Review Summary: One of the most influential hip hop albums of all time, and the blueprint for gangsta rap.
Straight Outta Compton, N.W.A.'s debut, is a highly potent album. Released in a time where the LAPD were notoriously corrupt, and racial tensions were at an all-time high, N.W.A. gave us an album from the point of view of the hood in Compton, and applicably black communities around the country. N.W.A. were the west coast, gangsta version of Public Enemy, as both had effective methods of lyrical activism. Given the name (Niggaz Wit Attitudes), you wouldn't expect anything less than a venomous, high-energy album here. Although N.W.A. weren't the originators of the gangsta style, being that people like Ice-T came before them, N.W.A. became the best of their kind.
Straight Outta Compton's themes range from political to gangsta, as N.W.A. raps about police brutality one minute, and the hood mentality in the next. Songs like "F**k Tha Police", rhyme about police brutality, and how racial prejudices often exist within the police force. Songs like "Gangsta Gangsta", have N.W.A. rhyming about the hood life, and what goes through their mind. Being exaggerated, some of their (sometimes misogynistic) views in songs like "Gangsta Gangsta" and "Straight Outta Compton", are clearly meant to be shocking, and not meant to be taken serious. However, they're also expressing how they sometimes feel, and a lot of other people in similar environments feel.
Right from the opening track, Ice Cube opens up the album with a bang. "Straight Outta Compton" is definitely one of the best hip hop songs of all time, and Ice Cube's raw energy kicks off the song and album properly. The following 2 songs, the aforementioned "F**k Tha Police" and "Gangsta Gangsta", are two of the best, and most influential hip hop songs ever, especially for gangsta hip hop. Being the only N.W.A. album with Ice Cube, Ice Cube powers the album lyrically. Pretty much every verse on here was written by him, and this has been well known for a long time. The production on this album is perfect (as expected for a Dr. Dre produced album), as it meshes with the lyrical style found on this album perfectly. The production is high energy when needed, and relaxed when the moment calls for it.
The influence from this album can be felt whenever you hear an MC talking about senseless violence (which isn't an insult). Whenever an MC talks about the gangsta life, chances are they were influenced by this album. Similar to a lot of other influential albums, this album is far superior to the album influenced by it.
Straight Outta Compton is a classic album, and one of the best hip hop albums of all time. This is a hip hop essential, and a highly influential album. This album paved the way for many other west coast gangsta artists afterward, and was the blueprint for gangsta rap. Wanna hear where hundreds maybe thousands of west coast rappers derived their style from? Look no further than this album.
Ratings:
1. Straight Outta Compton: 5/5
2. F**k Tha Police: 5/5
3. Gangsta Gangsta: 5/5
4. If It Ain't Ruff: 5/5
5. Parental Discretion Iz Advised: 5/5
6. 8 Ball: 5/5
7. Something Like That: 5/5
8. Express Yourself: 5/5
9. Compton's N the House (Remix): 5/5
10. I Ain't Tha 1: 5/5
11. Dopeman: 5/5
12. Quiet on tha Set: 5/5
13. Something 2 Dance 2: 3/5
Best songs:
Straight Outta Compton
F**k Tha Police
Gangsta Gangsta
Parental Discretion Iz Advised
Dopeman
Weakest song: Something 2 Dance 2
Production: 10/10
Lyrics: 10/10
Overall rating: 100/100
Grade: A+
