Well it is that time of year again. February. Black History Month.

Before I say anything else, let me say this: If it were not for N.W.A., west coast hip-hop music would virtually be nothing. N.W.A. is what put not only "gangsta" rap, but arguably the entire west coast on the map. The pioneering group consisting of Ice Cube, the late Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, and DJ Yella have all branched off since then, redefining new sounds. However, it all started in 1988, with Straight Outta Compton. Like it or not, N.W.A. (an acronym for "Niggas With Attitudes") have pioneered hardcore hip-hop, perhaps not single handedly, but definitely had a say in it. Years before gangsta rap was brought into the mainstream, and before the dreaded east-coast, west-coast rivalry, Straight Outta Compton dropped, and opened up many eyes in music. The album, as well as the group N.W.A. as a whole, represented the image of young angry black men lashing out their anger on wax against all of those who oppressed them in life. Whether it be politicians, racists, or even police officers, N.W.A. makes sure to not leave ANYBODY out of the picture. N.W.A. have striking similarities to Public Enemy, only a LOT angrier and a lot louder, but still equally powerful.

Tracklist & Rating

"Straight outta Compton, crazy motherf*cker named Ice Cube, From the gang called N*ggaz With Attitudes, When I'm called off, I got a sawed off, Squeeze the trigger, and bodies are hauled off, You too, boy, if ya f*ck with me, The police are gonna hafta come and get me, Off yo a**, that's how I'm goin out, For the punk motherf*ckers that's showin out, N*ggaz start to mumble, they wanna rumble, Mix em and cook em in a pot like gumbo"

After the MC Ren solo joint "If It Ain’t Ruff", we find Dr. Dre being handed a microphone for the first time on "Parental Discretion Iz Advised", which features a very young D.O.C.. On this song, we find a bass-heavy track, backed by guitars and pianos for N.W.A. to spit over. Of course, the main event is N.W.A. continuing on their lashing out against the racism that is covering their lives like a dark blanket, touching on both politics, as well as their own self-esteem, spitting some unique, west-coast braggadiocio. In fact, believe it or not, these guys manage to actually spit some battle lyrics, which is mainly something that east-coast emcees relied on, specially in this time period. Everybody does a pretty good job, and continue to establish the west coast as being pretty good song-writers and lyricists.

"Compton’s N The House" finds N.W.A. paying a tribute to their home town. Basically, N.W.A. try their very best to honestly put N.W.A. on the map. This song proceeds to find pretty much every member of N.W.A. (except Yella of course) spitting about the city, and also taking some time to diss the impostors who consider themselves members of the city. The subject matter was used in the east way before N.W.A., but of course, like i said, in the EAST. This is the first true pro-west-coast anthem that I believe was popular. The song has a VERY Run-DMC vibe to it, with a minimalistic beat (drum loop and bass only, with scratches), and some well-placed, simple lyrics with a simple flow. Sort of reminds me a bit of "South Bronx" by Boogie Down Productions.

N.W.A. explain how drugs affect society, specifically Compton, on "Dopeman (Remix)". The subject matter, as I said a second ago, reflects around how a drug dealer can pretty much take over an entire neighborhood. They explain how he single handedly can become wealthy due to the money he makes off addicts and fiends, as well as educating people as to the effects of drugs on people. The song goes against the use of drugs (again, very hypocritical compared to these artists' future work), but also manages not to be preachy and soft, keeping it's edge while still showing a positive message. This is the kind of music that hip-hop nowadays lacks, as every single artist out there praises their "weed smoke" and how much they do it ALL THE TIME (Afroman, 50 Cent, and Snoop come to mind), even though some keep it funny (Eminem, Redman, Method Man). Another dope track.

Unfortunately, after Straight Outta Compton, there wasn't much left for N.W.A. as a whole, as it seemed like their time together was meant to be shortlived. Ice Cube went on to become a west coast legend, leaving the group in 1989 due to disputes with Eazy-E over pay, and went on to craft a handful of awesome, at times classic, albums in the early 1990s. After that, Cube has become a successful movie actor, starring in hit movies such as Friday and Barbershop. Dr. Dre became a legendary producer after this album, but due to disagreements with Eazy (again), he left the group in early 1991 and co-founded Death Row Records with Suge Knight. He dropped a seminal debut album (The Chronic), and went on to introduce the world to newer, younger west-coast stars such as Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, Lady of Rage, and RBX. After having problems with Suge, he left and started his own label Aftermath, and signed Eminem, who already has one of the greatest careers in hip-hop. He is currently working on his third album, which is said to be his last. Eazy E went on to have a slept-on solo career, yet also discovered Bone Thugs N Harmony in the early 90s, as well as got diagnosed with HIV. He sadly died of AIDS in 1995, years before he and his other members could reconcile. MC Ren practically disappeared off the map, occassionally popping up. DJ Yella now has moved on to direct adult films (thanks Astromurf).