N.W.A

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

After N.W.A.

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 went pursued different occupations.

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Dr. Dre found great success as a solo rapper and producer. After N.W.A. he introduced the world to a new type of rap known as G-Funk, which consists of rapping over Parliament/Funkadelic beats. The style grew to be very popular, as the two records he has released so far, The Chronic and 2001 sold five million copies apiece. He found even greater success as a labelhead, founding Death Row Records and later Aftermath Entertainment, both of which released countless platinum albums that he produced himself. Most importantly, Dr. Dre's two labels introduced the world to several superstar rappers we know today, including Snoop Doggy Dogg, Tupac Shakur, Eminem, and 50 Cent. Rolling Stone Magazine recently named him the #54 Greatest Artist of All Time.

Related Topics:
Dr. Dre - G-Funk - Parliament - Funkadelic - The Chronic - 2001 - Death Row Records - Aftermath Entertainment - Snoop Doggy Dogg - Tupac Shakur - Eminem - 50 Cent - Rolling Stone

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Eazy-E's street credibility was damaged because his feud with Dr. Dre, but he still found success as a labelhead with his Ruthless Records. Most of the albums he released sold well on the spot. In addition, he introduced the world to the multi-platinum selling group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony in 1994. 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 strepthroat when in fact he had AIDS. He soon died from the disease, but not before he made peace with his former bandmates. His successors, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony soon after dedicated a song to him, Tha Crossroads. The single would become the fastest-rising single on charts to the date, tying The Beatles' previous record, and also earning them a grammy.

Related Topics:
Eazy-E's - Dr. Dre - Ruthless Records - Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - 1994 - 1995 - Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton - Strepthroat - AIDS - Tha Crossroads - The Beatles'

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Ice Cube became a highly successful rapper; to this day he has released 6 solo albums. Whereas N.W.A. degraded to rapping 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 notorious LA Riots. As a result all of his solo albums except his first album debuted in the top 5 and were all critically acclaimed. In 1996 he joined Mack 10 and WC to form the rap supergroup known as Westside Connection, which released hit singles such as "Bow Down" and "Gangsta Nation." Recently, Ice Cube has become successful as a film actor, starring in critically acclaimed films such as Boyz N the Hood and Barbershop. He is currently trying to sign a contract to be on Aftermath Records and plans to have his seventh solo album produced by his old comrade Dr. Dre.

Related Topics:
Ice Cube - LA Riots - 1996 - Mack 10 - WC - Rap - Supergroup - Westside Connection - Film actor - Boyz N the Hood - Barbershop - Aftermath Records - Dr. Dre

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MC Ren, like Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, soon severed ties with Eazy-E but began a solo career under Eazy-E's Ruthless Records label. He released four albums, and although one of his albums went gold, the others had a very lukewarm reception, however, and he eventually hurtled into obscurity.

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

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Yella was the lone member to remain loyal to Eazy-E after the breakup. He continued producing his records and also Eazy's protégés, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony for their 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 mentor, Yella released a solo album as a tribute to his former bandmate, but like the N.W.A. records, Yella did not touch the mic, instead he hired guest rappers to perform, such as Dirty Red, Dresta, Traci Nelson, Leicy Loc, B.G. Knock Out, and Efil4zaggin lyricist Kokane. After this he retired from the music business, and in his later years he began directing pornographic movies.

Related Topics:
Yella - Eazy-E - Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - Eazy-E's - Dirty Red - Dresta - Traci Nelson - Leicy Loc - B.G. Knock Out - Efil4zaggin - Kokane - Pornographic movies

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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, Vol 2, The Peace Disc, and featured the line "I started gangsta sh**/And this is the muther****in' thanks i get?" Later, the three recorded "Chin Check"" for Ice Cube's movie Next Friday with Snoop Doggy Dogg filling in for Eazy-E. For unknown reasons, Yella was not included on either reunion tracks. Those two songs were added to N.W.A.'s Greatest Hits album when it was remastered.

Related Topics:
1994 - Ice Cube - Dr. Dre - Murder Was the Case - 1998 - MC Ren - War & Peace, Vol 2, The Peace Disc - Next Friday - Snoop Doggy Dogg - Eazy-E - Yella

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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 careers.

Related Topics:
Capitol - Ruthless Records - 1998

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