The Controversy: Hip-Hop Group (W. A)

From 1986 - 1991 N.W.A had some of the most controversial gangster rap lyrics of the times. The group was lyrically ruthless, they were raw and uncut with the messages they were delivering making sure to touch on racism and police brutality. In the movie Straight outta Compton the hip hop group N.W.A is portrayed as being one of the most influential and iconic hip hop rap groups of all times. The movie shows how the group changed hip hop forever by telling their day to day struggles growing up in Los Angeles. N.W.A’s music reflected the environment they were growing up in it glorified the lifestyle of drugs and crime and had explicit lyrics.

Niggas With Attitudes, NWA, was an iconic gangster rap group formed in south central Los Angeles. Rap originated in the Bronx and Brooklyn, but NWA shifted the center to the West Coast. As NWA rose to the top, they uncovered the city’s gangs and police violence. Surviving in Compton was difficult as there had been 3,000 gang related shootings since 1980(Rolling Stone). From 1986 to 1991, NWA faced controversy over their explicit lyrics; showing disrespect of women and promoting drugs and violence. NWA was considered to be a revolutionary group that would forever change hip hop.

Rap was called “the black CNN” by rapper Chuck D because they were reporting issues within the inner city community through mainstream media. This idea of rap as “the black CNN” can be seen from the descendance of rapper as griots. Griots were the keepers and purveyors of of knowledge, which included tribal history, family lineage, news of birth and death, and war (Blanchard, B, 1999). Rappers create songs that through performance and recordings, allows it to spread worldwide about their lives, dreams, and discontents. They are the voice of poor, urban African American youth whose lives are usually misrepresented or dismissed by mainstream media. Rappers become the keepers of contemporary African- American working-class history and concerns.

F. Gary Gray’s Straight Outta Compton is a 2015 biographical drama based on the controversial American hip hop group of the 1980s and 1990s that were based in Compton California, who rose to fame through their glorified battle with the police department.

In less than forty years, the city of Compton went from a shielded suburb near the confines of Los Angeles, to a terrorizing image of American culture. The results of this transformation and creation of “gangsta rap” is still well renowned today. Through de jure segregation, Reagan economics, undermining of black prosperity, N.W.A., and “Boyz n the Hood”, the city of Compton told its story and became a global image. This paper will analyze the shift of culture in Compton and the transcendent cultural effect it formed in America.

N.W.A feels like police are killing black people because of their skin color. This shows that N.W.A cared about the black community and showed their social views. Hip hop music and culture was associated with crime, drug dealing, robbery and murder. People started to associated all blacks in the hip hop culture. In the song “Fight the Power” by Public Enemy(1988)

Viola Signorile Criminology Movie Extra Credit - Straight Outta Compton Straight Outta Compton is an American biographical film that exhibits the rise and fall of the world’s most dangerous gangster rap group, “Niggaz Wit Attitudes,” also known as the N.W.A. This film takes us back to 1987, where a significant social revolution began in Compton, California, focusing in on every day life styles of five young cultural rebels; Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, DJ Yella, and MC Ren. Dr. Dre’s interest in Ice Cube’s “reality raps” swayed Eazy-E to fund Ruthless Records, a startup record label, with Dr. Dre as the record producer. Using music, the most influential weapon they had, they conveyed their frustration and rage about life with a combination

Hip hop groups like Public Enemy and N.W.A. during the late 80’s and early 90’s made determined efforts to deal with an attitude of sensitivity toward and sense of responsibility regarding injustice and problems in society. Their music served as social awareness movement during their generation. Their music is meaningful and powerful because it reminds black people to stand up and fight against injustice. Inequality and racial

Gangsta rap was hardcore Hip Hop, that discussed violence, sex, prostitution, drugs which all fell into the category of the daily trials and tribulations of the lives of those struggling in the “hood.” Even though Ice T came out with the first gangsta rap tracks, N.W.A. (N***** Wit Attitude) have been regarded as the founders of gangsta rap. N.W.A. was a group of young men from the City of  Compton, California. The group was originally made up of six men; Eazy E, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, MC Ren,

The N.W.A was absolute, and not just because of their imprint on pop-culture. The group’s number one hit – which had Tipper Gore, the press, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation writing them ominous letters -- was “F*** Tha Police.” They made this song to revolt against the police brutality and discrimination in Los Angeles city.

Dr. Dre had to make a love track for his boss, Lorenzo. Dre took that opportunity to get his friends, Ice Cube, Eazy E, and DJ Yella together to make "Boyz In Tha Hood". The rap song was made for an other group to sing but they didn't like the song so they left. Then Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and DJ Yella made Eazy rap it because the song was about him. After getting more than 200,000 dollars, N.W.A had MC Ren join the group to help impress different record companies. They made the song "Dopeman" and impressed the founder of Priority Records, Brain Turner. When N.W.A got into Priority Records they made "Straight Outta Compton". The album made triple platinum and made more than 2,ooo,ooo dollars and was the 2nd highest grossing album at the time.

Straight Outta Compton tells the mostly true story of the formation, rise, and eventual separation of the hip hop group N.W.A. in the late 1980s. N.W.A. was an influential force in rap music and is today considered the forerunner of gangsta rap. In this movie, Eazy E, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube are the main characters while other featured characters are manager Jerry Heller, MC Ren, and DJ Yella. The movie gives a brief background on each of the main three characters and shows how they joined forces to create a powerful rap group which gave voice to the racial tensions and realities of life in south central Los Angeles during the 1980s and early 1990s. Summary

Rap or Hip Hop is more than just another music genre, it is a movement full of more aspects than one could imagine. The film “The Art of Rap” directed, produced, and hosted by Ice-T, exemplifies the different aspects and explains the importance of Hip Hop while taking a journey interviewing many legendary MC’s, giving the viewer an inside perspective of this music and the art of MC’ing. This film also heavily resonates with the book Rap Music and Street Consciousness.

“Fuck the police coming straight from the underground, a young nigga got it bad cause I'm brown, and not the other color so police think, they have the authority to kill a minority” (Ice Cube, 1988). N.W.A often considered the most dangerous group to set foot in the music industry, however their music is often not recognized for what it really is, reality rap. Most people consider N.W.A music to be “hood music” or “gangster rap” and often get away from the reality that’s embedded in N.W.A’s lyrics. Many people talk about police brutality today which is still an issue, however today’s form of brutality pales in comparison to the brutality happening in the urban streets of Compton, Watts and most of Southcentral L.A in the 1980s. These cities

Before physically listening to the album one glances at the cover and title there could be a preconceived notion that the songs will be based on the East v. West Coast rivalry (that was happening during this decade), strictly about Tupac, or maybe even sex with just one heartfelt song; but he took a different approach. This album covers the trials, societal struggles,