The Memoir Of Ms. Butterfly

N.W.An abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) it was an American hip-hop group whose members were among the earliest and most significant popularizers and controversial figures of the gangsta rap subgenre. The group is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential groups in the history of hip-hop music.

The original lineup, formed in early 1987, consisted of Arabian Prince, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, and Ice Cube, with D.J. Yella and MC Ren joining later that year. They released their first compilation album as a group in 1987 called N.W.A. and the Posse, which peaked at No.

39 on Billboard magazine’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Arabian Prince left shortly after the release of N.W.A.’s debut studio album, Straight Outta Compton, in 1988, with Ice Cube following suit in December 1989. Eazy-E, Ice Cube, MC Ren, and Dr. Dre later became platinum-selling solo artists in their own right in the 1990s.

 The group’s debut album marked the beginning of the new gangsta rap era as the production and social commentary in their lyrics were revolutionary within the genre. N.W.A.’s second studio album, Niggaz4Life, was the first hardcore rap album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 sales charts.

Active from 1987 to 1991, the rap group endured controversy owing to its music’s explicit lyrics. Which many viewed as misogynistic, and its glorification of drugs and crime.

The group was subsequently banned from many mainstream American radio stations. Despite this, the group has sold over 10 million units in the United States alone.

 Drawing on its members’ own experiences of racism and excessive policing, the group made inherently political music. The members were known for their deep hatred. The police system has sparked much controversy over the years.

N.W.A was assembled by Compton-based Eazy-E, who co-founded Ruthless Records with Jerry Heller.

 Eazy-E sought an introduction to Steve Yano. Although Yano initially rebuffed him, he was impressed by Eazy-E’s persistence and arranged a meeting with Dr. Dre.

 Initially, N.W.A consisted of Eazy-E and Dr. Dre. With fellow producer Arabian Prince, Ice Cube was added to the roster after he started out as a rapper for the group C.I.A. Dre later brought D.J. Yella on board.

Dre and Yella were formerly members of the World Class Wreckin’ Cru as D.J.s and producers. Ruthless released the single “Panic Zone” in 1987 with Macola Records, which was later included on the compilation album N.W.A. and the Posse.

 N.W.A was still in its developing stages and is only credited on three of the eleven tracks, notably the uncharacteristic record “Panic Zone,” “8-Ball”, and “Dopeman,” which marked the first collaboration of Arabian Prince, DJ Yella, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube. Mexican rapper Krazy-Dee co-wrote “Panic Zone,” which was initially called “Hispanic Zone,” but the title was later changed when Dr. Dre advised Krazy-Dee that the word “Hispanic” would hinder sales. Also included was Eazy-E’s solo track “Boyz-n-the-Hood.”

N.W.They released their debut studio album, Straight Outta Compton, in 1988. With its famous opening salvo of three tracks, the group reflected the rising anger of the urban youth.

 The opening song, “Straight Outta Compton,” introduced the group “Fuck the Police,” which protested police brutality and racial profiling, and “Gangsta Gangsta” painted the worldview of the inner-city youth. While the group was later credited with pioneering the burgeoning subgenre of gangsta rap, N.W.A referred to their music as “reality rap.

Twenty-seven years later, member and co-producer of the Straight Outta Compton film, Ice Cube, commented, “they were talking about what really led into the style that we ended up doing, which is now called hardcore gangster rap.

 Dr. Dre and D.J. Yella, as HighPowered Productions, composed the beats for each song, with Dre making occasional rapping appearances. The D.O.C., Ice Cube, and MC Ren wrote most of the group’s lyrics, including “Fuck tha Police,” perhaps the group’s most notorious song, which brought them into conflict with various law enforcement agencies.

 Under pressure from Focus on the Family, Milt Ahlerich, an assistant director of the F.B.I., sent a letter to Ruthless and its distributing company Priority Records. Advising the rappers that “advocating violence and assault is wrong, and we in the law enforcement community take exception to such action. This letter remains at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. As a result, policemen refused to provide security for the group’s concerts, hurting their plans to tour. Nonetheless, the F.B.I.’s letter only drew more publicity to the group.

Straight Outta Compton was also one of the first albums to adhere to the new Parental Advisory label scheme. Still, in its early stages: the label at the time consisted of “WARNING: Moderate impact coarse language and/or themes” only.

However, the taboo nature of N.W.A.’s music was the most critical factor in its mass appeal. Media coverage compensated for the group’s lack of airplay, and its album eventually went double platinum. One month after Straight Outta Compton, Eazy-E’s solo debut Eazy-Duz-It was released. The album was dominated by Eazy’s persona (MC Ren was the only guest rapper), but behind the scenes, it was a group effort.

Music was handled by Dr. Dre and D.J. Yella; the lyrics were primarily written by MC Ren, with contributions from Ice Cube and The D.O.C. The album was another double platinum success for Ruthless (in addition to girl group J.J. Fad in 1988 and singer Michelle in 1989).

 1989 saw the re-issue of N.W.A and the Posse and Straight Outta Compton on CD, and the release of The D.O.C.’s No One Can Do It Better. His album was essentially a collaboration with Dr. Dre and notably free of “gangsta rap” content, including the N.W.A posse cut “The Grand Finalé”. It became another #1 album for the record label.

Ice Cube left the group in December 1989 over royalty disputes; having written almost half of the lyrics on Straight Outta Compton himself, he felt he was not getting a fair share of the profits.

 A lawsuit brought by Ice Cube against band manager Jerry Heller was settled out of court.

 He wasted little time putting together his solo debut, 1990’s AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, but he avoided mentioning his former label mates. However, N.W.A.’s title track from their 1990 EP 100 Miles and Runnin’ included a diss towards Cube:

 “We started with five, but yo / One couldn’t take it—So now it’s four / Cuz the fifth couldn’t make it.” The video for the song depicted the remaining members of N.W.They a together in a jail cell while an Ice Cube look-alike is released.

Also heard on the E.P. (which found its way on the Efil4zaggin album) was “Real Niggaz”, a full-blown diss to Ice Cube where the remaining members accuse him of cowardice and question his authenticity, longevity, and originality:

 “How the fuck you think a rapper lasts / With your ass sayin’ shit that was said in the past / Yo, be original, your shit is sloppy / Get off the dick, you motherfuckin’ carbon-copy,” and “We started out with too much cargo / So I’m glad we got rid of Benedict Arnold, yo.”

The song “100 Miles and Runnin’” was Dr. Dre’s final uptempo recording, a common feature of late 1980s hip hop. After this, he focused on a midtempo, synthesizer-based sound known as G-funk, starting with “Alwayz Into Somethin’” from Efil4zaggin in 1991. The G-funk style dominated the West and East Coast hip-hop music scene for several years.

N.W.A is referenced in Ice Cube’s 1990 E.P., Kill at Will, where he name-checks his former group (likely mockingly) on the song “Jackin’ For Beats.” On “I Gotta Say What Up!!!”, Ice Cube gives shout-outs to his rap peers at the time, among them Public Enemy, Geto Boys, and Sir Jinx. At the end of the track, in what appears to be an on-the-phone interview, Ice Cube is asked, “Since you went solo, what’s up with the rest of the crew?” and the phone is abruptly hung up on the interviewer.

The group’s second full-length release, 1991’s Efil4zaggin (“Niggaz4Life” spelled backward), re-established the band in the face of Ice Cube’s continued solo success. The album is considered by many Dr. Dre’s finest production work and heralded the beginning of the G-Funk era. However, it also showed an apparent animosity towards their former member, and derogatory references to Ice Cube are found in several songs. For example, the interlude “A Message to B.A.” echoes the beginning of his song “Turn Off the Radio” from AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted: 

Ice Cube is first addressed by Benedict Arnold (after the infamous traitor of the American Revolution) but then named outright in a torrent of abuse from both groups. Its fans: “When we see yo’ ass, we gon’ cut yo’ hair off and fuck you with a broomstick,” said MC Ren.

The N.W.A.–Ice Cube feud eventually escalated on record and in real life. AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted had avoided direct attacks on N.W.A., but he retaliated on Death Certificate, Ice Cube’s second full-length release. First, he sampled and mocked the “Message to B.A.” skit before embarking on a full-blown tirade, the infamous “No Vaseline.” Then, Ice Cube verbally assaulted the group in a series of verses. You lookin’ like straight bozos / I saw it comin’ that’s why I went solo / Kept on stompin’ / When y’all Muthafuckas moved Straight outta Compton / You got jealous when I got my own company / But I’m a man and ain’t nobody humpin’ me.

He also responded to members MC Ren, Dr. Dre, and Eazy-E individually to “100 Miles and Runnin’”,

 “I started off with too much cargo / Dropped four niggaz. So now I’m makin’ all the dough,” using homophobic metaphors to describe their unequal business relationship with Jerry Heller. who became the target of harsh insults: “Get rid of that devil real simple / Put a bullet in his temple / Cuz you can’t be the ‘Niggaz 4 Life’ crew / With a white Jew tellin’ you what to do.” The song attracted controversy for its antisemitism (the beginning of such accusations against Ice Cube during his affiliation with the Nation of Islam), based on the bashing of Heller’s religion.

The track was omitted from the U.K. release, and later pressings included a censored version of the song. Then, in September 1990, members of hip hop act Above the Law clashed with Ice Cube and his Posse Da Lench Mob during the annual New Music Seminar conference, forcing the latter to flee the premises of Times Square’s Marriott Marquis, the venue of the event.

 On January 27, 1991, Dr. Dre assaulted Dee Barnes, host of the hip-hop show Pump It Up, after it covered the N.W.A./Ice Cube beef. According to Rolling Stone reporter Alan Light:

He picked her up and “began slamming her face and the right side of her body repeatedly against a wall near the stairway” as his bodyguard held off the crowd. After Dre tried to throw her down the stairs and failed, he kicked her in the ribs and hands. She escaped and ran into the women’s restroom.

Dre followed her and “grabbed her from behind by the hair. Punched her in the back of the head.”

In response, Dre commented: “People talk all this shit, but you know, if somebody fucks with me, I’m gonna fuck with them. I just did it, you know. Ain’t nothing you can do now by talking about it. Besides, it ain’t no big thing—I just threw her through a door.

1991’s Niggaz4Life was the group’s final album. After Dr. Dre, The D.O.C., and Michelle departed from Ruthless to join Death Row Records and allegations over Eazy-E being coerced into signing away their contracts (while however, retaining a portion of their publishing rights), a bitter rivalry ensued. Dr. Dre began the exchange in 1992 with Death Row’s first release. “Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody’s Celebratin’),” and its accompanying video featured a character named “Sleazy-E” (played by actor A.J. Johnson) who ran around desperately trying to get money.

The insults continued on The Chronic with “Bitches Ain’t Shit.” Eazy-E responded in 1993 with the E.P. It’s On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa on the tracks “Real Muthaphuckkin G’s” and “It’s On.

Eazy-E accused Dr. Dre of being a homosexual, calling him a “she thang” and criticizing Dre’s new image by calling him and Snoop “studio gangsters.” The music video for “Real Muthaphuckkin G’s” showed a still of Dre wearing make-up and a sequined jumpsuit.

 The photos dated back to Dr. Dre’s World Class Wreckin’ Cru days, when such fashion was common among West Coast electro-hop artists before N.W.A. popularized gangsta rap. Eazy-E kept dissing Dre and Death Row on most of his songs until his AIDS-related death on March 26, 1995.

Even Eazy-E’s longtime friend MC Ren voiced his dislike for Eazy-E in 1994, calling Eazy-E a “big-head” and “wannabe mega-star” and even suggesting that N.W.A should reunite without Eazy-E.

 MC Ren later said that his only relationship with Eazy-E was through Ruthless Records, where he released the platinum-selling EP Kizz My Black Azz (1992) and the Shock of the Hour (1993).

Eazy-E and MC Ren ended their feud shortly before the former’s death in their 1995 duet ‘”Tha Muthaphukkin’ Real” after two years of not talking to each other. However, all bad blood finally ceased within the rest of the group. Dr. Dre, MC Ren, and Ice Cube later expressed their re-evaluated feelings for their old friend in 1998’s “Ruthless for Life,” 1999’s “What’s the Difference” and “Chin Check,” 2000’s “Hello,” 2006’s “Growin’ Up,” and in the 2011 music video “I Need a Doctor.”

Having both parted with Ruthless Records on bad terms, tensions between Ice Cube and Dr. Dre eventually eased on their own. After Ice Cube made a cameo appearance in Dr. Dre’s “Let Me Ride” video in 1993, the two recorded the hit song “Natural Born Killaz” for Snoop Doggy Dogg’s 1994 short film and soundtrack Murder Was the Case.

 Ice Cube later appeared on MC Ren’s album Ruthless for Life on the track “Comin’ After You.” MC Ren appeared on Dre’s 1999 album 2001, and the three remaining N.W.Emcees reunited for “Hello” on Ice Cube’s 2000 album War & Peace Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc) and the song “Chin Check” in 1999 for the Next Friday soundtrack, a movie starring Ice Cube.

The West Coast and “gangsta” music scene had, however, fallen out of the spotlight since the death of Tupac Shakur in 1996, and it was only after Dr. Dre’s successful patronage of Eminem and Dre’s ensuing comeback album in 2001 that the genre and its artists regained the national spotlight. 2000s all-star Up In Smoke Tour reunited much of the N.W.A and Death Row families, and during time spent on the road, Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren, featured special guest Snoop Dogg, and Eminem began recording in a mobile studio. In addition, a comeback album entitled Not These Niggaz Again was planned (and included D.J. Yella, who had not been present on tour)

However, due to busy and conflicting schedules and the obstacles of coordinating three different record labels. (Priority, No Limit, and Interscope), obtaining the rights to the name N.W.And endorsing the whole project to gain exclusive rights, the album never materialized.

 Only two tracks from these sessions were released: the aforementioned “Chin Check” (with Snoop Dogg as a member of N.W.A.) from 2000’s Next Friday soundtrack and “Hello” from Ice Cube’s 2000 album War & Peace Vol. 2

 (The Peace Disc). Both songs also appeared on N.W.A.’s remastered Greatest Hits. There were also partial reunions on other projects, notably “Set It Off,” from Snoop Dogg’s Tha Last Meal (2000), which featured MC Ren and Ice Cube, and The D.O.C.’s “The Shit” from his 2003 album Deuce, featuring MC Ren, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg and Six-Two. Dr. Dre and D.J. Yella were in the studio for the latter song.

In addition to the Greatest Hits initially released by Priority in 1996, Capitol and Ruthless Records jointly released The N.W.A Legacy, Vol. 1: 1988–1998 in 1999, a compilation that contained songs by other rap artists and only three songs from the actual group but various solo tracks from the five members.

 The success of the album prompted a second volume, The N.W.A Legacy, Vol. 2, three years later. It emulated the format of its predecessor, containing only three genuine N.W.Tracks and many solo efforts by the crew members. In 2007, a new greatest hits package was released entitled The Best of N.W.A.: The Strength of Street Knowledge.

In 2014, Ice Cube appeared in MC Ren’s remix of “Rebel Music.” This was the first time the duo had worked together since the N.W.A reunion in 2000.

On June 27, 2015, MC Ren and D.J. Yella joined Ice Cube during his solo set as part of the B.E.T. Experience show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. This marked the first reunion performance of the group (minus Dr. Dre) in 15 years. Following a 27-year hiatus, the group reunited with surviving members. Ice Cube, MC Ren, Dr. Dre, and D.J. Yella taking the stage during the second weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2016, just days following the group’s Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame induction.