1998, an album that only contained three songs from the actual band, but contained countless solo tracks from the five members. The success of the album caused the labels to release a second volume, The N.W.A Legacy, Vol. 2, two years later. It followed the same format of the first album, containing only three tracks from the actual band but had more songs from the solo artists.
Discography
- N.W.A. and the Posse, 1987 #12 US RIAA certification: Gold
- Straight Outta Compton, 1989 #9 US RIAA certification: 3x Platinum
- 100 Miles and Runnin', 1990 #7 US RIAA certification: 1x Platinum* Efil4zaggin, 1991 #1 (1 week) US RIAA certification: 1x Platinum
- Greatest Hits, 1996 US RIAA certification: Gold
- The N.W.A Legacy, Vol. 1: 1988 - 1998, 1999
- The N.W.A Legacy, Vol. 2, 2002
- Not These Niggaz Again, (postponed)
Videography
all videos can be seen in a 2002 VHS release entitled
- N.W.A: Efil4Zaggin The only home video
- The N.W.A. Legacy: The Video Collection, 2002