N.W.A

:This page is about the rap group; N.W.A. can also mean Northwest Airlines or National Wrestling Alliance.

"The World's Most Dangerous Group"

N.W.A. released the groundbreaking Straight Outta Compton one year later 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. 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 the Police" talked of police violence, and "Gangsta Gangsta" spoke of gang life.

Related Topics:
Straight Outta Compton - 1989

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All 5 members made significant contributions to the album, especially Ice Cube, since he wrote some of the most memorable lyrics on the album. MC Ren also wrote significant amounts of material fo the album, making sure he wasnt just the new guy on the team. Eazy-E, despite having most of his songs written by Ice Cube, provided comical relief with his hysterical raps. To top it all off the dual producers Dr. Dre and Yella provided fresh and funky beats for each song and Dre occasionally rapped on the album.

Related Topics:
Ice Cube - MC Ren - Eazy-E - Dr. Dre - Yella

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Some of the lyrics were considered highly dangerous, especially those of their most notorious song, "Fuck Tha Police." 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.

Related Topics:
Fuck Tha Police - FBI - Ruthless Records - Priority

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Dr. Dre once said, "We wanted to make albums just for people like us to listen to" but a majority of the sales came from the white suburbs, as teenagers could now find a new way to be rebellious from their parents. Still, fans 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 named it the 144th greatest album of all time on their 500 Greatest Albums List.

Related Topics:
Dr. Dre - Straight Outta Compton - Rolling Stone Magazine - 500 Greatest Albums List

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