| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
| Straight Outta Compton | ||
|---|---|---|
| LP by N.W.A. | ||
| Released | 1989 | |
| Recorded | ??? | |
| Genre | Gangsta rap | |
| Length | 77 min 31 s | |
| Record label | Priority | |
| Producer | Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Yella | |
| Professional reviews | ||
| Allmusic.com | 5 stars out of 5 | link |
| N.W.A. Chronology | ||
| N.W.A and the Posse ( 1987) | Straight Outta Compton ( 1989) | 100 Miles and Runnin'100 Miles and Runnin is the title of the N. s third official album release in 1990 on Ruthless Records. Prior to the recording phase, all of the group members had just signed a long-term contract with the Ruthless Records label. However Ice Cube refused t ( 1990Events January January 3 Former leader of Panama Manuel Noriega surrenders to American forces. January 7 The Leaning Tower of Pisa is closed to the public due to safety concerns. January 9 Lt Gen Bazilio Olara Okello The man who led the coup aginst Dr Apo) |
Straight Outta Compton is the 1989 (see 1989 in musicSee also 1988 in music, other events of 1989, 1990 in music, 1980s in music and the list of 'years in music' Events January 7 Genesis'88 and Sunrise/Back to the Future stage large-scale illegal Acid House party in London January 14 Paul McCartney releases) breakthrough album by N.W.A., released on Priority Records. The album was a surprise hit, as most music executives at the time viewed hip hopHip hop is a cultural movement that began amongst urban , African American & Puerto Rican youth in New York and has since spread around the world. The four main elements of hip-hop are MCing, DJing, graffiti art, and breakdancing. Some consider beatboxing as a passing fad, and did not expect a hardcore gangsta rap album from the West Coast rap scene (all previous chart success in hip hop had been from the East Coast scene) to sell over 2.5 million copies with virtually no radio airplay and an MTV ban. The album has since been described as "a work of revolutionary genius, a painful scream from the bleak streets of black America and, more commonly, as reprehensible trash with no redeeming value"[1].
Straight Outta Compton 's unprecedented mainstream success set the sound for hip hop in the early 1990s. Angry, vitriolic lyrics and an almost-cartoonish level of violence made this album controversial upon its first release. This is especially true of "Fuck Tha Police", which caused law enforcement groups to protest the album. The Federal Bureau of Investigation sent a letter to N.W.A., explaining that the FBI did not appreciate the song's message:
In 2003 the TV network VH1 named Straight Outta Compton the 62nd greatest album of all time.