Published on Jul 28, 2004
Back in 1988, NWA was the Richard Clarke of its day. True,
Clarke probably never considered writing “life ain’t nothing but
bitches and money” in his book,
Against All Enemies, but both Clarke and NWA were
broadcasting alarms about a terrible event that was not too far
away — and both were broadcasting their warnings on essentially
deaf ears.
When NWA’s groundbreaking debut,
Straight Outta Compton, debuted, it was shocking. If Public
Enemy’s
It Takes ANation Of Millions To Hold Us Back was the
equivalent of a leftist militant political rally,
Straight Outta Compton was the equivalent of a stickup. Much
has been made about the album’s immediacy — it was recorded on the
cheap and came from firsthand experiences in life in South Central
Los Angeles.
The highlights come early. The leadoff track features a ‘pass
the mike’ introduction to three or four emcees that would forever
change rap: Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube and MC Ren. The beat and
flows of the rhymes have woven its way into virtually every aspect
of pop culture. From Kid Rock’s declaration that he’s “straight
outta the trailer” to bands like Straight Outta Junior High to
all-too numerous “straight outta” punch lines in sitcoms, the song
was absorbed into the mainstream almost instantaneously, and with
virtually no airplay.
Of course, the next song, “F*** Tha Police” is the song that put
NWA on the map, for all the right and wrong reasons. The song was
like a match to a gas can and resulted with NWA getting in trouble
with the FBI. For free speech advocates, there was a lot to defend
in
Straight Outta Compton. If you were conservative, the album
was public enemy No. 1, because it attacked police and glorified
violence. If you were liberal, the album was public enemy No. 1
because of its rampant sexism and glorified violence.
Despite all of the violent-ridden, misogynistic lyrics, there
are some moments of
Straight Outta Compton that are extremely disciplined
musically. Remove the lyrics to “Parental Discretion Iz Advised”
and what remains is a sophisticated beat that would sound right at
home on an Earth, Wind and Fire album in the late ’70s. Even on his
first album that landed him major exposure, Dre showed, even at
that young age, that he had the ear and talent to eventually become
the Phil Spector of rap and hip-hop in the ’90s and well into
today.
The beats of
Straight Outta Compton are stark and dense. For the most
part, the album has held up fairly well considering how much rap
has evolved since it was released. “Express Yourself” can still
bring a laugh with its old-school sampling and the second-half of
the album remains strong, with the exception of “Something Like
That” and “Compton’s N The House.”
Of course, it’s hard not to look at the events that took place
after
Straight Outta Compton was released: the 1992 LA riots
(which, despite what cultural snobs say, NWA did NOT cause), Eazy-E
dying of AIDS, Ice Cube going from
Amerikka’s Most Wanted to a movie star who can make a $100
million movie and Dr. Dre, who has had to settle for merely
sculpting what rap, hip-hop, R&B and even rock sounds like
today. And most shocking, the album began the uneasy blur between
fiction and reality that ultimately resulted in the deaths of Tupac
and Biggie. Listen to
Straight Outta Compton today and it’s likely you’re not
going to learn anything in terms of sociology. But if you want to
get a sample of how it all started, this is the album to start
with.