REVIEW:
Straight Outta Compton
BY N.W.A
N.W.A's first official record has got a gun pointed at you—but at least it's a sunny day. You're surrounded by six intimidating guys, but it's that nice background that gets you wanting to know who this merciless cast of characters is. This is what it's like looking at the Straight Outta Compton album cover, and also what it's like listening to its music.
After their very unofficial introduction, N.W.A. and the Posse, N.W.A. is busting down doors with a complete 13 track body of work from Los Angeles. And it'll knock you out—at least lyrically. On Straight Outta Compton's eponymous first track, one of those six guys from the cover introduces himself as a "crazy motherf*cker named Ice Cube" against a funky beat that'll get you kicking. Before the second verse, Eazy E, aka the guy with the gun on the cover, has MC Ren enter. MC Ren asserts he's a "bad motherf*cker" and he'll "shoot a motherf*cker in a minute". To N.W.A., this is how you say hello in the CPT—or N.W.A.'s version of Compton, LA. It's supposed to be exaggerated and intimidating. That's how you'll get respect in a place infested with cops.
Straight Outta Compton album cover by ERic Poppleton and Kevin Hosmann
In the CPT, cops kill minorities, search everyone's cars, and love to see guys locked up. MC Ren proclaims "reading my rights and sh*t, it's all junk," referring Miranda rights. The only time LAPD cops will ever face consequences is in an imagined court trial on the album's second track, F*ck Tha Police. N.W.A. is done being pushed around. Ice Cube yells: "Beat a police out of shape / And when I'm finished, bring the yellow tape". MC Ren poignantly proclaims: "Taking out a police would make my day / But a n***a like Ren don't give a f*ck to say". Supplemented by punchy production embellished with horns, bass guitar, and masterful scratches, the CPT anthem is born. With a chorus solely comprised of four consecutive repetitions of "f*ck tha police!", the message is abundantly clear.
In fact, the message is so clear that the FBI had something to say. Sent to N.W.A.'s record company, Priority Records, the FBI wrote a letter accusing the track of "degrading" the lives of officers who "dedicate their lives to the protection of…citizens". It's almost as if the FBI didn't hear the officer on trial in the track ear-bleedingly yell "F*ck you, you black motherf*ckers". If you've never understood police brutality, N.W.A blew it up right in your face.
Not only are cops brought up profusely, but also women—or b*tches, at least in the CPT. The f*ck-you attitude isn't reserved exclusively for cops, it's for women too. In a terribly democratizing way, anyone blocking N.W.A's way is subservient and should be treated as such. Clearly, there are no exceptions: "She was scared, and it was showin' / We all said ‘F*ck you, b*tch!' and kept goin'". And a snippet of a typical conversation with a woman might go: "‘I got a boyfriend'—b*tch, stop lyin'! / Dumb-ass hooker ain't nothin' but a dyke".
Aside from misogyny, Dopeman (Remix) sheds light on Compton's environment. With crack cocaine ever-present, N.W.A. presents a complex disposition. Obviously, the Dopeman is living lavishly against urban poverty. Ice Cube tells us: "Plus he's makin' money, keep the baseheads waitin' / Rollin' six-fo' wit the fresh-ass Daytons". With wads of cash and a shiny car, who wouldn't want to be the Dopeman? But two verses later, Ice Cube slams you with: "If you smoke ‘caine, you a stupid motherf*cker". Being addressed as a motherf*cker isn't really shocking at this point, but the denouncement of a drug is. You'd think drugs would be a perfect addition to the money plus guns plus b*tches equation. But as kings of the CPT, N.W.A. has ruled drugs out. Collecting cash is cool, drugs aren't. Do drugs and you're a "schoolyard clucker". Regardless of the narrative, Dopeman (Remix) makes sure to maintain that head-boppin' production. Notable on this track is the panning percussion during Dr. Dre's second verse and the scratching that makes plenty of room for itself.
Whether or not tethered to misogyny or grotesque profanities, N.W.A. is skilled. There's no doubt about it. They demonstrate complete mastery, which is undeniably fitting. On Express Yourself, a uniquely friendly coffeeshop-like production, N.W.A. surprisingly doesn't address anyone as a motherf*cker. But even if it seems N.W.A. has let their guard down for once, their lyrics haven't. Referring to competitors' flows, Dr. Dre states: "You ain't swift, moving like a tortoise, full of rigor mortis". Dr. Dre just compared your flow to a turtle and a postmortem stage of death—all in a diss. You're consistently in awe at N.W.A.'s dexterity in language. Sometimes you're in awe at even the grossest lines—not misogynistic or objectively problematic—but just gross: "Some sh*t I don't take it, not even in a toilet / And sh*t from a sucker, put in a pot and I'll boil it". Absolutely revolting. But MC Ren just got me to contemplate the multiple definitions of sh*t.
While maintaining an immaculate level of lyricism from the very beginning of Straight Outta Compton, N.W.A.'s production shows no sign of slowing down—even on its very last track. A club-ready instrumentally-focused track, Something 2 Dance 2 does what it's titled. It doesn't ask for much, and it doesn't need a close listen. That's the point. As track thirteen, it provides a complete cathartic release from the constant pressurized state of the CPT. It's heavy on the bass and rife with the 808's irresistibility—it's "real loud, in ya earhole". And as the shortest track on the album, N.W.A. lets you forget where you are.
N.W.A is not in the business of making elevator music. Straight Outta Compton is loud. It's intimidating, inflammatory, and unapologetic. It's jazz funk that invites you to the neighborhood block party then its lyrics start flipping all the tables of casserole. It's teenage Public Enemy—but with a mission to set a school on fire and let you enjoy the light show. It's police, it's AK-47's, it's drugs, it's motherf*ckers, b*tches, and money. And honestly? It's exhilarating.
Songs like I Ain't Tha 1 and Dopeman (Remix) feature exceptional examples of the all-created-equal kind of attitude. On I Ain't Tha 1, a woman playing the role of a girlfriend has her priorities set on money, money, as well as money. Women just want to get their hair and nails done and eat lobster. N.W.A caricaturizes them with such objectification that they're dehumanized to the state of inanimacy. Set to jazzy piano and staccato plucks that sound like the intro to a wholesome family television series, women are just cartoon characters. They feel nothing. On Dopeman (Remix), abuse stands at number two just shy of money's number one spot: "Find that he's slappin' you all the time / But that's okay, cause he's so rich / And you ain't nuttin' but a dopeman's b*tch".