#13: N.W.A. — Straight Outta Compton — 1988
Compton, CA — Ruthless Records
As we move away from the hip-hop birthplace of New York onto the warm coasts of California once again, we face yet another absolute classic of an album by the Niggaz Wit Attitudes themselves: Arabian Prince, DJ Yella, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, MC Ren and the one and only Dr. Dre. With such a legendary roster, it’s easy to understand why this is yet another pivotal album in hip-hop history, though I must admit that my familiarity with this record and those artists in general is not quite proportional to their fame and importance, with the exception of Dre’s later solo stuff.
The title track kicks it off with that immediately recognizable “Amen, Brother” drumbreak and a menacing warning from Dr. Dre: “you are about to witness the strength of street knowledge”. That in itself pretty much sets the tone for what’s to come: raw ghetto energy channeled through some incredibly fast-paced and violent bars — look no further than the opener’s first verse for an example: “When I’m called off, I got a sawed-off/ Squeeze the trigger, and bodies are hauled off/ You too, boy, if you fuck with me/ The police are gonna have to come and get me […] Here’s a murder rap to keep y’all dancin’/ With a crime record like Charles Manson/ AK-47 is the tool/ Don’t make me act a motherfucking fool”. Yeah, these dudes don’t fuck around — this is that murder rap, the more violent, explicit side of the more generic designation of gangsta rap, where they’ll talk about past, present and future crimes not only as narrative and aesthetic references, but as an activity that’s fundamental to the very essence of this lyricism.
Production in general is somewhat less busy, more minimal than, say, Long Live the Kane or Nation of Millions, with a distinct early-80s electro-rap aftertaste to it, largely due to the extensive use of the at the time looked down upon, but nevertheless poor man’s drum machine of choice, the illustrious Roland TR-808. There’s plenty of variety production-wise, though, and it’s rich in its own way, depending less on sample density and more on liberal use of steady, not too chopped-up, very funky melodic lines, with the occasional snarky percussive rolls here and there, frequently protagonized by the best timbre ever invented in the history of the world: the TR-808 Cowbell.
Track number two, the illustrious Fuck tha Police, for example, begins with a notoriously funky intro before developing into a somewhat more synthetic and fast-paced, but just as Jamesbrownesy, verse and especially nasty and sample-y (?) chorus — equally funky are Parental Discretion iz Advised and Express Yourself; meanwhile, there are also more minimal, thumping, synthy beats that wouldn’t feelt too out of place in a Run-D.M.C. joint, such as Dopeman and 8 Ball. That characteristic Dr. Dre style isn’t yet fully developed here, but its seeds are there and perceivable by the inquisitive ear, and there sure are some distinctly G-Funk moments here and there, such as in the last verse of Gangsta Gangsta, with those ridiculously recognizable squiggly synth melodies and timbres and little tropical-sounding guitar riffs. Another resource they make liberal use of is sampling many different lines from other rap songs in order to build a chorus, something I’m particularly fond of.
Flow and lyricism, themes aside, are also still reminiscent of the electro-rap style of a few years prior, sounding stiffer, more regular, and, quite frankly, sometimes a bit dull and monotonous when compared to some stuff that was going on in the east coast at the time — still, the overall style of delivery, most of all MC Ren’s if I’m being honest, is nuanced and dramatic enought to keep our ears entertained. One thing that sets this record apart from most of what we’ve seen so far is the centrality of storytelling in it: there’s always some sort of linear sequence of happenings, even in the frequent gloaty tracks that aren’t about any specific particular subject, which gives this records a cohesive chronicle feel, a bona fide portrait of the streets of CPT, their day-to-day life and aspirations, and, most of all, a constant channeling of the woes and afflictions of the modern urban ghettos of the US through unapologetically harsh and impactful lyricism — as LA Times critic Dennis Hunt defined at the time, “a no-holds-barred, audio-documentary of ghetto life”.
While not quite as formally and technically sophisticate as some stuff being made in the east at that same time, most of all regarding the MC’s lyricism and performance, its sheer energy and raw storytelling definitely set it apart and it’s not too hard to see the seeds of later, more stylistically defined west coast rap. As I’ve mentioned there’s some strong mid-80s flavoring here and there, and while it doesn’t always really work for me it is still yet another interesting insight into the transitory sound between the early golden era style and the proper late 80s to mid 90s style that would become the golden standard in rap producing.
Favourite tracks:
If It Ain’t Ruff — Slick lyricism and flow are the highlights of the first of MC Ren’s two solo joints, and the fact that it’s not as frantic and hyped-up as the rest of the record also make it a nice breather.
Parental Discretion Iz Advised — Simply incredible beat in this quintessential posse cut, which also counts with some more nimble, sly rhyming and varied flows. Without a doubt the track everyone in this record saved their best material for.
Dopeman — The electro beat doesn’t do it for me that much, but Ice Cube’s rhyming and storytelling here has great energy and is hilarious, if a little crass at times, and Eazy-E’s little verse toward the end is pretty slick too. Valuable lesson to be learned here: “If you smoke ‘caine, you a stupid motherfucker”.
Least favourite tracks:
8 Ball — Somewhat of a goofy beat that doesn’t really work in my opinion, plus I gotta admit that Eazy is my least favourite MC from NWA, and both his flow and lyrics (which were mostly written by Ice Cube actually) come off especially lackluster in this one.
Compton’s N The House — It’s not that I hate this, it’s just kinda… silly, I don’t know? Beat is way too barebones, everyone’s flow sounds especially stiff and the lyrics and rhymes are somewhat awkward and weird. Just decidedly subpar in pretty much every aspect.
