N.W.A
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Template:AboutTemplate:Infobox band N.W.A. (Niggaz With Attitude) was a hip hop group that was formed in Compton, California in 1986. Over the course of the five years the group was together, they continually redefined 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.
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.
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Beginning
NWA modelled their name off the notorious Eastern European gangsters, the SWA (Serbs With Attitude). The leader of the SWA was a man who many people called the toughest gangster who ever lived and was only ever recognised by his street name, K-Serb. Very few people were foolish enough to cross this stone cold maniac, those who did dissappeared very quickly. There was one man though who decided to start a war with the SWA, called Fatikurt, and he attempted a direct assassination on K-Serb. The plan was a disastrous failure and only left K-Serb with a broken nose and one beast of a grudge. K-Serb sent his best (and most brutal) mobster Stenwen after his enemy and Fatikurt was later found with his eyes ripped out their sockets and hung by his own intestines from a walnut tree. Eventually international police managed to build up enough evidence on the SWA to arrest every single one of it's members. Many of K-Serbs thugs got the electric chair and the shortest sentance was twelve years. K-Serb himself and Stenwen managed to escape the arrests and were never caught or heard of again, although there have been apparent sightings in the towns of Johannesburg (S. Africa) and Shrewsbury (U.K). Other notorious hoods of the gang who were never caught were the hitmen Cormão, Stallardovic, Gwilli, Panndapopz and the gang's reject member Kur Lue.
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 opening three.
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. Ironically, Eazy E was also the only member of N.W.A to hold a criminal record.
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. Template:Fact
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 getting more money than the rest of 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 the song 100 Miles and Runnin',for the album with the same name 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,". On "Alwayz into Somethin" the group calls him by his real first name, Oshea. Also,the song Real Niggaz on theEfil4zaggin album, 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, Dr. Dre found that Cube's words were true: Eazy and Heller were in fact getting more money, so Dre left the crew behind as well. This, more than anything else, meant the end of N.W.A. Dre then began his solo career, forming the legendary Death Row Records with former bodyguard Suge Knight. His first album was The Chronic. On the songs "Fuck Wit Dre Day" and "Bitches Aint Shit", Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg (now known as Snoop Dogg) poke fun at Eazy-E.
Eazy-E responded by releasing the EP It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa. On the songs "Real Muthaphukkin G's" (or "Real Compton City G's") and "Its On", Eazy-E makes fun of Dr. Dre by calling him a "she thang" and on the music video showing pictures of Dr. Dre wearing cosmetics and flashy clothes.
Impact on the industry
Though N.W.A. released only a compilation, two full albums, and an EP, its impact has been enormous, with its legacy enduring in the solo careers of the members. After the groundbreaking 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 quadruple-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 5x 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 and the incarceration of Death Row co-founder Suge Knight, Dre left the label, forming his own label known as Aftermath Entertainment. He released a poorly received compilation album, Dr. Dre Pessents... The aftermath, only notable for his own single, 'Been There, Done That. 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 a record-breaking 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. Dre also has other big name rappers such as Eve and Busta Rhymes on the Aftermath roster.
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. Template:Fact
Eazy-E
Eazy-E remained the head of Ruthless Records and 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 going with Dr. Dre by verbally attacking Dre and his protégés on Eazy's 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 causes AIDS. This is due to his history of unprotected sex with multiple partners, exemplified by the fact that Eazy had 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 March 20, 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 when he died. Some believe that before his death, Eazy had made amends with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre (although others believe that only DJ Yella saw Eazy while he was in hospital).
One of his sons, 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. As of April 2006, he has released six 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. All of his solo albums, except his first, debuted in the top 5 and were critically acclaimed. His first three albums: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, Death Certificate, and The Predator all were big hits and went multi-platinum and were all geeted with rave reviews by critics. His fourth solo effort, Lethal Injection, was recorded on the back of projects with his crew, Da Lench Mob and starring in Boyz N The Hood. It found Cube trying to keep up with the G-Funk sound that was popular on the west coast at the time, and as a result, Cube started to lose ground on his fellow west coast rappers, such as Dre & Snoop. War & Peace, Vol. 1(1998) and Vol. 2(2000), Proved that the fire from his first few albums were gone. In 1996 he ended up being involved with 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 group is known for their hardcore music and spewing insults and threats to the East Coast. After only two albums, the group split up in 2004 after feuding and personal issues.
As his popularity increased, Ice Cube has experienced success as a film actor, starring in critically acclaimed films such as the aforementioned Boyz N the Hood, Friday, Three Kings (film), 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 Records.
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. This turned out to be the Public Enemy album Rebirth of a Nation (2006). Most of the album featured Paris and MC Ren was featured on two tracks, "Raw Sh*t" and "Hard Truth Soldiers".
DJ 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's debut EP Creepin On Ah Come Up. He also claimed he was the lone member of N.W.A. to be at 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.
The D.O.C.
In 1989, The D.O.C. released his Dr. Dre-produced debut album, No One Can Do It Better. Dre's production was similar to his production work for N.W.A. at the time, but he also included one rap/rock song and a reggae-influenced track. At a time when virtually every well known California rapper was releasing gangsta rap albums, The D.O.C. released an LP with lyrics that more closely resembled the styling of East Coast lyricists. Shortly after the albums release, The D.O.C. was involved in a car accident which crushed his larynx, reducing his voice to a raspy wease.The D.O.C. also wrote many lyrics for N.W.A., particularly on the album Efil4zaggin. He went on to introduce Dr. Dre to Suge Knight and help mold the career of Snoop Dogg. The D.O.C. split with Death Row after a dispute over money, and recorded an ill-advised comeback album, Helter Skelter in 1995. With his voice reduced to an ineffective rasp it didn't create the buzz his debut did. He returned to his hometown, Dallas to form his record label and released his third album, Deuce. He still writes for Dr. Dre (along with Jay-Z), Snoop Dogg, and Kurupt.
Arabian Prince
The Arabian Prince found the going tough when he departed the group for a solo career in 1988. His debut Brother Arab on Orpheus barely scraped the bottom of the R&B and pop charts in 1989. His first solo releases are in high demand nowadays. His album credits include Where's My Bytches as well as work on N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton and production for various other West Coast hip hop artists. Arabian Prince has reappeared testing video games for FOX Interactive around the year 2000 and currently runs a 3D animation studio.
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 #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), featuring 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, the new album never materialized. The main obstacles were coordinating three different record labels (Priority, No Limit, Interscope), foreclosing the copyright of the use of the name N.W.A., and endorsing the whole project to gain exclusive rights. Supposedly they did not 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 many 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 and many songs from them as solo artists.
Discography
- N.W.A. and the Posse, 1987 #12; US RIAA certification: Gold
- Straight Outta Compton, 1989 #9; US RIAA certification: 6x Platinum
- 100 Miles and Runnin', 1990 #7; US RIAA certification: 10x 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
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
External links
- NWA Forum
- NWAWorld
- NWA lyrics
- {{{2|{{{title|N.W.A}}}}}} at The Internet Movie Database
- A personal remembrance of Straight Outta Comptonde:N.W.A
fr:Niggaz With Attitude gd:N.W.A. he:N.W.A nl:N.W.A no:N.W.A. pl:N.W.A pt:N.W.A sv:N.W.A