Line #53 Music/NWA


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nwa-1.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: The World's Most Dangerous Group.[[note]]Left to right: Music/IceCube, Music/DrDre, Music/EazyE, DJ Yella and MC Ren.[[/note]]]]
3
4	->''"You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge."''
5	-->-- '''Music/DrDre''' in the opening of "Straight Outta Compton"
6
7	N.W.A (short for "Niggaz Wit Attitudes") was a Compton, California-based hip hop group widely considered one of the seminal acts of {{gangsta rap}}, most directly through their first album, ''Music/StraightOuttaCompton'', which [[GenreTurningPoint instigated a shift within the genre]] towards the hardcore stylings of the subgenre, as the production and the social commentary in their lyrics were revolutionary at the time.
8
9	Active from 1986 to 1991, the group endured controversy due to the explicit, confrontational nature of their lyrics. They were subsequently banned from many mainstream U.S. radio stations, and even at times prevented from touring -- yet the group still sold over 10 million units in the U.S. alone, mostly through word of mouth and underground magazines. Although largely unknown at the group's inception, members Music/DrDre, Music/IceCube, Music/EazyE and MC Ren would all go on to become platinum-selling solo artists, and some of them HouseholdNames within popular music.
10
11	The group began at the hands of member Eazy-E, who began Creator/RuthlessRecords with Jerry Heller. Ruthless released ''N.W.A. and the Posse'' in 1987 with Macola Records. N.W.A. was still in its developing stages, and only credited on four of the eleven tracks, notably the uncharacteristic electro hop record "Panic Zone", "[=8Ball=]", and "Dopeman", which first brought together (on wax) Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Eazy-E. Also included was Eazy-E's solo record "Boyz-n-the Hood". In 1988, rapper MC Ren joined the group.
12
13	N.W.A released ''Straight Outta Compton'' in 1988. With its famous opening salvo of three songs, the group reflected the rising anger of the urban youth. "Straight Outta Compton" introduced the group; "Fuck tha Police" protested police brutality and racial profiling, and "Gangsta Gangsta" painted the worldview of the inner-city youth. While the group was later credited with pioneering gangsta rap, N.W.A. referred to their music as "reality rap".
14
15	The group's music was propelled by their distinct style. Ice Cube and MC Ren's lyrics, centered around the violence and anger of disenfranchised inner-city residents, were complemented by simple production based on heavy beats courtesy of Dr. Dre and scratched samples by co-producer DJ Yella.
16
17	"Fuck tha Police", perhaps the group's most notorious song, brought them into conflict with various law enforcement agencies. Under pressure from [[MoralGuardians Focus on the Family]], Milt Ahlerich, an assistant director of the FBI, sent a letter to Ruthless and its parent company Priority Records advising the rappers that "advocating violence and assault is wrong and we in the law enforcement community take exception to such action". This letter can still be seen at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Policemen refused to provide security for the group's concerts, hurting their plans to tour.
18
19	''Straight Outta Compton'' was also one of the first albums to be given the new Parental Advisory label, then in its early stages: the now-iconic label then only consisted of "WARNING: Moderate impact coarse language and/or themes". However, the taboo nature of N.W.A's music was [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity the greatest part of its mass appeal]]. The media coverage compensated for N.W.A's virtual lack of airplay, and their album eventually went double platinum.
20
21	N.W.A's next release was some five months later, the EP ''100 Miles and Runnin''', but would not be equally diplomatic. Music/IceCube left in late 1989 over royalty disputes; having written 45% of ''Straight Outta Compton'' himself, he felt he was not getting a fair share of the money and profits. He wasted little time putting together his solo debut, 1990's ''Ameri[=KKK=]a's Most Wanted'', but avoided mentioning his former label mates. The song "100 Miles and Runnin'" is also notable for being Dr. Dre's final uptempo record, which had been a common feature of late-80s hip hop.
22
23	The group's second full-length release, 1991's ''[=Efil4zaggin=]'' ("[=Niggaz4Life=]" spelled backwards), re-established the group in the face of Ice Cube's continued solo success. The album is considered by many to be Dr. Dre's finest production work, and heralded the beginning of the "G-Funk era". It also showed a clear animosity towards their former member, and derogatory references to Ice Cube are found in several songs.
24
25	''[=Niggaz4Life=]'' would be the group's final album. After Dr. Dre, The D.O.C. and Michel'le's departure from Ruthless for Creator/DeathRowRecords, in which Eazy-E was allegedly coerced into signing away their contracts (while however retaining a portion of their publishing rights), a bitter rivalry ensued. Dr. Dre began the exchange with Death Row's first release, 1992's "Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')", and its accompanying video featured a character named Sleazy-E who ran around desperately trying to get money. The insults continued on ''The Chronic'' with "Bitches Ain't Shit". Eazy-E responded in 1993 with the EP ''It's On [[strike:Dr. Dre]] [=187um=] Killa'' and the tracks "Real Muthaphuckkin G's" and "It's On". Eazy-E accused Dr. Dre of homosexual tendencies, calling him a "she thang", and the music video for "Real Muthaphuckkin G's" shows promo pictures of him wearing make-up and a sequined jumpsuit. The photos were from Dr. Dre's World Class Wreckin' Cru days, when such fashions were the style of West Coast Electro hop prior to N.W.A's popularizing of gangsta rap.
26
27	After Eazy-E's death from AIDS complications on March 26, 1995 (just over a month after being admitted to the hospital, and 10 days after publicly announcing his diagnosis), all bad blood between the group ceased. Dr. Dre and Ice Cube would later express their re-evaluated feelings to their old friend on 1999's "What's The Difference" and "Chin Check", 2000's "Hello", and 2006's "Growin' Up".
28
29	With the success of the {{biopic}} ''[[Music/TheNotoriousBIG Notorious]]'', New Line Cinema reps announced to Entertainment Weekly's "Hollywood Insider Blog" that N.W.A's story was in development to become a theatrical release. [[Film/StraightOuttaCompton The film, titled after the group's first album]] and directed by Creator/FGaryGray, was released on August 14, 2015.
30
31	Perhaps due in part to the newfound hype surrounding the group, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016, only the fifth hip-hop act to receive the honor (following Music/GrandmasterFlashAndTheFuriousFive in 2007, Music/RunDMC in 2009, Music/BeastieBoys in 2012, and Music/PublicEnemy in 2013). ''Rolling Stone'' ranked them 83rd on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".
32
33	Unrelated to the Sandford [[Film/HotFuzz Neighborhood Watch Alliance]], the Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance, or Northwest Airlines.
34
35	!!N.W.A albums
36	* ''N.W.A. and the Posse'', released November 6, 1987
37	* ''Music/StraightOuttaCompton'', released August 8, 1988
38	* ''100 Miles and Runnin'' (EP), released August 14, 1990
39	* ''[=Niggaz4life=]'', released May 28, 1991
40
41	!!N.W.A music videos
42
43	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MrQtOoQRpc Straight Outta Compton]]
44	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxAEXUyGM94&feature=related Alwayz Into Somethin']]
45
46	----
47	!!Yo, man, there's a lot of tropes out there:
48
49	* AntiPoliceSong: "Fuck Tha Police" is an obvious example of the trope, being a BoastfulRap about a ReasonYouSuckSpeech against the LAPD for its brutality and bigoted racism against African-Americans, putting the LAPD "on trial."
50	* ArtisticLicenseLaw: In "Fuck Tha Police," a police officer retorts that the jury is lying about their verdict and demands justice, rather than claiming slander or libel.
51	* BashBrothers: Eazy-E and MC Ren are "2 Hard Mutha’s".
52	* BattleRapping: After Ice Cube split from the group, N.W.A. took aim at him with the title track of ''100 Miles and Runnin''', "Real Niggaz", and several other side comments and skits on ''[=Niggas4Life=]''. This proved to be unwise, as Cube, [[TheAce widely considered the group's best writer]], retaliated with "No Vaseline" and the slightly lesser-known "True to the Game", the former of which effectively destroyed N.W.A. for good by 1992.
53	* BigotWithABadge: The group's seminal protest anthem "Fuck Tha Police", particularly Ice Cube's verse, criticizes the racial profiling and police brutality done by white cops to black people, while also pointing out that a black cop will act worse when partnered with a white one.
54	--->''And on the other hand, without a gun, they can't get none,\
55	But don't let it be a black and a white one,\
56	'Cause they'll slam ya down to the street top,\
57	Black police showing out for the white cop!''
58	* BoastfulRap: Sort of. They popularized all this.
59	* {{Bowdlerise}}: The group recorded [[https://youtu.be/0JjqTinl-VI a clean version]] of "Straight Outta Compton"
60	--> Straight outta Compton!\
61	It's the crazy brother called Ice Cube\
62	From the stupid dope gang with the attitude!
63	* CardCarryingVillain: MC Ren often referred to himself as "the villain in black", and released a solo album with that as the title.
64	* ClusterFBomb: While no longer holding any records, it is amusing to note that "Fuck tha Police" is 12.1% profanity [[https://web.archive.org/web/20150908110311/http://www.ni9e.com:80/nwa.html with a solid 42 seconds of the song being unplayable on the radio]].
65	* CoversAlwaysLie: There are ''six'' guys on the cover of ''Music/StraightOuttaCompton.'' The extra man (between Cube and Yella) is Arabian Prince, a founding member of the group who left after the picture was shot but before the album was recorded.
66	* DarkerAndEdgier: ''[=Niggaz4life=]''
67	* DirtyCop: "Fuck Tha Police" has quite a few of these.
68	* TheDissTrack: After Ice Cube left the group, the remaining members took shots at him:
69	** "100 Miles and Runnin'" has the lyric, ''"We started with five, but yo / One couldn't take it—So now it's four / Cuz the fifth couldn't make it".'' The video for the song depicted the remaining members of N.W.A together in a jail cell, while an Ice Cube look-alike is released.
70	** "Real Niggaz", a full-blown diss where the remaining members accuse him of cowardice, and question his authenticity, longevity and originality: ''"How the fuck you think a rapper lasts / With your ass sayin' shit that was said in the past / Yo, be original, your shit is sloppy / Get off the dick, you motherfuckin' carbon-copy"'', and ''"We started out with too much cargo / So I'm glad we got rid of Benedict Arnold, yo."''
71	** In the interlude "A Message to B.A." on ''[=Niggaz4Life=]'', he's first addressed by the name Benedict Arnold (after the infamous traitor of the American Revolution) but then named outright in a torrent of abuse from both the group and its fans: "When we see yo' ass, we gon' cut yo' hair off and fuck you with a broomstick" spoken by MC Ren.
72	** Eventually, Ice Cube had enough, and released "No Vaseline" in response; pointing out that he was the group's principal writer, and accused Jerry Heller and Eazy of ripping off the group. "No Vaseline" by itself killed what was left of NWA, as Dre soon left to form Death Row Records, and Ren would eventually have his own falling out with Eazy.
73	* DrugsAreBad:
74	** On "Dopeman," Ice Cube has some harsh words for cocaine users.
75	--->If you smoke 'caine, you're a stupid motherfucker!
76	** This gem from Dre in "Express Yourself", due to Dre's solo album ''The Chronic'' [[HilariousInHindsight being a full celebration of marijuana use]]:
77	--->I still express, yo I don't '''smoke weed or sess''', 'cause it's known to give a brother brain damage\
78	And brain damage on the mic don't manage nothing but making a sucker and you equal
79	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: ''N.W.A. and the Posse'' is a compilation album of a few previously released songs, the original version of "Dopeman", and [[DolledUpInstallment several tracks from people with a tenuous connection to the N.W.A.]]. The cover is also quite bizarre, featuring interesting sights such as Ice Cube wearing a [[Music/PublicEnemy Flavor Flav]] style clock, Dr. Dre wearing a leather jacket long before it became his IconicOutfit, and [[CoversAlwaysLie lots of random friends who were willing to pose for a photo]].
80	* [[SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou Eazy-E Is About to Shoot You]]: [[http://thebadpennyblog.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/n-w-a-straight-outta-compton-album-cover.jpg The famous cover image]] for ''Straight Outta Compton'', which also qualifies as a TrunkShot. The ''[=Niggaz4Life=]'' [[http://s3.amazonaws.com/hiphopdx-production/2015/07/Niggaz4life-Bonus-Tracks-cover.jpg cover]] was similar, in that it showed [[HarsherInHindsight Eazy-E's ghost]] about to grab you.
81	* FiveTemperamentEnsemble:
82	** Sanguine: DJ Yella
83	** Choleric: Ice Cube
84	** Melancholic: Dr. Dre
85	** Phlegmatic: MC Ren
86	** Eclectic: Eazy-E
87	* GangstaRap: The {{Trope Codifier}}s if not the TropeMakers.
88	* GettingHighOnTheirOwnSupply: "Dopeman" quoted the trope-naming line from ''Film/Scarface1983'' as ''the'' golden rule to selling crack, seen in the page quote above.
89	* GoshDangItToHeck: "I Ain't Tha 1" is close to entirely devoid of profanity, yet it does contain sexually explicit themes. Consequently, this trope was in play in some of the lyrics. Similarly, "Express Yourself" is also devoid of profanity (aside from the phrase "Hell no!"), despite its lyrics pondering on free expression and how some rappers are pandering to censorship to make their songs radio-friendly.
90	* GunPorn:
91	** The music videos for "Alwayz into Somethin" and "Appetite for Destruction" from [=Niggaz4Life=] are quite subdued examples of this, as well as their some of their publicity photos.
92	** Eazy-E's "Neighborhod Sniper" video (post-NWA).
93	* IntentionallyAwkwardTitle:
94	** ''[=Niggaz4life=]'' - the album title appears in mirrored writing on the cover, so it's also sometimes referred to as ''[=Efil4zaggin=]''.
95	** "Fuck Tha Police".
96	** Hell, the group's name in general.
97	* IntercourseWithYou: ''[=Niggaz4Life=]'' is full of this! Also, "Just Don't Bite It", which revolves around receiving fellatio.
98	* JokerJury: "Fuck Tha Police" has a cop being tried by MC Ren, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and Eazy-E and eventually convicted for being "a redneck, whitebread, chicken-shit motherfucker".
99	* MisogynySong: At least 70% of ''[=Niggaz4Life=]''. ''Straight Outta Compton'' also has its moments.
100	* NWordPrivileges: ''[[SarcasmMode Really?]]''
101	** They actually explain these privileges in their song "Niggaz 4 Life"
102	* OlderThanTheyLook: Eazy-E was smaller than the rest of the group and was often seen wearing the same size jacket as them even though it was really big on him. Would you believe that he was the oldest returning member of the group? By a lot?
103	* ProtestSong: "Fuck Tha Police" is about racial profiling and PoliceBrutality. While technically never out of the public perception, it has received a strong revival in recent years beginning with the Occupy movement and to the Black Lives Matter protests. At the 2015 BET Experience, a new music video premiered, [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OUzqeXSpTkU highlighting recent victims of police violence]].
104	%%* RatedMForManly
105	* RedShirt: The dude who speaks at the beginning of "Gangsta Gangsta".
106	* RefugeInAudacity
107	* {{Sampling}}: "Straight Outta Compton" was one of the first popular tracks to use the AmenBreak.
108	* SdrawkcabName: The title of ''[=Niggaz4life=]'' is mirrored on the cover, in a way some people call the album ''[=Efil4zaggin=]''.
109	* SixthRanger: Probably MC Ren, on account of being the last to join.
110	* SoloSideProject: Zig-zagged. Eazy technically subverts it, as he released several solo singles prior to the group officially forming, and recorded solo his album simultaneously alongside ''Straight Outta Compton''. Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Ren, and DJ Yella avert the trope, as the former two broke away before releasing solo material, while Ren and Yella didn't release their solo albums until after the group split for good.
111	* SongParody:
112	** "I'd Rather Fuck You", of "I'd Rather Be With You" by Bootsy Collins.
113	** "Automobile" of "My Automobile" by Parliament.
114	** "[[Music/RunDMC My Adidas]]" becomes "My Penis"
115	** NWA themselves were parodied by [[Music/{{GWAR}} Dave Brockie]] in his band's song "The Salaminizer", which rewrites the lyrics to "Gangsta Gangsta" and uses them as the verses for a thrash-metal song.
116	* SpiritualSuccessor: Music/BoneThugsNHarmony.
117	* TheStoic: MC Ren.
118	* TheStoner: Dr. Dre, starting around 1991-ish.
119	* SurprisinglyGentleSong: In a way of speaking... "Express Yourself" is one of the few NWA tracks to almost completely lack profanity. It was made because they needed ''something'' that radio stations could play.
120	* TrunkShot: ''Straight Outta Compton'''s cover.
121	* WeUsedToBeFriends: Hoo boy...
122	** Ice Cube left the group due to royalty issues and a distrust of their manager, Jerry Heller. His first solo album, ''[=AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted=]'' sold well, though he avoided mentioning his former bandmates. The remaining members, jealous of his solo success, dissed him on ''100 Miles and Runnin''' and ''Niggaz4Life''. Cube responded with the ''brutal'' "No Vaseline".
123	** Dr. Dre left the group for pretty much the same reason and joined Creator/DeathRowRecords. When Eazy-E wouldn't release Dre from Ruthless Records, Suge Knight threatened him with violence. Dre would later diss Eazy on "Fuck With Dre Day", with the video featuring a character named "Sleazy-E" who ran around desperately trying to get money. E responded with "Real Muthaphuckkin' G's" and "It's On", the former of which had a music video featuring pictures of Dr. Dre dressed in sequins and facial makeup from his days in the rap group World Class Wrecking Crew; prompting Eazy to make several homophobic remarks about Dre, and exposing that his claims he was a street gangster were entirely false.
124	** Dre himself had also threw some subliminal barbs at Ice Cube on ''The Chronic'' in retaliation for "No Vaseline", but by the time "Let Me Ride" was released as a single, they had mended their friendship, and even started working together.
125	** By 1994, even MC Ren got fed up with Eazy-E, calling him a "big-head" and "wannabe mega-star", and even suggesting that N.W.A should reunite without him. He later said that the only relationship he had with Eazy-E was through Ruthless Records.
126	** All bad blood within the group ceased following Eazy-E's diagnosis with AIDS. Shortly before his death, he managed to patch up his relationships with his former crew.
127
128	----

Context Music / NWA