Reviews (page 12 of 13)
Groovy sound o produktionen är snygg, men flera texter är töntiga så pallar ej med detta tyvärr.
Not for me. Pure rap/hip hop. Not bad just not what I enjoy. I didn't listen to any song all the way through.
I get why this is an important album, and I remember the influence of this, and what was going on in that time period, when I was a teenager. It’s not my favorite music to listen to though.
I don't like the production value as much as Dr Dre but I like the fuller picture of police treatment in this. More "hoes and bitches" though. Apparently, it was necessary.
i’ve been enjoying a lot of the classic hip hop / rap on here as a complete newcomer but this one didn’t really do it for me.
c’est pas un album que j’écouterais tous les jours surtout que les chansons sont longues et plutôt répétitives mais bon ça crée quand même une sorte d’ambiance un peu différente (la même ambiance que les quartiers new yorkais dans les années 90 globalement) donc j’aime bien!
This is so not for me. I can’t get into gangsta rap, I respect its impact - I mean I listened to good kid maad city just the other day, incredible album - but I can’t connect with NWA. I had to skip through most of it. Hardly any melodies, the type of lyrics that make me clutch my pearls. Misogynistic nonsense. Hate it deeply. Straight Outta Compton is a great song though. Matt Dillon shoutout on Something Like That. I’m also considering this album just minutes after watching Ice Cube in the 2025 sci-fi masterpiece War of the Worlds. Can’t reconcile that with what I’m listening to. I will not be listening to this one again.
Has a couple bangers but the rest is dated as shit bro. Gotta give it the respect it deserves but you know damn well I’m not bumping this album anymore lol
Straight outta the CD player
Just not my thing
Fuck my life dewddddddd. Another hip-hop album less than a week after the previous one. With this album behind me, I’ll have now listened to 9 out to top 20 hip-hop albums. We’re getting there. N.W.A is a name that vaguely rings a bell. The “Straight Outta Compton” title moreso. I get the impression that this is a solid rep for the genre, though I’m more appreciative of this album being on the shorter end of the hip-hop spectrum (I didn’t know when I wrote these words). Guess I have nothing else to do but get into the music. Shocker: I didn’t like the album. However, as I’ve mentioned previously, the older hip-hop music is, the better. There’s some merit to this music, but the repetitive nature and tepid lyrics are an incredible bore. As far as the alright songs go, “Gangsta Gangsta” is a solid opener. I like the guitars in the background, and the vocals/lyrics are solid. “8 Ball” has an interesting funk sound. That’s about it really. The lyrics are generally pretty boring and uninspired, which is unfortunate as they’re the only things that could have saved the minimal instrumentals. I don’t enjoy highlighting the songs I dislike in these reviews, but “Dopeman” was so agonisingly threadbare and boring. One of the more excruciating tracks I’ve heard through this list. The entire second half of this album kinda goes out to lunch, admittedly. Huh. For whatever reason, the version of this album that I listened to was missing the three big tracks. I never would have listened to ‘em if I didn’t have the premonition that this band made “Fuck tha Police”. “Straight Outta Compton” is okay. I appreciate the sampling and the iconic early 90s hip-hop sound. The aforementioned “Fuck tha Police” is an iconic track, though aside from a solid opening the song meanders and goes absolutely nowhere. “Express Yourself” is a crazy tonal shift. The squeaking sound in the background is kinda annoying, but the rest of the track is solid. I particularly enjoy the mellow sound, and the lyrics are an enjoyable enough time. Gonna check the book for this one. A whole lotta nothing in the entry. Wikipedia says that this album was the first gangsta rap album to break into the mainstream and is “...one of the greatest and most influential albums in hip-hop music”. In my review of “Original Gangsta” I said that there wasn’t much artistic merit in gangsta rap, though as the progenitor of the genre I think this album is at least worth considering. The album also appears to be pretty popular in current years, so I can begrudgingly turn a blind eye to this one.
Not my jam
Not for me. Too derogatory towards women. Too heavy and very little to groove to. I like rap with a chorus 🤷🏼♀️
This is a milestone album but doesn’t age well. The misogyny and homophobia is rough to listen to. But… there is some good and important stuff in there. When they’re calling out systemic racism, they’re on point. But they don’t really stay on that topic. The first two tracks are incendiary, but the album loses energy after that. Aside from the blatant sexism throughout, the repetitive self-aggrandizing gets really boring (I know it’s a feature of the genre but it gets old super fast). The baseline disrespect for women really makes this album unlistenable in 2025, aside from a few tracks. Of note: Straight Outta Compton - a while back I watched the fascinating (Canadian produced!) Netflix docuseries hosted by Shad, Hip Hop Evolution. One of the most memorable parts was when they talked about how radical it was to have Ice Cube on TV in the music video rapping “…from the gang called N— wit Attitudes.” Operative word being gang, not group. A legendary way to open an album. Fuck Tha Police - This is the crux of this record. All the anger and injustice packed into this song I guess explains some of the misdirected rage elsewhere on this album. It’s really, really sad that is song is still so relevant. Parental Discretion Iz Advised - Eazy-E is kind of the worst, no? I like the soul sample on this (checked what it is, it’s an Isley Brothers song). Express Yourself - it’s just fun. A breath of fresh air on this album. Something 2 Dance 2 - what a random way to end this album. I can’t complain. In the 2002 reissue that I originally got linked to, there was a bonus track with awful lyrics called A Bitch Iz a Bitch - I realized it wasn’t on the original release so I’m not gonna bother engaging with it.
Well I am a fan of ~some~ of the messages that they are displaying and their beats are totally awesome, but some of their lyrics are just soso wow I’m like wow.
Important album but not for me.
Culturally important in some regards, but hard to love. There are a few decent songs, and the choice of samples is wide-ranging, the epitome of what producers could get away with before copyright law was in effect. And it was a statement for hip-hop as a whole.
I dont like the love of violence and no big fan of rap. The best thing is the music without the lyrics
01) Straight Outta Compton - 6,0 02) Fuck tha Police - 6,5 03) Gangsta Gangsta - 6,0 04) If It Ain't Ruff - 6,0 05) Parental Discretion Iz Advised - 5,5 06) 8 Ball (Remix) - 6,0 07) Something Like That - 6,0 08) Express Yourself - 7,5 09) Compton's N the House (Remix) - 5,5 10) I Ain't Tha 1 - 6,5 11) Dopeman (Remix) - 5,5 12) Quiet on tha Set - 5,5 13) Something 2 Dance 2 - 6,0 TOTAL: 6,04 (60/100) Current ranking: 475/611
I'd forgotten just how much this falls off a cliff, but what struck me most this time around was how old-fashioned it sounds—not in 2025, but even in 1988. Songs like "Something Like That" sound like straight-up crew party rap from the '70s. (Compare this to what the Bomb Squad was doing on Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, released two months earlier.) Then there's whatever "Something 2 Dance 2" is, and they smartly bury it at the end of the album. "Straight Outta Compton" is an unimpeachable classic, and "Fuck Tha Police" is right up there too, but you can stop listening after "Gangsta Gangsta" (or, if you're feeling generous, skip ahead to "Express Yourself," then stop).
I agree with my colleague Mr. Ryan, particularly how much better in all ways that Public Enemy was at this same time. Also sorry can't get down with the incel-level misogyny then or now. My older brother and his friends were into all this stuff back then and now they all have Trump flags.
Kadett, München - HDH, Deutschland. Übel nervig auf Albumlänge.
Very important album in rap’s canon and has some classic bangers, but man all these dudes were at their worst misogyny-wise during this time. Not to mention besides the hits, there are tons of duds.
Overly long. Every point worth making in their political songs was made, cleverly and enjoyably, by the 2 minute mark. The rest made it interminable.
not my style
Not for me.
First 3 tracks are total bangers, then it drops off big time. Obviously groundbreaking for the time, the advent of gangsta rap. Dre's production is sick. But it all becomes a bit same-soundy for me once those first few tracks are done. Also Eazy-E can't rap worth shit, but we all knew this already.
Energetic and kinda funky though most of the instrumentals are really shallow/weak-sounding. 80’s bars are consistently quite funny. Standout track is “”If it ain’t Ruff”
This is a rough listen. I mean, yeah, fuck the police, but this didn't age well otherwise. Yikes. Groundbreaking as it may have been, I'm glad we're mostly past the bitches and hoes stuff. Also, Ice has said some shady shit in recent years. I don't feel like I need to worry too much that I'm being a lame white dude about this.
Really enjoyed it, not my normal type of listen for sure
No doubt this album has been massively influential. But, do I like it? No, not really, other than Express Yourself (which is great and drags this up a whole star on its own).
It was ok
The start of gangsta rap? Sounds pretty tame compared to what has come subsequently. Still fail to see how this style was launched and gained traction. I’m more the target audience. Some half decent tracks.,
I agree this album is important but it wasn’t for me. Every song except express yourself sounded the same. Over an hour of the same song was a lot
1. compton - 2.5 2. police - 2 3. gangzta - 1.5 4. rruff - 1 5. parental - 1 6. ball - 1.5 7. that - 1.5 8. ezprezz - 1.5 9. houze - 1 10. tha - 0 11. dope - 1.5 12. quiet - 1.5 13. dance - 1 14. yourzelf - 1.5 15. beatz - 1 16. ztraight - 2 17. bitch - 1
Having not grown up in the same situation as rappers of this era, I’ve never listened to much of the music, but always had respect for the likes of NWA, Public Enemy and the like. After listening to this one, I actually have less respect for NWA. I was expecting some hard hitting tracks, but what I got was, by today’s standards, rather sophomoric repetitive lyrics with forced rhymes about being the greatest, and not caring about anything else. I stopped counting how many times someone said “I don’t give a fuck”. Bottom line, I get that it was a massively influential album, bringing in the Gangsta Rap era, but listening to it without that in mind, it just comes of as juvenile.
My first exposure to Rap was back when I was in Junior High (1986-1987) when kids were trading around tapes, saying "Hey man check this out!" The groups I was listening to were, Run DMC, Fat Boys, Beastie Boys, Fresh Prince. These were the fun times, rapping and beat boxing about ordering a Big Mac at Burger King, and how Parents Just Don't Understand. Rap was fun back then. NWA changed this. Rap was no longer fun, it was violent and angry. I get the significance of this change, but now suddenly, this wasn't universal, it wasn't for everyone.This album is not for me.
Yikes. Some of this record was really hard to listen to. Outside of lyrical content I didn’t care for the production either. Fuck the Police is a great anthem and culturally important and I find it really fascinating that much more opposition was made to the threat of violence against police vs women but either way i just don’t care for it.
Groovy, vibe-y, but I cannot rate rap/hip-hop. Probably wouldn't go back to it, just because I don't like the genre.
Dr. Dre and Ice Cube are obviously mega-talented dudes, but let's not pretend this is not primarily some juvenile stuff at a time when Public Enemy and others were doing their thing.
Good beats, obviously an extremely influential album, especially covering the topics it did at the time when it did. Just not for me.
I get that at the time it probably sounded tough or whatever, but in the post DMX, post Biggie world lines like "I'ma kick your ass" just sound silly. Production is on point though.
A really frustrating listen, because it throws great and garbage together constantly with no rhyme or reason. The beats are amazing, minimalistic and effective, finally feels like rap for adults. But man, that gang attitude act is really obnoxious. It just feels so damn forced, plus the constant random sexism and a good deal of wacky lyrics and such, it's a bit annoying. Sometimes this album really pulls it off, but as a sum total it's not amazing. Also comes across really insecure?
Impactful in its time. Kind of dated now
I wanted to hate this more than I did
Compared to Nas, Tupac, and Biggy, they sound like the sugarhill gang. Glad to hear it but won't listen again.
Kind of a struggle to get through this album (sorry) though that Something 2 Dance 2 was a nice little bit at the end.
I must be getting old
Not for me but at least it's a classic. Finally something that belongs on the list.
Woof, hard to get past what I guess we call in 2025 the “toxic masculinity” here. Obviously super important etc. but yeesh, especially hard to take after the last album I got served, the disposable heroes of hiphoprisy
Da bini wükli ned sone old school hiphop type of guy. Und das zsege wärend mer e pistole is gsicht druckt bechund heisst viel! Han nach de helfti müsse de gspass abbreche und bin die restliche tracks duregskiskiskiskiskipidubidiped, und finde dasi nüd grosses verpasse. Darum au nur zwei drive-bys (aber ohni toti, nur abschreckig!)
No doubt a hard hitting album when it was released but it hasn't aged well. It sounds like a comedy parody.
Knuckle-dragging neanderthal rap created by violent, bigoted idiots. They complain about the police, then waffle endlessly on open record about various crimes that they each constantly commit. The breaks on Straight Outta Compton admittedly drop like a ton of bricks from start to finish and there is a charm to the early hip-hop hallmarks of crude scratching and nursery rhyme / Rappin' Granny type vocals. Unfortunately what sets it apart is all of the aggression and swaggering attitude, the same things that render it borderline unlistenable.
While a lot of earlier rap definitely isn’t my favorite for the genre, it’d be hard to argue that Straight Outta Compton doesn’t deserve its flowers. Landmark album that shaped the genre moving forward, marked by masterful production, creative samples, and unique lyrical flows. That being said, its most definitely a product of its time - cultivates a vibe that kind of comes of as cheesy on the modern era. Also crazy misogyny, but not necessarily a surprise for its time. Important album, but gotta go low rating. Fav track: Express Yourself
Just not my scene man..
Infuriatingly misogynistic. Not interesting lyrics. Dumb end-rhyme raps. I hope I never have to listen to this again.
2.46 64/13
Groundbreaking stuff
I know is a classic but not mine..
Oh look it’s the most famous rap album of all time! Does it deserve its place here? Hell yeah. Do I still not like it? Oh hell yeah.
Yawn. Gets 2 because it's groovy in places and not worse than Adele.
I liked a lot of the flow, delivery and rhythm, but while I’m sure there’s a lot of truth in the struggles they describe, a lot of the lyrics and themes didn’t really resonate with me. It also went on for a bit too long, and some of the sample based tracks simply aren’t as good as the originals.
Some good stuff but dated and not especially interesting today
Important album, but it didn't age well. Favorite song: express yourself.
I have nothing positive to say about this one. This album declines in quality throughout, ending on the very weakest track.
Lots of yelling.
This is a tough one. I don't like it. I haven't really found any hip-hop that I like. But I recognize that this album and a few others launched an almost-entirely-new genre that is still pretty dominant in the popular music of today. For me, the best I can do is nod my head to the beat.
This album is way too long, it could be cut in half and be slightly more tolerable. I get the impact in the late 80's but this doesn't hold up all that well. The only thing that unfortunately still rings true is the message behind police v. the black community. I will give it credit for being very alive and sometimes funky, but it's not something I would ever put on. It's pretty aggressive and confrontational, it's more of a time capsule album and it can stay in 1988. 2.0 for "Express Yourself."
Straight Outta Compton is a weird one. It's holds the identity of breaking the LA rap scene and has maintained a legacy that speaks for itself. The album opens with a couple of iconic tracks that helps show the listener exactly why it was such a huge album. Ice Cube, Easy E, MC Ren and Dr. Dre or effectively on display as a new tour du force that continue to have an impact in both the rap scene and LA area many years afterward. After the opening handful of songs however it really lost a lot of its luster for me. I found myself scratching my head wondering if this was really the same album that hugely influenced the gangster rap scene. It felt like it devolved into some relatively hokey old school rap that didn't line up with the identity of how NWA opened the album. When it wrapped up I was a little surprised that some of the cornball tracks came from Straight Outta Compton. It's got its moments, it certainly deserves some praise but it didn't hold up as well I would have thought for what I expected from NWA's debut past the first couple tracks. 2.39 stars
"Hi, hier ist der Mann mit dem großen Penis und einer Pistole in der Hand im mutterfickenden Haus, Schlampe!" So oder so ähnlich wurde ich jetzt für eine Stunde zugelabert. Ich habe mir das Album mehrmals angehört, weil ich mich mit der Bewertung sehr schwer getan habe, denn es fällt mir schwer, die Begeisterung um dieses Album nachzuvollziehen. Der kulturelle Einfluss des Albums steht dabei außer Frage. Es gibt einige Tracks mit ziemlich starken, kraftvollen, interessant produzierten Beats, doch die Qualität lässt leider im Verlauf des Albums nach und was bleibt ist primitives prahlerisches Gehabe über Selbstdarstellung, Gewaltfantasien und jede Menge unerträgliche Misogynie. Ich kann nachvollziehen, dass das Album als roher Ausdruck der Realität einer marginalisierten Bevölkerungsgruppe gesehen wird, als Ausdruck von Wut und Frustration. Und die kulturelle Bedeutung will ich nicht von der Hand weisen. Aber der Kontext rechtfertigt für mich nicht die Art und Weise des Ausdrucks. Wenn die Beats schwächer werden, bleiben nur Texte, die selten über Prahlerei und provokante Agression hinaus gehen. Es gibt genug andere Künstler, die zeigen, dass man Widerstand und prekäre Lebensrealitäten mit mehr Tiefe verarbeiten kann, ohne ständig in stereotype Gewaltfantasien und Misogynie abzudriften. Ich sehe, warum Straight Outta Compton als Meilensteig gilt, es hat Gangsta-Rap geprägt (was ich auch eher bedauere, wenn man sich anschaut, *wie* groß der Einfluss auf nachfolgenden Rap war) und eine wichtige Stimme gefunden. Aber Einfluss und Qualität sind für mich nicht das selbe. Der historische Wert liegt eher in der Wirkung und nicht der künstlerischen Substanz. Vielleicht spielt mein Hintergrund da auch eine Rolle, dass ich das Album nicht so greifen kann. Aber für mich bleibt es ein überbewertetes Album, das musikalisch und lyrisch mehr verspricht, als es halten kann. Der Titeltrack und Express Yourself haben mir am besten dabei gefallen.
no es para mi
2.9
I remember watching the movie for this with my dad when I was a teenager. It was like chill and I remember listening to the album after and thinking "wow this was probs game changing in the 80s but now it's like fine i guess" Thought I wasn't old enough for the proper appreciation, but i still retain the opinion. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- I like the car Warp Wet Woods by The Sleepwalk off the moon remix rpg soundtrack. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- express yourself is a fun song i like a lot
didn't like this much when it came out, and listening to it today most of the lyrics are outdated, but the anger still shines through where it counts. 2.5
Ooof. The misogyny combined record scratching in this album probably prevented me from truly enjoy it but I didn't find it exceptional in any sense. Nevertheless, it is also this album that gave us "Fuck tha Police", a (sadly) timeless anthem coming straight from the underground.
Ehhhh, not my jam.
Okay I can acknowledge that this is an important album culturally however I just can't respect it personally. I do not fw the misogyny and it completely turned me off from anything else
This is obviously a capital 'I' Important record, but it's a bit of a chore. I can only listen to the word motherfucker so many times before I stop caring.
Now I don't deny that this is an influential album, that definitely changed the trajectory of hip hop, rap, and probably all music, and launched the career of several famous musicians. However, I so don't deny that this brand of machismo, with its toxic masculinity and misogynistic and homophobic lyrics focused on guns and sex, is very much not my jam. We get it, you're big hard lads, but I don't need you telling me about your penis or how many people you've fought to prove it. I don't feel comfortable giving such a monumental record one star, but at the same time it was never gonna get more than two from me. To quote a rapper from a very different background, "thou shalt remember the guns, butches and bling were never part of the four elements - and never will be"
I don't like it so much.
Compared to most of the rap albums I have heard so far, this is one of the best. But for me that only means 2 stars or D+.
I understand where the sentiment behind the album comes but most of the messaging is everything I hate in music. It paved the path for the disgusting stuff the industry promotes nowadays.
Has some classics on the album but as a whole a little boring
Man most of these songs are tough to listen through. Can’t deny it’s impact
Мега-классика, но я не до конца понимаю, что в этой музыке может привлечь в 2024-ом году. Лучшая песня - Fuck Tha Police.
Oof - the misogyny in this one is just too much. Rating: 2
No los conocía y no me perdía nada. No es mi estilo
Not really my bag.
I don’t really like rap but can still appreciate good rap, this just sucked. The lyrics were childish, basic, felt clunky, and just stupid. “If you can’t handle the D then parental discretion advised” or some shit like what the fuck was that? The whole thing just felt corny and the beats were nothing to drive home about, half of them were just annoying and grating and that’s coming from a Nine Inch Nails fan
2.5 out of 5
Pořád dokola, old-school rap
Monotonous
So many samples of so many good songs.
Not for me
The album was definitely influential. There is no denying it, but I would argue it influenced hip hop for the worse. Did not enjoy the messaging and was bored by the production when it came out. People keeping saying it aged poorly, but it was always a collection of bad ideas that appealed to a group of listeners, not just black, that wanted to burn the world down. 2 stars for the influence, but you couldn't pay me to listen to this again. Irresponsible childish bullshit.
Generally not a fan of this genre... the posing, the violence (especially against women), the language. I'll give it two stars because there is certainly musical talent, but it's not something I'd want to listen to again.
Beats are good, flow is good. I just can’t get past some of the lyrics.
Gangsta rap was great back then but it shows its age.
Memories of the boys on the bus!
Decent beats. About average rapping. I'd like it more if there was some singing. I'm not fond of the lyrical content. I Ain't Tha 1 and Dopeman were the worst songs.
5/10 Music listenable but repetitive. Lyrics are mostly problematic. Not for me. Highlight: F tha Police
not digging it. 5/10
3/10 - Frisbee mentioned. Only songs I kind of enjoyed was express yourself. The rest were rap and unenjoyable.
I understand the influence and importance of this album but it just ain’t for me. 2.5/5
Ice Cube had a clumsy ass flow. West Coast rap sucks. There is no soul, no style, no rhythm, just a lot of angry posing. Fuck Tha Police is the best thing they ever did, and even that’s a mess. No poets here, certainly. Not much of anything worth listening to. Painfully amateurish. Totally disappointing. 2/5
Not really for me
I've tried to listen to this three times since 2024. The production is great, I like Ice Cube's rapping, but god I can't finish this album. Every song goes on for way too long, Easy E has some shit lines and it's so fucking misogynistic. The first parts of Straight Outta Compton, Fuck Tha Police and Gangsta Gangsta are good, and I actually really like Express Yourself, but I just can't.
Ég skil að þetta hafi hrist rosalega upp í tónlistarheiminum á sínum tíma og mörg af þessum lögum eru bara nokkuð góð þrátt fyrir að þau séu rapplög. Ég mun þó seint setja þetta aftur í spilun
Not really a fan of this one. Something about the backing tracks and the group dynamic were probably really cool when this came out, but just kinda sound dorky now. 2/5
Cant listen to this one in front of the kids. Not becasue i dont like swearing, its just that I can be arsed to deal with being asked what a motherfucker is right now. Express yourself is the best track. Reminds me of quiggins in liverpool. The crazy old retro vintage department store. You had to go here to buy records and tee shirts like this before the internet. Dope album, for sure a cornerstone of rap music, but not really my thang...
There were some cool funky beats to enjoy, but mostly I found this album to be quite boring. The lyrics were obviously pathetic.
Dated and doesn’t have the charm of something like De La Soul. Doesn’t speak to me personally.
Pioneers of late 80's/early 90's hip hop. Their experimentation with sounds and samples brought hip hop into the mainstream. I've never been able to fully enjoy the composition because the lyrical delivery has never clicked. Latest listen hasn't changed my opinion. Bad enough that a lot of the overly toxic masculine stuff is a large portion of the content of the album. The lyrical content is vapid, and while it portrays the stereotype of the view of uneducated people in poverty, I feel other artists showed the difficulty of poverty and problems with the black community and the police without all of the baggage. 2/5.
While I appreciate the importance of this album, I just don't care for it.
"Parental Discretion Iz Advised" has a nice groove. Because of the Beastie Boys samples on "8 Ball (Remix)" this one is o.k. too. One of the better hip-hop albums but still not my prefered stuff. 2,5
Highlight: Express Yourself In a nutshell: no fucks given. Irreverent, hell raising, polarising. This is an important album... and it has not aged well (so many misogynistic references). Side note: One of my favourite stories in music history involves this album. Google "Triple J Express Yourself" to learn more. Overall: 4/10
ACAB
It was better than I was expecting. But these guys should probably go to some anger management sessions.
This wasn’t for me really, some interesting stuff but most of it passed me by. I liked the way they talked about the police, I was less keen with how they talked about women. That being said I liked the sound of I Ain’t the 1 and the lyrics were clever and flowed well but it just left me with an icky feeling.
Despise the misogyny. And the violence is a bit much for me too.
Idk, whatever.
Not my thing, personally. However, the grooves were solid and if I didn't mind the lyrics too much I did find that I really enjoyed some of it. 5.5/10
The birth of Gangster Rap, zo kun je dit wel noemen. De politieke West Coast tegenhanger van Public Enemy, maar wel van een hele andere schaal. Waar Public Enemy de staat bijna de rechtbanken in sleurde, focuste N.W.A. zich vooral op hood politics. Het straatleven wordt op rauwe, grafische wijze op tape gezet, met 'Straight Outta Compton' en 'Fuck Tha Police' als paradepaardjes. Het was de vonk voor een revolutie, waarin de mood in het genre veranderde. Hip Hop was nu niet alleen een uitlaatklep voor de minderbedeelden, maar ook een wapen tegen onderdrukking. De bevolkingsgroep waarvan de gezaghebbers in de US wilden dat hij niet te veel gehoord werd, was ineens de aller luidste. Dit keerpunt in de gemoedstoestand binnen de Hip Hop scene, en in de straten van urban USA in het algemeen, kan niet ondergewaardeerd worden. Maar toch klikte deze tak van sport binnen de rapmuziek - gelukkig - nooit helemaal met mijn gemoedstoestand. Het is een beetje een ver van je bed show, net als 'Rage Against The Machine' dat was. Wel moet ik toegeven dat ik aangenaam verrast was door de verscheidenheid in beats, waar lang niet alles wordt gedreven door een agressieve drum machine zoals in de titelsong. Het contrast tussen sommige bijna cartooneske samples en de vurige lyrics van de N***** with Attitude was opvallend, maar hielt het album wel vermakelijk van start tot eind. Maar het album schiet in mijn oren wel te kort in echte statements van het niveau van het openingsduo. Ice Cube was on fire, en hij redde nog een hoop songs, maar het was over het algemeen een beetje flets. Als geheel prima, maar de plaat leverde weinig momenten om echt voor terug te komen. Na de luisterbeurt kan ik dan ook alleen maar concluderen dat de hoes iconischer is dan de muziek die hij omhult. 6,5/10 Highlights: Straight Outta Compton
Ganster rap classic en een iconisch album. Maar wel iconisch van een genre en stijl wat toch wat ver bij mij af staat. Het voelt wat vreemd om een politiek beladen en boos album als Straight Outta Compton te beoordelen als vermakelijk en 'goeie beats' maar mijn leefwereld staat nou eenmaal iets te ver af hetgeen de N.W.A. be-rappen in hun tracks. So be it, misschien. Ik houd het hier daarom ook maar gewoon bij voor nu. 5/10 Highlights Straight Outta Compton Fuck tha Police
niente di entusiasmante..
Had a hard time rating this album. Really liked the beat and music, but the misogyny and macho were too much for me. I’m obviously not the target demo for their music and im sure it laid the foundation for a lot of great stuff, but was clearly written by men in their early 20s, although some of the lines are very funny and love the guy who came out as anti-foreplay good for him!
Dnf but I liked If It Ain’t Ruff
They (mainly ice cube) sure do hate women. Fuck tha police is 5 star.
I ain’t the one, the one to get played like a pooh butt. This album is an interesting time capsule. Equal parts funny, vulgar, and outdated. I liked it best when I played it off the speakers on my phone. Without a vested interest in the history of rap, it serves as a compelling "before" to the more musically and lyrically complex rap that is popular now (I say, as a total outsider). I came into this album amid the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef. In comparison, the lyrics, beats, and flows all seemed really simplistic. It took listening to about half the album and then going back to adjust my expectations and then appreciate this album for what it is. Obviously, in context this album has a lot of value, but I was curious if I could enjoy this album as just something to listen to! Letting the songs be kind of goofy and funny on their own terms gave me an angle to appreciate it. Still, I’m unlikely to revisit this album except for a bit. Delighted to find that Ice Cube was my favorite! Standout tracks: I Ain't Tha 1, Dopeman, Quiet On Tha Set
I'm not a fan of the genre at all, but some of the songs were surprisingly funky and fun to listen to (especially the first three tracks). At the same time, I can't get behind the things they're rapping about. This album did not age well. 2.5 stars for me 'cause I recognise that this is a classic for the genre, and although it (lyrically) doesn't hold up today, it must have been groundbreaking when it came out.
Belligerent, tough as nails, with flashes of brilliance. Lyrically a bit hard to take. Fave Songs: Express Yourself, Straight Outta Compton
Obviously a classic but not my kind of hip hop really. Bit too aggressive, not enough smooth samples etc. Quite a tough listen all in.
Great music, points out inequality, but I am not a huge fan of the promotion of violence especially disrespect of women. I am torn on rating
I get that it's a classic, I hear the talent, I enjoy the listen, but I can't get past the lyrics, too much misogyny.
It is sad that they have a good anti-drug message in some songs, but then have such other trashy songs and language.
I for one am not from Compton. I do see its impact on today’s rap/hip-hop
Okay, I know that 30 years ago this was revolutionary because they were direct, they sounded cool, but... I don't know, I prefer the more rhythmic type of rap, so if I had to rate how annoyed I was because of how monotonous this album was, listening to the whole thing, I would give it 1 star. The only reason why I don't feel so bad about it is because Spotify played "Sorry Ms Jackson" when the album was over and I jammed to it, so it distracted me a little bit. I know that this was an important album in the history of rap music, but it's not really my thing.
“Express Yourself” IS the most catchy, singable lyrical…and that kinda makes me miss the whole point of a rap album I know.
Gangsta Rap! A lot of people think that's pretty cool, but I could never get behind the "message" even ironically like many of my peers back in the day. I'll take artists like PE, Blackalicious, J5 & Tribe for my hip-hops.
not mine
First time listening to this in its entirety and my take away is that there was more cultural significance to this album than actual greatness of the music. The album does not stand up to the first two tracks, other than express yourself. I found myself ready to skip most of the songs after the first minute or so. The misogyny gets impossible to overlook the further you get into this.
Pas mon délire mais c'était correct.
Aside from the profanity, obscenity, glorification of drug use, etc. it wasn't horrible. I mean it's a solid 2 and I didn't think it was even going to be a 1.
Not my rap jam but I do love Ice Cube’s voice so that’s why it got a two.
First time hearing this album, I remember this being controversial on it's release. Some great music but the lyrics are stuck in the past
A historical landmark but a lot of it hasn't aged well. Recognize what it did for/to hip hop and rap but not my thing.
2/5. There are a few great songs here, but the style has not aged well.
It might be historic, but that doesn't always make it good
This album hasn’t aged well, in my opinion. What sounded edgy and controversial at the time now seems very dated and stale. A lot of redundant, relentless beats and sometimes cringey lyrics (and I don’t even mean the misogyny and repetitive fu@%s) do not make for a fun listen anymore. I can’t imagine what it was like to be black in LA/Compton at the time, but can appreciate that this album was the protest music of its day. Although it rightly deserves its place in history, it doesn’t earn a spot on my 2024 playlist.
I suppose I can appreciate it and respect it, but it isn’t my thing.
A failure to survive the test of time and a chore to listen to. I don’t believe the people who rate this album highly ever actually listen to it
Going from To Pimp A Butterfly to this album probably gave me whiplash. I know they're from two different eras, but it displays the lyrical depth that Straight Outta Compton lacks. While the beats are fairly catchy in most parts, the album feels one-dimensional and has simply been done better.
Pas mon style de musique.
Yeah a tiny bit disappointed, nothing crazy about the lyrics
i don't like this kind of music
Old hip hop can be rough, some slappers but not a ton.
It’s okay for what it is. Definitely not my style of music.
It had to happen sooner or later...an album that I know I don't like before listening. I'd vowed when I downloaded this app that I'd listen to every album on the list. Filling raps with F-Bombs, MF-Bombs, Bitches, and Hos is too easy a way to get your message across and guarantee an audience I sort of understand where it's all coming from, given the world in 1988 (+/- forever), but that doesn't mean I have to listen to more than a song and a half. Vows were meant to be broken. For being politically in tune, important, and (sadly) influential, ⭐⭐ __________________________________ 🎧 LPs reviewed: 34 🎧 LPs left to review: 967 🎧 LPs I found great/relevant enough to be mandatory listens (5): 9 🎧 LPs I *might* include in my own list (4): 12 🎧 LPs I will certainly *not* include in mine (1-2): 9
Good production, always liked ice cube and eazy e's delivery too
not my vibe
Couldn’t listen to it at work
Kinda disappointed with this album. Starts off strong, punches you in the face, gives no apologies, righteously angry, makes you feel *dangerous*. After a while, it started to feel like the same note over and over, almost to the point where it felt calculated. Maybe I'm just desensitized to it all.
wow what an intense start to 1001 albums
okay, not my favorite
Seems good for its genre, just not for me
Outdated and old. Only a few good songs.
I like the instrumental on Parental Discretion Iz Advised. Some of the tracks have a very of-their-time sound (the drum machine/synth sounds). 8-ball remix is bad, in fact most of Eazy's verses are kinda bad. MC Ren and Ice Cube are the highlights there. I was a little fatigued by the end of it - partly because it starts so strong but also there isn't a lot of dynamics in the instrumentation/melodies in the last 1/3. I get how it was groundbreaking at the time, but that also gives a bit of a dated feel 35 years on.
Vaak vind ik hiphop niet leuk omdat het een beetje eentonig is, maar dit is best nice! Muzikaal wel leuk en veel variatie. Niet iets dat ik zou kopen want het is niet echt wat voor mij maar best oké!
I don't like rap music.
yeahhh fuck the police.
Not my thing
HipHop
The framework does not always indicate the best. This album is incredibly inconsistent. At the most positive times, the music is an energetic collision of multiple forward thinking styles. At the most negative, however, it’s messy ass hip-hop that may have been influential, but just proves how far the genre has come to become something truly respectable.
At first I was excited to re visit this album but after the first song I was reminded of how fresh they were and how far they have all come.
Problematic seminality. Goes hard, but WTF the sexism is a difficult listen. Can't put it aside.
Childhood is idolizing West Coast rap. Adulthood is knowing that NY and East Coast rap clears.
Dick dick bitch pussy dick balls females wow so deep
Bored after the twentieth b*tch. Express yourself the only redeeming element of this album. 90s hip hop is just significantly superior.
Not My style
not interested in old-school hiphop. a lot of the lyrics are just bad. i won't complain about getting some Ice Cube though
Some based lyrics, just not a rap person I'm afraid
BL: An album I’m aware of the hits from, but not any of the smaller cuts. Having seen this be used both genuinely and ironically it’ll be interesting to see how this holds up AL: this didn’t really do it for me. The allusion that their lyrics were superior to all other groups of the time when it all comes down to guns, girls, drugs and money. They acknowledge this but still truly believe it’s some sort of incredible statement. Historically speaking this album is phenomenal, kickstarting the career of so many people we hold dearly to this day within music and media in general: Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Eazy-E. I think while some records of the time the misogyny and homophobia can be overlooked from the time just due to the products of the environment (the same applies here), the lack of remorse and “take no prisoners” attitude of the lyrics ends up leaving quite a bad taste in your mouth. While it’s certainly of it’s time, I can see why it was groundbreaking. The story of down and out youths making a life from a record is incredibly inspiring, but from a modern perspective this isn’t particularly my thing. FT: “straight outa Compton”, “express yourself”, “dopeman” 2/5
Not my favorite overall, as I am not a big fan of hip-hop. I understand though why it was so influential, as so many works since bare striking resemblance to it.
Eh after the high of the first 3 songs the albums just completely dives for me. Compton’s n the house is so basic - the rhymes, the flow the production everything sounds v rookie. Ain’t ruff, parental discretion, 8 ball, something like that - they all have decent beats but they get repetitive after a while and the flows and lyricism isn’t that good to me to keep things interesting for 4-5 mins. I ain’t tha 1 - eh the lyrics are weird and the rapping again sounds very basic and the flow gets boring after a while, same with the beat. Quiet on the set brings things back up again - it’s fun with the adlibs and beat breaks and the drum changes. The rapping is more engaging. 2 dance - it’s fun but disposable. I expected a lot from the album given the hype but the album just goes down in quality after the first three tracks. It’s a 2 for me.
Biitit ja taustat on aika kivoja välillä. Kerrankin kuuntelin kunnolla sanoja, ja ei ois kannattanut. Valitettavasti vei tanssifiiliksen. Tää naisista puhuminen ei oo vanhentunut arvokkaasti.
35 years ago when I was a teenager this may have been cool but at 50 years of age listening to this just feels sad. The lyrics are crap, and the rapping is poor, in fact it’s so plodding you can barely even call it rap. Some of the music is ok, toe tapping even but all the posturing about d!ck size, bitches, gats and AK’s gets old really fast. It’s a joke really and it actually makes me feel ancient 🤦🏼♀️ 2/5 because I’ve heard worse and even Express Yourself isn’t enough to elevate it to a 3.
I know this is an incredibly formative album in the rap scene... but holy fuck the misogyny is INTENSE. The persona of kill people, do drugs, and women are bitches does not really vibe well with me. 3/10
I've never been a fan of gangsta rap. The lyrics don't appeal to me. Musically, there are some nice moments, but I wonder if it's not due to good samples
Misogyny.
Expected this to be more of an easy 4 or 5 from how famous it is, but sitting down and listening to it was not easy. It honestly does not age well for me and I don't have the nostalgia outside of the couple of famous tracks.
ok
shiiit is overrated
Nice rhymes, good energy, I'm pretty over the intense misogyny.
The first 2 tracks were so good. The songs that follow aren't as good. The beats are on the same meter throughout the album and it gets old with every passing track. Other than F the police, the lyrics of the songs are horribly sexist.
Oldskool hiphop, bisschen funkig. Nicht wirklich hörbar heutzutage
I liked a lot of it but the sexist lyrics are tough to listen through. Fuck, fuck, fuck, motherfucker as well....
Not a rap fan
It’s so fucking cool. I can overlook a lot of technical issues just because the energy this album brings right off the bat is immaculate. It’s also cool hearing black dudes try to figure out how to sound cool in a gangster setting without coming off as ridiculous. They often do not succeed. (Parental Discretion Iz Advised? Who the fuck thought that looks cool typed like that?). Kinda runs long though. The entire album could have just been the first two songs, edited to be half the length, and it would be just as significant and likely more listenable. It’s okay. Just fine. I would recommend Glenn Gould’s performance of Scriabin’s 3rd Piano Sonata much more enthusiastically. Did you know Scriabin had synesthesia? Of course you did. Everybody knows that.
NWA was cool, but the music was just ok.
I heard quite a few Beastie Boy samples from this album. Did I hear the Whoop, There it is music in there? Not a fan of the gangster rap genre. This album didn't change my opinion. I though there were some decent grooves and music, but overall, just not a fan. Straight Out of Compton and Fuck The Police are OK and I did enjoy I Ain't Tha 1 and Parental Discretion. I was surprised to hear a disco/dance tune on here with Something 2 Dance 2 and the rest of the stuff just ran together. 2.5
Straight Outta Compton is an album that I remember liking a lot more. I think coming off of the high of the Straight Outta Compton movie may have influenced that a bit because that movie is absolutely awesome (despite its revisionism). The album itself though is kinda boring with a ton of filler crap. The hits still hit and are as iconic as ever, but man wtf is Something 2 Dance 2 or 8 Ball? An unfortunate 2.5
It's the misogyny that turns me off, along with the marketing of criminality. That said, there are some bright spots: Dr. Dre's rap on Express Yourself is fun, and Parental Discretion Iz Advised is a good track.
This album is certainly a strange time capsule. The sound and the beat and the samples … it all comes across as kind of goofy in retrospect (not to mention the amount of song titles that intentionally misspell words!), almost like the work of a musician intending to parody this sort of music instead of one of the progenitors of gangster rap. Liberal usage of n-words and f-bombs and some poorly aged social stances are enough to hold it back, to remind you that these fellows are serious. And yet, despite my eyebrow raising, I appreciate this. More as a historical moment, a cornerstone of music, than something I actually enjoy. I can't say I'd really recommend it, to be honest. Likely won't ever revisit it, but its inclusion on the list makes total sense.
This is basically everything I hate about rap- violent, full of swear words, anti police. On the other hand, the backing sounds/instrumentation is peak 90s in the best way.
I see why this was/is considered a good album but it's just not for me.
I guess it hasn't aged well.
BEATS: I think the production is a bit shit, really. I guess for the title track it works as it’s abrasive yet sparse, meaning the lyrics have more impact, but in general it’s just dead samey and dull, and becomes a slog to listen to after a few tracks. The exceptions are Express Yourself and I Ain’t Tha 1, which are more playful and interesting. RAPPING: A bit of shock value is fine, offending the establishment is usually no bad thing and moving music/culture on to a point where more things can be said more freely is progress, I’d say. However, ’gangster rap’ in and of itself can be pretty tedious, (the fact that it became the norm rather than a novelty after N.W.A. isn’t a legacy particularly worth celebrating, in my opinion), but again, there is a lighter, playful side to the group which comes out just enough to offer some welcome relief from the straight-faced bragging about shooting folks. Oh, and Ice Cube is a cut above the rest of them. Nearly always the most engaging to listen to. 2.5 stars. I nearly rounded up to a 3 for influence, but such an indifferent score would actually be *more* insulting to a gang of hellraisers like N.W.A, right?
5/10
Easy to see why it was such a big deal at the time. Everything sounds the same except Express Yourself which isn't very good. Title track goes pretty hard though with the horns. Interesting how it's sounding almost as quaint as Run DMC etc.
This was just ok for me. This era of rap isn’t one I listen to much except for the occasional nostalgic spin of The Chronic. It’s kind of novel listening to all these artists together before they started feuding later in their careers, but the music itself didn’t do much for me
The hyper-violence and misogyny did not age well. This is a very strange record to listen to as an adult. Some of the production is interesting.
Yeah yeah, fuck the police, we get it ... I detest hip hop
Neither the lyrics nor the beats have aged well.
Seminal and influential. But some of the rhyming on this has not aged well. Misogynistic and bragadocious, without the humour or wit to suggest it's a tongue in cheek caricature. The beats were good and creative, but not incredible
Started good, unfortunately didn't get any better, or any different. Pretty much turned off halfway as it was just droning on with more of the same.
Not bad but not my jam.
Iconic 'Gangster Rap' album not really my style but still a decent bit to appreciate on the album.
Hip-hop ochentero. No me gusta... Un 2.
I mean I didn't hate it. I just don't see a reason to come back.
This tried to be hard, but it came off as really goofy. I’ve never been a fan of Ice Cube as a rapper, and some of his rhymes in this are laughable. Not a bad actor though.
Eh.
Started off great, but fell to pieces near the end sadly. Can see why people love it, and there is a lot I love as well, but as an album, it just didn't hold up. A dissapointing record.
bien qsy 6.5/10
overrated
It’s difficult to define the influence this album has had on rap. The two opening tracks alone are legendary. Quite a few tracks unfortunately feels somehow dated today; and that’s without mentioning the deeply misogynistic lyrics. There’s no doubt that N.W.A. is here to deliver a message. There is barely no messing around and I get the idea that no one showed up in the recording room in order to just have fun. I sure didn’t have as much fun as I thought I would.
Þetta byrjar vel en verður fljótt leiðigjarnt. N.W.A. ná ekki alveg að heilla mig til lengdar.
Lite tveksam ändå, åren väger tugnt. Lyssnade sen på fugees och public enemy istället och det ägde
I don't think highly of rap in general, and honestly this album has only reinforced that belief. There's no way for me to appreciate the actual music properly when the lyrics are so terrible. Definitely an album that hasn't aged well.
I'm not going to clutch my pearls like some reviewers. All N.W.A. said on this album reflects what a subculture wanted to hear at a certain point in history. Many of those views remain, so take it up with them. That said, this album took hip hop in a pretty nasty direction at a time when casual listeners were starting to pick up on it. There was a battle for the soul of the genre and BDP, Tribe and assorted street philosophers and skilled rappers got pushed to the periphery.
Not really my thing.
Too much cussing but I did appreciate that I could understand all the lyrics.
The commentary about the police vs. the Black community is great. It’s still very relevant. It’s the misogynistic and homophobic lines I can’t deal with.
Not the worst old school rap I've heard 3 It's just really not me 2
That language! This would be better without all the N's and F's.... I'll actually give it 2/5 and not 1/5 like I thought because it has merits. 2/5
This sounded quite revolutionary to me when it came out. Listening again was a nostalgia trip, and Express Yourself is still a certified classic. But I don’t feel that this has aged that well, production-wise, musically or lyrically. I get that it was meant to be offensive to everyone at the time, but the casual misogny and homophobia just feels a bit ick, to put it mildly.
Another 3-in-1 hip hop review, this time tracing the thread from N.W.A.’s “Straight Outta Compton” through Ice T’s “OG Original Gangster” to Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic.” There are a lot of albums that “changed” hip hop, and “Straight Outta Compton” may be peak among them. Peak for impact, not peak for quality. They may not have created gangsta rap, but N.W.A. took it mainstream with their platinum hit album, forcing America to come to terms with life in inner city minority neighborhoods like Compton and popularizing the use of the n-word in hip hop. Incredibly impactful, but musically it’s stuck in 80s hip hop without signs of evolving. That evolution wasn’t necessarily needed though - by far the best part of the album is when Dr. Dre emerges with “Express Yourself.” It’s old school, it’s not violent or profane, and it shows that style can work in a timeless way. As for the rest, Ice Cube’s rapping is pretty solid, whereas MC Ren makes no real impact and Easy E’s nasally rapping is the worst part of the album. On the other hand, Ice T is a better rapper than anyone in N.W.A. (except maybe Dr. Dre, who was mostly limited to small features outside of “Express Yourself”). Ice T is such an OG, he had to tell the rest of America what OG means. He didn’t create the term, any more than he created gangsta rap, but helped bring it to the masses. “OG Original Gangster” is at once a coda for the early days of hip hop and a declaration that gangsta rap would dominate the next decade. The production and musicality is much better than “Straight Outta Compton” (though in a style that was firmly on its way out), and T’s rapping also stood above other MCs. Ice T may be the OG, but as an OG, he’s older and wiser and better able to reflect on where they’ve been and where they’re going. While those who followed in his footsteps often succumbed to the gangsta life, Ice T emerged on the other side with a career in film and TV, and is today probably more known for his role on Law & Order SVU than for his rap music. After Ice T and N.W.A. opened the door, Dr. Dre left N.W.A. and began a solo and rapping career that would fully establish West Coast gangsta rap as -the- rap genre of the 90s. “The Chronic” presented a serious evolution in sound from “Straight Outta Compton” or “OG Original Gangsta.” The themes remained the same, but the edge got even harder and the early trappings and influences of hip hop faded away. My group member pretentious-ass wrote (4 years ago, when I was supposed to review this) that “The Chronic killed hip-hop.” And I think in a lot of ways he’s right. Something different emerged from it, but it was something far removed from Ice T, N.W.A., and everything before it. West Coast gangsta rap after “The Chronic” did seem to become all-consuming, sucking the oxygen away from alternative hip hop and any other style.
I get that this album is important. I also get that you grew up hard and you are a bad-ass motherf***er. I get it. But damn it is hard to listen to these sexist and derogatory lyrics now (ever?). I often wonder if the most popular female rap/hip-hop artists today listen to early gansta rap and what they think about it.
Bits of it were OK (If it ain't ruff for example) but on the whole not really doing anything for me and I think probably aged quite badly in terms of the misogyny etc.
Largely repetitive. In general not the biggest fan of 80s rap. 2/5
very boring after a while, way too long
okay, a lot of crude lyrics, but genre defining
Cute beats, express yourself is fun, a lot of it is "cringe" (they're children trying to look like big boys!). I'm sure this would have been important to me if I was born 10 years earlier.
Don't like rap :c
This didn't age well. Although I can't say I ever listened all the way through. This is way more old school than I thought it would be. Like, corny old school. But with cussing and misogyny. Did this start gangster rap? I've vague on the history but it seems right. Something 2 Dance 2 was cool though.
N.W.A. has always been one of the rap groups that I've always wanted to check out. There are not many rap-duo/group albums that I've heard, so this being one of the first in gangsta-rap just added more to the excitement. But man, I was super disappointed by this album. So before I get my complaints out, I'll just say that there are some good stuff about the album. This album has probably the two most iconic opening tracks to a rap album. "Straight Outta Compton" and "Fuck Da Police" are easily their biggest tracks ever, so getting to hear those bangers was just an amazing opening. Production on this album is fine, but I feel like Dr. Dre became a better producer in the 90s. So the first complaint is really about the rappers. I think that Ice Cube has a great voice but I think that I would prefer him in his own stuff. I can barely remember anything that Yella said, and Dre doesn't write most of his own shit anyway. But the most overrated rapper of all time has to be Eazy-E. Now I'm not trying to act disrespectful, but the dude just sucks. Favourite track would have to be "Fuck Da Police". It slaps, it's iconic, what more can you say? Least favourite track would have to be "Express Yourself". Why the fuck did they think that people would buy into this shit? The message is good, but they can't even stick to it. 3/10
I was too old and narrow minded to embrace this sort of music. The fact that white kids 10 years younger than me thought it was great made it seem even more ridiculous in my book. Now I can look back and appreciate it for what it was, groundbreaking and revolutionary, it still never graces my turntable.
Too long and too samey.
Not terrible. Quite Juvenile. Not likely to ever roll it with my homies ever again
Wasn't bad musically, but lyrics toggled between cheesy and incredibly offensive.
3/25/2022 Today's Album: "Straight Outta Compton" by N.W.A. - This album is just really boring. I think that the production on it is pretty stellar. Each track is warm and features a pretty solid beat, groovy bass, and sometimes even a nice vocal, but the rapping is absolute dogshit. Not only do the beats just kind of sit in one place and not do anything, but the rapping and verse structures are just so boring and stagnant throughout the track list. You get each member of the group just ending each line with rhymes like frozen and chosen, effect and select, and even more similarly predictable matchings. I think there is a lot of potential coming from the hooks and choruses of each song, but the verses are just so tedious to listen to and just sound like a kid listing off everything they did today but in the style of Dr.Seuss. Like I said, it's a pretty nice set of beats to listen to because the production is pretty excellent, but it just doesn't have enough experimentation or variety within the rhythm or beat structure to illicit any reactions from me. The subject matter of a lot of these tracks are also just really dated, littered with misogynistic and edgy ideas. Overall, if you like old rap like this, listen to Biggie or Snoop. There's more charisma and charm from them and the subject matter is a little less played out. Even the album I reviewed 2 days ago from Jeru the Damaja was better than this. Score: 4/10 Highlights: If It Ain't Ruff, Express Yourself (carried by it's sample)
Between this and The Chronic I feel like I've given gangsta rap a fair shake and it just does nothing for me. Dull music, unpleasant lyrics, what's the point? Express Yourself has a good tune though.
I know a tiny bit about gangsta rap, primarily from the late 90s and early 2000s, and almost all of those artists, if you dig in, were found by, launched by, or are somehow tied to Dr. Dre, an original NWA member. These guys are the definition of "O.G."; they are the reason (like it or not) that gangsta rap is so prolific in mainstream music today. Their rough life experiences in Compton are what birthed this music scene. I can see why this album is monumental, but the lyrics have not aged well. Gangsta rap is notorious for its very vivid (and sometimes over-exaggerated) descriptions of violent behaviors, but exaggeration or not, I really can't get behind the excessive misogyny and domestic violence. The "black community versus the cops" message from 1988 still feels relevant today, though.
by track 8 i had a mid-80's headache. but this album holds up pretty well and there was more variety on it than i expected. a lot of it, however, is tedious, misogynistic and juvenile.
Done good tracks. Rest patchy.
Listening to this in 2022, it's so clear to me now that music must be understood in the context of the time it is made. This music is so aggressive, explosive, angry and the messages don't resonate now, but it seems they did in 1988. Not really a fan of this album and wouldn't put it on regular rotation, but I'm glad I was exposed to it, to better understand the period of time. Interesting to see Ice Cube and Dr. Dre from back in the day.
Juvenile hip-hop, Some nice beats makes it a 2
Hiphop ochentero. No es un género de mi predileccion
I can definitely acknowledge their cultural impact and the musical influence that they have, however, it doesn't make it any less of a chore to listen to these songs that are so full of profanity. This genre is not what I look for in my music.
“ If ya fuck wit me I'll put a foot in ya ass” is such a great line. A lot of lines throughout disparaging women which I don’t love to listen to. But I also can’t help but notice the anger in this album about police treatment towards black men and how 30+ years later not much has changed. I also have to recognize the influence this album has on so much musically today- not sure Hamilton would exist without NWA! I have to give this 2 stars mainly because I wouldn’t choose to listen to this again but I do appreciate it too
Ich finde es leider nicht so cool wie die Herren selbst
I don't really mind hip-pop but the lyrics are way too offensive and hardcore for me lol Can't really finish even the first track.
Must hear in het genre, maar vanaf de helft begon het voor mij te vervelen en in herhaling te vallen. Niet mijn ding
Hip hip. Coñazo
Rap just really isn't my style. But I have to say, in terms of rap this really isn't the worst. Or rather, I still don't like it, but I do think it sounds better than 95%+ of rap I've heard. The lyrics are absolutely ridiculous of course.
This album is a classic, and I do see the appeal, but it dragged on too long and most of the songs I didn't like at all. Did like Straight Outta Compton, Fuck Tha Police and Express Yourself but not that much. I can't give this album anymore than 2/5 stars.
This was a bit of a weird one; I know it's a very highly rated album, but the gangster rap where everyone's verses are about how hard they are and how they'll shot whoever don't generally appeal. Express Yourself stood out as not fitting in with the rest of the album at all, with Dre rapping about how he doesn't smoke weed because it messes with your head, and how wannabe gangsters rap about stuff they've never experienced before. It all felt a bit surreal and in complete contrast to everything else.
Not my thing.
Not my favorite era of hip hop, Eazy-E brought down many of the tracks by reusing lines or phrases.
Not my cup of tea
It's impossible to overstate the enduring impact of Straight Outta Compton; as polarizing as its outlook may be, it remains an essential landmark, one of hip-hop's all-time greatest.
Chunky sound but lyrically off
Again, not really my jam, but hey, I'll listen.
Ei minun kuppi teetä, vaikka ainakin nimibiisin tahtiin nyökyttelinkin.
Attitude gefällt mir am besten bei der wütenden Gang, aber musikalisch komme ich selten in den Genuss einer weiteren Dimension wie bei “Parental discretion…“ 2.4
No me hago con el hip-hop. Mal disco (por mi parte) para empezar esta aventura
Hip-hop ochentero. No me gusta...
Not into hiphop
Mucho más pasable de lo que pensaria
Al menos no es Nick Drake
I’m sure this album has a crucial place in hip-hop history, but it is difficult for me to enjoy.
I respect that this is a good album with a handful of great songs, but all in all, it's never really been my cuppa tea
Ihan asiallista rähinää ja varmasti merkittävä teos omassa genressään, mutta ei tätä kyllä oikein jaksa. Saman biisin looppausta alusta loppuun.
I deeply fucking regret including the hip-hop genre in my *1001 Albums* list. To be honest, I didn't realise it could be this motherfucking bad. I figured there had to be *something* I was missing, but nope—the so-called greatest fucking albums in the genre have done nothing but confirm, reinforce, and somehow even exceed every goddamn preconception I ever had about rap music. "Straight Outta Compton" by N.W.A. is constantly hailed as one of the most influential motherfucking albums ever made, especially in gangsta rap. Fair enough—it was hugely fucking influential. But influence alone doesn't make something enjoyable. To my ears, it's a relentless barrage of motherfucking profanity, shouted threats, and endless fucking aggression, as though a room full of extremely angry guys decided that every third word had to be "motherfucker" and every second sentence had to end in someone getting told to fuck off. The energy is undeniable, but so is the monotony. Listening to it feels less like hearing music and more like being trapped inside an endless, adrenaline-fuelled screaming match where the volume keeps rising and every other word is "fucking" something or someone. If that's the appeal, then this motherfucker simply isn't for me. Completely, utterly, absolutely fucking unlistenable.
Too misogynistic for me to enjoy this at all.
Considered a classic, but I’m not a fan.
Beats are nice, bad language is over used.
No va
I didn’t like it
Music, beat, and all is good but the lyrics. F this and F that... I agree with all the other reviews that slam the Explicit lyrics. Not an album that I would think should be preserved and appreciated. It's bad. 1/5
jol jol jestem kurwa gangster jestem tuff?😈
The sound of the LA riots, police brutality and the birth of Gangster Rap. As a historial artifact this is fascinating, but to actually listen to over breakfast today as a white man in Yorkshire... not really feeling OK with the hate, sexism and homophobia. Pass.
Its alright, but rap/hip-hop just isnt for me however much of a classic it is. The constant use of slurs got really tedious, really quick.
You lost me at fuck the police.
Fuck
Violentos
Most of them actually got out of Compton. Good for them.
Hard-hitting gangsta rap built on funk samples, punchy drum machines, minimal melodic loops, and aggressive, confrontational vocals hits with raw force. Listening feels like being dropped into a tense street confrontation where every line lands like a direct challenge. Seeing this from far away it's boring to see so many people argue.
Here’s another debut album, and another rap album. I listened to the original release. As usual not much music and lots of talking. The internet says this album was highly influential because it brought West Coast rap to the mainstream and started the East Coast vs. West Coast rap rivalry. Still too much violence here to be enjoyable.
Cool but not my type of vibe
I gave this celebrated rap record a listen and found it as stupid and juvenile as expected.