N.W.A
N.W.A |
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N.W.A. ("Niggaz With Attitude") was a hip hop group that was formed in Compton, California in 1986, and disbanded in 1991.
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 widespread commercial success without radio airplay or many other conventional mainstream promotions.
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 1980s releases of the genre. Many of the band members have gone on to lead successful solo careers.
Widely understood to be a drug-dealer, Eazy-E began Ruthless Records. Ice Cube had already written a song for him, "Boyz-N-The-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 the 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. Although marketed as N.W.A.'s debut album, half the songs didn't feature N.W.A., but rather a loose connection of artists on Ruthless Records. 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 added to N.W.A. in 1988, after Arabian Prince and The D.O.C left the group.
Members
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 temporary 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 (real name Eric Lynn Wright) 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, it 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). The evidence that Dr. Dre made amends with Eazy stems from Dr. Dre's song "What's the Difference?" from 2001, which raps "Eazy I'm still with you, fuck the beef, nigga, I miss you, and that's just bein real with you." Dr. Dre said in an interview on VH1 once that Eazy had made peace with all the other members but when he got to the hospital to see him he was already in the coma and died shortly after.
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.
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 Presents...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 5x 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 became one of only four rap albums in history to reach the 10x platinum or 1x diamond mark. 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 named Dre the 54th Greatest Artist of All-Time.
Ice Cube
Ice Cube also became a highly successful rapper. As of 2006, he has released six solo albums. Whereas N.W.A. rapped about gang life on the street, Ice Cube continued to include 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 over other rappers such as Eminem and The Game. His political albums are most remembered for referring to America as AmeriKKKa, as well as addressing hypocrisy and 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) were big hits; they all achieved platinum status, and were 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 to 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 was gone. In 1996, he ended up being involved with the East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry. 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 and director, starring in films such as the aforementioned Boyz N the Hood, Friday, Three Kings, xXx: State of the Union, Barbershop and Are We There Yet?. He has also released a reality TV series in March 2006, named Black.White. After an attempt to sign a contract to be on Aftermath Records he released his new album Laugh Now, Cry Later 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 a project with West Coast political rapper Paris. This turned out to be the Public Enemy album Rebirth of a Nation (2006). Paris and MC Ren are featured most prominently on two tracks, "Raw Shit" 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 album's release, The D.O.C. was involved in a car accident which severed his larynx, reducing his voice to a raspy wheeze (the raspy voice was heard in N.W.A'S Efil4zaggin Where he played as a guy name Willie Johnson on the album track "Dont drink that wine" and Dr. Dre's The Chronic where he portrayed a game show contestant in the album track "The $20 Sack Pyramid"). 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, Eminem 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.
Incarnations
1st Incarnation 1986 - 1987
2nd Incarnation 1987 - 1989
3rd Incarnation 1989 - 1991
Discography
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N.W.A. and the Posse
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Straight Outta Compton
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100 Miles and Runnin'
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Efil4zaggin
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Greatest Hits
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The N.W.A. Legacy, Vol. 1: 1988-1999
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The N.W.A. Legacy, Vol. 2
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NWA are planning to release a tribute album N.W.A. Celebrates 20 Years Of Hip-Hop on December 26 http://www.rapnews.net/0-202-262225-00.html?tag=topic
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
- Rapper "Macdids" only appeared on the first album. He was kicked out of the group over a dispute about a woman.