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JennYBlast From The Past Vol. 1 - Part III : N.W.A - Straight Outta Compton Album Review
August 8th 2008 22:22
Welcome to the first edition of Blast From The Past. In this monthly column, we'll post three (sometimes four) reviews of albums that came out a long time ago. This month, we'll cover three very different musical genres by revisiting Aerosmith's Rock in a Hard Place, Michael Jackson's Ben, and N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton. Today, we're checking out N.W.A for the 20th anniversary of Straight Outta Compton.
[Click here for Part I: Aerosmith - Rock in a Hard Place]
[Click here for Part II: Michael Jackson - Ben]
Release date: August 8, 1988
Genre: Gangsta rap, West Coast hip hop, Golden Age hip hop
Length: 60:27
Label: Ruthless / Priority
Straight Outta Compton is the second album from the group N.W.A (N**** With Attitude), and was released on Eazy-E's label, Ruthless Records. This album changed a lot of things in the gangsta rap era mainly because of its controversial lyrics. Furthermore, the album switches rap domination from the East Coast to the West Coast. It was the first album to go platinum without getting much airplay, nor touring support.
Straight Outta Compton starts with the title track, an instant classic. On this song, Ice Cube, MC Ren, and Eazy-E put their lyricism on the table. You can't hate on that song because every bit is perfect, from the beat by Dre and scratch by Yella, to the lyrics.
F*** Tha Police, one of the most controversial song ever recorded follows Straight Outta Compton. The song was so controversial that the F.B.I sent a letter to Ruthless Records, accusing them of wrongful guidance while the group was also banned from performing at some places. In this song, we are at the N.W.A court, Dr. Dre is judge, and the case opposes N.W.A to the police. In the song's verses, the three rappers talk about the police. Cube raps about police officers having problems with African-American people on the hood. On the chorus, they repeat F*** the police four times then you hear somebody getting arrested. Ren, then, raps about being able to fight or take out cops any time. The chorus comes back with Eazy-E getting arrested. On his verse, Eazy mostly mixes Cube and Ren's subjects together. At the end of the song, you hear that N.W.A won the court order. It's a really great song, another classic.
Gangsta Gangsta is the third track of the album. In this song, they talk about the gangsta life, but see, that song is the difference between a classic and plain ol' bulls***. Nowadays, being a gangsta is being all shiny with bling, it's not about being a outlaw anymore. Well, that's what I liked about this song, they talk about money, weed, and b****** but in the real gangsta way, not like the wanksters we hear on the radio today. On this song, you can see why Ice Cube was one of the best in the group because he mostly does all the song with his great lyricism. On the last verse, Dre switches the beat for Eazy-E. There are four verses in this song but I'd say this is mostly a Cube song because he does the first three verses.
It Ain't Ruff showcases nicely Ren's talent since he's the only one on the mic. You're going to love his flow and reverse rhymes. The beat is straight legit. You can't hate it. That's the Dre you want to hear now.
Parental Discretion Iz Advised features the group's ghostwriter the D.O.C. He does the intro, Dre follows with a verse. I think Dre's lyricism was better on his album The Chronic. There's nothing to say about the others, it's the same old group rap where everyone raps. The beat isn't a classic but you still can't hate.
8 Ball (Remix) is really an Eazy-E song. He didn't impress me. It's just a normal rap song, when I say 'normal,' I don't mean 'normal' like now, more like old school 'normal.' The beat switches from calm to crazy but sometimes there was too much instrumental samples in the beat. And on his last verse – if you listen closely – you hear him approving the fact that Ice Cube ghostwrites for him by saying: “Ice Cube writes the rhymes that I say.”
Something Like That was supposed to be called Tell 'Em What Yo Name Is? But you can hear why it was changed in the intro of the song. This is a Dre and Ren track. It was cool and chill to listen to, nothing special.
Express Yourself is the album's eighth track and it's a song that makes you want to get out of your seat and scream out loud “Express yourself.” You can feel Dre's flow on this song which a good track to listen to. If you want to put a smile on your face, play that sh**. The beat is on point, the lyrics too. Damn, I love this song. You can't get tired of hearing it. The whistle on the beat is perfect, just a little something that changes everything.
Compton's In The House (Remix) feels like an old-school party. However, you get easily tired of the beat because it just keeps repeating itself in a loop. In this song, you can see that N.W.A isn't only about straight gangsta sh**, they were just having fun, joking around on this beat.
I Ain't Tha 1 features only Cube on the mic as he talks about women. I thought this song was going too slow. Once again, you easily get tired of it.
Quiet On Tha Set follows I Ain't Tha 1 and switches everything. The beat is much faster, Ren is the only one on the mic; it's not a bad song, but not a classic. During the chorus, you can hear Eazy as the director controlling the scene.
Something 2 Dance 2 is the final track of the album and brings in a totally different style. Gone is the straight hood gangsta type, in is Sir Mix-a-Lot style. There's not much lyrics in it because, as the title says, it's not for the lyricism, it's for dancing.
Anywho, this was a good album overall with some sure classics. If you wanna go back to the classic time, I recommend you this album; everything is good, from the
gangster to the dance. What was amazing in Dre and Yella's production is that they had at least ten different samples in each songs - really crazy. What else can I say? You can't
hate the album, but it's sad that the group fell apart. I guess that's what happens when you have three good people (Cube, Eazy, Dre) who fight each other to be on top of the group.
[Click here for Part I: Aerosmith - Rock in a Hard Place]
[Click here for Part II: Michael Jackson - Ben]
[Click here for Part I: Aerosmith - Rock in a Hard Place]
[Click here for Part II: Michael Jackson - Ben]
Release date: August 8, 1988
Genre: Gangsta rap, West Coast hip hop, Golden Age hip hop
Length: 60:27
Label: Ruthless / Priority
Straight Outta Compton is the second album from the group N.W.A (N**** With Attitude), and was released on Eazy-E's label, Ruthless Records. This album changed a lot of things in the gangsta rap era mainly because of its controversial lyrics. Furthermore, the album switches rap domination from the East Coast to the West Coast. It was the first album to go platinum without getting much airplay, nor touring support.
Straight Outta Compton starts with the title track, an instant classic. On this song, Ice Cube, MC Ren, and Eazy-E put their lyricism on the table. You can't hate on that song because every bit is perfect, from the beat by Dre and scratch by Yella, to the lyrics.
Straight Outta Compton
F*** Tha Police, one of the most controversial song ever recorded follows Straight Outta Compton. The song was so controversial that the F.B.I sent a letter to Ruthless Records, accusing them of wrongful guidance while the group was also banned from performing at some places. In this song, we are at the N.W.A court, Dr. Dre is judge, and the case opposes N.W.A to the police. In the song's verses, the three rappers talk about the police. Cube raps about police officers having problems with African-American people on the hood. On the chorus, they repeat F*** the police four times then you hear somebody getting arrested. Ren, then, raps about being able to fight or take out cops any time. The chorus comes back with Eazy-E getting arrested. On his verse, Eazy mostly mixes Cube and Ren's subjects together. At the end of the song, you hear that N.W.A won the court order. It's a really great song, another classic.
Gangsta Gangsta is the third track of the album. In this song, they talk about the gangsta life, but see, that song is the difference between a classic and plain ol' bulls***. Nowadays, being a gangsta is being all shiny with bling, it's not about being a outlaw anymore. Well, that's what I liked about this song, they talk about money, weed, and b****** but in the real gangsta way, not like the wanksters we hear on the radio today. On this song, you can see why Ice Cube was one of the best in the group because he mostly does all the song with his great lyricism. On the last verse, Dre switches the beat for Eazy-E. There are four verses in this song but I'd say this is mostly a Cube song because he does the first three verses.
It Ain't Ruff showcases nicely Ren's talent since he's the only one on the mic. You're going to love his flow and reverse rhymes. The beat is straight legit. You can't hate it. That's the Dre you want to hear now.
Parental Discretion Iz Advised features the group's ghostwriter the D.O.C. He does the intro, Dre follows with a verse. I think Dre's lyricism was better on his album The Chronic. There's nothing to say about the others, it's the same old group rap where everyone raps. The beat isn't a classic but you still can't hate.
8 Ball (Remix) is really an Eazy-E song. He didn't impress me. It's just a normal rap song, when I say 'normal,' I don't mean 'normal' like now, more like old school 'normal.' The beat switches from calm to crazy but sometimes there was too much instrumental samples in the beat. And on his last verse – if you listen closely – you hear him approving the fact that Ice Cube ghostwrites for him by saying: “Ice Cube writes the rhymes that I say.”
Something Like That was supposed to be called Tell 'Em What Yo Name Is? But you can hear why it was changed in the intro of the song. This is a Dre and Ren track. It was cool and chill to listen to, nothing special.
Express Yourself is the album's eighth track and it's a song that makes you want to get out of your seat and scream out loud “Express yourself.” You can feel Dre's flow on this song which a good track to listen to. If you want to put a smile on your face, play that sh**. The beat is on point, the lyrics too. Damn, I love this song. You can't get tired of hearing it. The whistle on the beat is perfect, just a little something that changes everything.
Express Yourself
Compton's In The House (Remix) feels like an old-school party. However, you get easily tired of the beat because it just keeps repeating itself in a loop. In this song, you can see that N.W.A isn't only about straight gangsta sh**, they were just having fun, joking around on this beat.
I Ain't Tha 1 features only Cube on the mic as he talks about women. I thought this song was going too slow. Once again, you easily get tired of it.
Quiet On Tha Set follows I Ain't Tha 1 and switches everything. The beat is much faster, Ren is the only one on the mic; it's not a bad song, but not a classic. During the chorus, you can hear Eazy as the director controlling the scene.
Something 2 Dance 2 is the final track of the album and brings in a totally different style. Gone is the straight hood gangsta type, in is Sir Mix-a-Lot style. There's not much lyrics in it because, as the title says, it's not for the lyricism, it's for dancing.
Anywho, this was a good album overall with some sure classics. If you wanna go back to the classic time, I recommend you this album; everything is good, from the
gangster to the dance. What was amazing in Dre and Yella's production is that they had at least ten different samples in each songs - really crazy. What else can I say? You can't
hate the album, but it's sad that the group fell apart. I guess that's what happens when you have three good people (Cube, Eazy, Dre) who fight each other to be on top of the group.
[Click here for Part I: Aerosmith - Rock in a Hard Place]
[Click here for Part II: Michael Jackson - Ben]
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