Park Foundation Music App

Home > Artists

N.W.A.

American group, seminal purveyors of the gangsta rap sub-genre, self-proclaimed 'World's Most Dangerous Group.' N.W.A. stands for "Niggaz Wit Attitudes." They were active from 1986 to 1991 and briefly in 1999/2000. N.W.A. released "[m=40320]" in 1987 on Macola Records, included in the compilation "[m=139509]". The group was still in its developing stages as they were credited only on four of the eleven tracks, notably the uncharacteristic electro-hop record "Panic Zone," "8-Ball", and the underground smash "Dopeman," which marked the first collaboration of [a76220], D.J. [a12330], [a50513], and [a13732]. Hispanic rapper [a663863] co-wrote "Panic Zone," which was initially called "Hispanic Zone," but the title was later changed when Dr. Dre advised Krazy-Dee that the word "Hispanic" would hinder sales. Also included was [a76073] 's solo track "Boyz-n-the Hood." In 1988, Arabian Prince departed, and burgeoning rapper [a100748] joined N.W.A. Later that year, the group released their debut album, "[m=26117]." Though not a success at first, "Straight Outta Compton" provided an outlet for the underground rap scene wary of the emergent conscious and New Jack Swing sounds from the East Coast, embracing more street-oriented lyrics that solidified the disparate elements of gangsta rap into a genre meaty enough to be quantified, imitated, and monetized for decades to come, eventually reaching number 37 in the Billboard Top 200 in May 1989, and number 9 on Billboard's Top Soul L.P.s. The album managed to sell over three million copies without much airplay, spawning three singles, two of them charting successfully: "Straight Outta Compton," "Gangsta Gangsta," and the free-speech anthem, "Express Yourself." The group became notorious for their hardcore lyrics, most notably the infamous tune, "Fuck tha Police," which resulted in the F.B.I. sending a warning letter to [l7801] and its parent company, [a=Priority Records], suggesting that N.W.A should watch their step. Ice Cube left in December 1989 over royalty disputes; having written almost half of the lyrics on "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, "[m=97462]" (1990), aligning himself with the Bomb Squad, the famed production team of [a=Public Enemy], and their hardcore political stance. Still, he avoided mentioning his former label mates. The bitter remaining members of N.W.A. continued without Ice Cube, releasing the E.P. "[m=26111]" (1990), which went platinum, starting a critical feud on wax against their previous member. Ice Cube fired back with the classic scathing follow-up diss, "No Vaseline." Their 1991 follow-up album "[m=26113]" (also referred to as "Niggaz4Life") was the first hip-hop full-length album to reach number one on the Billboard 200. Shortly after the release of "Efil4zaggin", N.W.A. disbanded. All members continued making music since then, with most notably Dr. Dre founding the iconic [a=Death Row Records] with [a=The D.O.C.], Dick Griffey, and [a=Suge Knight] and later establishing [l2310] and debuting notable acts such as [a=Eminem] and [a=50 Cent]. Eazy-E continued running Ruthless Records and releasing more music until he died of AIDS in 1995. Established now as a successful entrepreneur and filmmaker, Ice Cube reunited with his former group to produce the N.W.A. biopic, 2015's Straight Outta Compton, a collaboration between Cube, Dre, and the estate of Eazy-E which grossed over 200 million dollars, earning the distinction of being the most successful music biopic ever filmed. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame voters inducted N.W.A. in 2016.