Reviews (page 8 of 14)
N.W.A were revolutionary in the formation of the genre of Gangsta Rap. What they did on this record would set the stage for a lot of what came out in the 90's/00's. N.W.A consisted of: Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy-E, MC Ren, Arabian Prince, and DJ Yella; many of who would have successful solo careers outside of the group in later years. I watched the movie Straight Outta Compton which follows the beginnings and career of the members of N.W.A. It was a great movie, highlighting their come up from the ghettos of Compton, the drug dealing/gang violence that they were surrounded by in their formative years, and the racism that was rampant in the USA in the 70's (especially the racism shown to black teenagers by white people in positions of authority (ie. judges and policemen)). Given this rough upbringing, you can understand why gang violence/anarchy/misogyny are the topics covered heavily on this album. This was music that gave a voice to the hundreds of thousands of oppressed across America (songs even got banned from radio stations (notably Fuck Tha Police)). Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this album. The sampling and flow of the album was seamless. I have listened before, and will definately listen again. Favourite songs: Straight Outta Compton, Fuck Tha Police, Express Yourself, Gangsta Gangsta, Parental Discretion Iz Advised, Dopeman, Quiet On Tha Set, Compton's N The House (Remix) Least favourite song: Something 2 Dance 2, Bonus Beats, If It Ain't Ruff 4/5
Un clásico
favourite song: gangsta gangsta least favourite song: dopeman album only loses a star for the misogyny and homophobia, otherwise a perfect album
Hip hop and rap are normally not my thing. But I can see why this is label as a classic. The beats are top notch and the lyrics mostly are dark, gritty and most of all come from the truth. The only downside I can find is some of it seems to drag on. Especially some of the instrumental pieces. Will listen to again for sure.
Too long, dated lyrics, but still a load of fun. Put me in such a good mood in the morning, honestly. The first few tracks are unmatched with my favorite song being FUCK THA POLICE STRAIGHT FROM THE UNDERGROUND - man these young gentlemen sure have a way with words.
As a teenager in the 70’s /80’s my parents and other adults feared Heavy Metal music - they thought it dangerous and corrupting. “Fools” was the general reaction from me and my peers. I didn’t believe that music could be dangerous. Then N.W.A. released ‘Straight Outta Compton’ and I started to understand why they were afraid - music that directly and aggressively challenges societal institutions you respect is disconcerting (for my parents it was heavy metal challenging religion, and for me it was NWA challenging law and order - which at the time I truly believed was mostly just). It took me a while to take the time to listen The album’s political / racial themes seem to be undercut by the blatant misogyny. That said, great beats/raps/jams throughout most of the album, but hard for an old white guy to sing along. Better than a 3.5. Rounding up.
This album is a classic, but well, a lot of the songs lyrics didn't age well at all lol. Except for F*ck the Police, that just got even truer with time.
A hip hop classic record made by legends. High quality rap for sure.
Very interesting to listen to and compare the systemic problems facing the Black community during the same period.
Classic
The record is a historical landmark because it almost singlehandedly spawned a whole subgenre of hip hop, gangsta rap, for better (sometimes), and for worse (a lot of other times). In spite of the obviously dated sound, nice energy throughout, and plenty of killer rhymes and music. Now I didn't have the time to check the wikipedia page, but was this one selected by the Library of Congress for its "cultural importance"? Given the topics addressed by this album and the language used in it, I would roll on the floor with laughter knowing it's on those shelves... 🤣 Number of albums left to review: less than 800 approximately, I've temporarily lost count here. Number of albums I'll keep on my own list: half so far, approximately (including this one) Number of albums I might keep: a quarter Number of albums I won't keep: another quarter.
Užasno sirov ali i dalje kul.
Though performative, seems credibly and – perhaps more to the point – earnestly so. Some of the beats are tight and basic-sounding (as 30-year-old records invariably do), but it’s much richer, and not nearly as one-note as one recalls. The soulful song-on-the-radio-esque "Express Yourself" the fun Steve Miller sample-snippet on “Something Like That,” the singalong humor of "I Ain’t Tha 1” and the borderline novelty “Something 2 Dance 2” add more than a bit of texture and straight-up fun. And in the end ,there is as much about sexual politics as social protest (which seems not quite as flat and obvious, not as shocking, as in back in the day).
With the bombastic political and gangsta lyrics, it's easy to forget how much dance music is on this album. Dre always knew how to get people moving.
good
Ah, the good old days, when every rhyme would land on the end of the bar like a bag of bricks. I like the aggression, groove and sampling. "Kicking. Like the kick from a kick drum. Yella Boy on the drum getting dumb... programming a beat that's hitting. And if you listen then you know we're not bullshitting" lol. lmao. Raise your hands if you're not the one to get played like a poo butt!
Bussin
dre is so good. I never LOVED this album or NWA for that matter. I definitely enjoy solo Dre, Cube, and Eazy more than I enjoy them as a collective. I feel like they each had more to prove on their own, especially dre. Everyone’s heard the chronic, but this is what made dre dre. Definitely a classic. Even if it is dre though, Beats are a little too dated for me.
I really liked this - a good sound and some real emotions.
A ground breaking classic rap album, the birth of gfunk and west coast hip hop. This really is a ground breaking album and the messages on police brutality and racism is still relevant today, but other themes of the album have not dated well at all. Makes some of the album feel a bit cringe to listen to now. Still more than deserves to be on the lists.
One of my favorite hip hop albums. I'll start out with the two major weaknesses. For one, Ice Cube and Dr Dre vastly carry the album. The other rappers don't have the same intensity that Ice Cube has, which can leave you distracted elsewhere. The second weakness is that the sound is super dated. Just like with Run-DMC's debut, it tends to recycle the same samples in the same song too often. In an hour long album where each track averages more than 5 minutes each, it makes it sound too repetitive. This is why I unfortunately can't give it a perfect score, especially when Raising Hell and Licensed to Ill avoided both problems before this came out. Highly influential, with this and It Takes a Million kicking hip hop into the mainstream and serving as the primary influences of the next decade's golden age rappers. But other than that, it's just an incredible listen. Really aggressive with serious topics on racism and gangsta life displayed quite accessibly to audiences not used to this kind of music. The production is fun, and samples are funky (thanks Dre). The lyrics are funny despite their dark topic matter. Some songs like "Express Yourself" even give me goosebumps. There's some dated jokes here, including misogyny, so take some tracks with a grain of salt. Even though Ice Cube did better in his solo work, I love the diversity of the three personalities and their styles, which makes this album feel grander and more collaborative. I loved half the songs, others I enjoyed a decent amount, but there were a few like "8 Ball" or "Comptons N the House" that were just tiresome for their length.
The classic, one of the few rap records I know through and through. Old school story time is so much fun.
i really love ice cube.
N.W.A heavily relays on their lyrics in order to express their message of black cultural and the realities of living in black communities.
Classic simple beats wit a production to match an array of rappers to breed a new style of hip hop.
This is such a good album. Found myself bouncing to most of the beats. A couple of songs midway through lose their way a bit which prevents this from being a 5 but goddamn it’s good. 4.5/5
Feel like you definitely hear why people were concerned about misogyny in 90s gangsta rap in this album, but other than that, it is a pretty good album.
Production holds up more than expected. Simple and powerful.
I won't pretend to know much about rap and hip hop, but this feels pretty incredible for a debut album. The 3 opening tracks (title track, Fuck tha Police and Gangsta Gangsta) are incredibly strong and other highlights include 8 Ball, Express Yourself, Dopeman and Quiet On that Set.
4.3⭐️
Listened Before? Y This is a straight up gangsta rap classic. The amount of talent on this record is incredible. There's almost no bad parts at all. Very violent and somewhat dated (mostly misogyny), but I enjoy it a lot. Added to Library? Y Songs added to playlist: Straight Outta Compton
I think I’ve covered my take in gangsta rap sufficiently... I appreciate this, respect and enjoy the wordplay, and see it’s stature as a cultural artifact. But the absolute degree to which I’m a tourist in the world it depicts is something I’m not completely comfortable with, and the frequent refrains of murder, mayhem, and misogyny wear me out.
Best Song: Fuck Tha Police. Timeless, perfect track that manages to be both clever and anthemic. One of the best examples of righteous anger in a song. Worst Song: 8 Ball. The rhythm + rhyme-scheme felt a little too Dr. Seuss. Overall: The rapping is great, with each member bringing their own flavour that sounds distinct without any obvious weak links or outright stars. The selection of beats here are also good and groovy. The whole album feels a bit long, but it's tough to complain when the whole runtime is actual tracks and not inflated with skits, like a lot of other albums of its era. Still, maybe the best rap album of its decade.
Amazing album with dated atitudes.
Enjoyed, these ladz have many important stories to tell
What do you think Eazy E is getting at with this lyric: So slip the see-note and you can choke On a wind ding ding-a-ling down your throat Foreplay to me ain't shit When you spread them, I'm ready, then you can get the dick Of the Eaze, if you can deal wit the size But if you can't, parental discretion's advised
This is good.
This was great! Loved the absolute FUNK of some of the songs. I'd listened to this album before, but a long time ago - I think whilst travelling with Benji. The song just slagging off women was a bit annoying, but I did enjoy the rest of it. Lots of humour in the songs as well as talking about serious issues or just their lifestyles
It's all good stuff
A few classics that still hold up today, solid flows and lyricism, goes hard
Hello my nizzles
pretty banger. production unexpected good
It’s a three and a half really. Don’t tell rob I didn’t give it a five.
An evergreen of old school west-coast rap. Somewhat surprisingly, I had a lot of fun listening to this record - it has to do something about the pure energy coming from all the artists. And the bounce - the bounce is real! Highlight: Something 2 Dance 2 - love it's light-hearted and laid-back nature
- Good beat and Energy - Bad Language - Parental Discretion Underrated - Least Favorite: 8 Ball - Good first 5 kind of went downhill from there still a good album though, surprised kind of
Amazing and powerful - avante garde on a racial issues level - prehistoric on a gender level - beats groove to a tee - every tracks feels like the genesis of another sub genre of hip hop. It’s a seminal record tarnished by it’s toxic masculinity and - well to a degree the glorification of violence - And well yeah it’s a product of its environment and time but it doesn’t get exempt from the lens of the future. They could have easily done away with ‘A bitch is a bitch’ and still had the one of the most ripping hip hop record of all time. It would have gotten my 5 stars had it been a little more … enlightened on certain aspects.
"If ya fuck wit me I'll put a foot in ya ass" - words to live by.
repiola
Great fun, this one - some of the best sampling and mixing in any of the rap albums we've had - the lyrics are droll, delivered with bags of energy.
fuck da poilice
Already knew the title track and Express Yourself but was still surprised at how good the album is - no annoying skits, just a lot of good rapping over a range of fantastic samples. Can see why this is so highly rated.
Tiukkaa shittiä
Legendaarinen ja aikakauteensa tempaava
4.25
4, classics
Serious OG energy. Not my favorite style of music but this is good.
Прикольный альбом. Чёрный рэп, класс :)
Amazing flow, smooth rhymes. Beats are dated, but still sound great. One of a kind.
This is an all time classic album whose legacy will last forever. I am not a fan of rap or hip hop and I am certainly not qualified to speak to the message of the album, but it is a great album musically and socially. Great album!
This album was influential to the point where it was preserved by the Library of Congress which is ironic considering its anti-establishment message. First of all, much of the messaging here has aged poorly. The misogyny, homophobia, and toxic masculinity are not necessary to the central message of this album and take away from in in retrospect. Some of these beats are incredible while others feel stuck in the 80s. I enjoyed the use of samples some of which are some of the best sample work I’ve ever heard. This album feels like it’s in between styles and on the cusp of developing a more complex flow pattern while still having a foot firmly in straight 80s style delivery. Caveats aside, this album is one of hops hop’s statement records and with good reason. Here we see the emergence of g-funk and gangsta rap.
One of the origin albums of "gangsta rap". (7/10) FT: Straight Outta Compton, Fuck The Police
Extremely influential album. I think I am able to separate my enjoyment of the style from the content. It felt very performative at times, almost like a skit. Not sure if that was the intent but it seems like it especially when you learn about Dr. Dre's past (see World Class Wreckin' Cru) but good on them for being the leading edge of a genre. I think most of the music it spawned was garbage but this one was pretty good as long as you didn't take it too seriously. 3 stars for enjoyment, but add a star for influence.
LP
80s Sound. I can see its significance at that time. Today, from a european perspective, it is so out of date with all its hate, swearing and stereotypical black/white gangsta crap. Nevertheless a nice retro listening
Kyl nää länsirannan klassikot vaan toimii musapuolen osalta. Ei häviä tuotanto yhtään nykyräbälle. Tekstit sitten taas lähinnä kuraa, vaikka osan pystyy ymmärtämään yhteiskunnallisesta näkökulmasta. Mut vissiin tän levyn takia kaikki toksisuus ylipäätään yleisty räbässä. Onneks tälleen aktiviteetin taustamusana pystyy aika hyvin filtteroimään mitä haluaa sisäistää. Ja silloin toimii yhtä lailla kuin se Dren Chronic. Ehkä tää on väärin antaa lyriikat anteeksi, mut annetaan nyt niukka 4/5.
Already finished. Solid album. Nothing crazy. 7/10
Thought it was an easy 5 coming in, but some of the deeper cuts didn't age well at all. Still has some all-time bangers, though. Best track: Fuck tha Police
I think I've heard every song on this album prior to this, but I'd never listened to it as an album. One of the things that stood out to me is that Dre's production style, which would emerge fully-formed when he started putting out solo records fro Death Row, is not well-developed here. It sounds more like an 808 with a bunch of samples layered over it. I think it's interesting because the addition of those samples makes this sound much less dated than Run DMC's work in the mid 80s. The approach to rapping is much more full formed with this album, which I think accounts for a lot of its appeal. This album delivers lyrically, and all of the participants appear to be at the top of their game here, though several of the artists achieved greater heights as solo artists. A deserved classic that has aged really well, perhaps because the misogyny that would be so pervasive in later gangsta rap albums is much less prominent here 4/5
90's Brooklyn
Another classic. Ice cube knew what he was doing.
Legendarisk album, men lidt langt og ikke helt så musikalsk som jeg kan lide dem. Men vigtigt
2/6
What a classic. Great rapping, beats. The themes haven't aged well but it's still fun to listen
Always enjoyed this, love those old school rap samples and beats. It's a shame no one's really doing that any more. I'd give it the full 5 but let's be honest, Eazy-E wasn't that good. 4/5.
As a hip hop fan had never listened to this whole thing. Amazed at how relevant and influential it all was MC ren and easy-E could easily have been as big as Ice Cube if things had been different. 4.4 could easily could have been 5
Classics throughout 4.3/5
I remember when this album was in the spotlight in the late 80s. I was aware of it but had not actively listened to it. It's fantastic. My ears are drawn in by so much, and the layers here are really cool. A lot of R&B and funk sampling here, more textural blending with the vocals than one might expect, and the lyrics are compelling. When I think about the years during which this was recorded and released...wow, that was nearly 35 years ago. Wild how relevant the lyrics still are.
My brother gave me this CD to listen to during a family road trip. Blew my fucking mind, and tasted like the sweetest of forbidden fruits. A classic. -1 star just because the sexism is a bit grating in this day and age for my personal taste.
Very cross people made this record. Some iconic bangers here. Breathtaking
That crazy MF named Ice Cube...
8/10
Normally I'm not a big hip hop fan, but i knew some of these tracks and could listen to them again.
not a fan of the lyrics. ground breaking beats and flows though.
Yea, it's pretty darn good isn't it? Keeps good energy going, big hits spaced throughout. A classic!
If you told me Dr Dre, Ice Cube, and Easy E were in a band, id think 5 stars. That being said, it rocks but im not sure how much replay id give it. Im a tough critic, 3 or 4 … out of the rest ive graded thus far, i didnt need to skip many, maybe one, so 4
nice
Classic, essential, a little dated and clunky, but still very fun. 4/5
Dels primers grans clàssics del hip hop, és un dels pocs que realment m'ho sembla, juntament amb algun de Run DMC. Molt per sobre en tots els sentits dels clàssics de la costa Est, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy-E i companyia excel.leixen a l'hora de crear una hora de la millor mala baba, violència verbal amb intel.ligència, en uns temes que, a diferència dels de Public Enemy, t'atrapen amb els seus samples, recitats i bases de primer nivell. Com la gran majoria de discos del génere, és massa llarg i no tot el minutatge eatà a la mateixa alçada, però és impressionant la gran quantitat que sí ho està
Raw and angry.
Classic
Classique album de rap. Je connaissais deja beaucoup de chanson mais d’autres metaient inconnues. J’aime le style depus longtemps. 4.25
Καλύτερο απ´ όσο περίμενα. Εντυπωσιακό ότι το ραπ είναι καθαρό και καταλαβαίνεις τι λένε.
Some of the content has dated, some really hasn't, but you can't fault the delivery.
Opening track, Straight Outta Compton is iconic. Fuck the Police--not what I remember it being. Seemed so 'hard' at the time, and the cursing and n'word is--but it has a lot more storytelling and interesting mixing in the background. The rest of the album doesn't have any great hooks. Forgot the lack of traditional song form (choruses, bridges, etc). I'd definitely not listen to it today--but it's a Hall of Fame record for its historical impact. 4 stars for its place in history.
Definitely front loaded, but what an opening!
3.5
Urgent, Thrilling, so of its time, esp. some of the misogynistic lyrics
This album is important but there are some duds
Classic
BRA SKIT
Party akin to Gremlins 2. Made me understand a ton of bad white rap too!
Some funny shit in here. A few of the songs sound pretty similar and Eazy-E says pretty much the same thing in every song
really fun album old school hip hop is fun to listen to every now and then and it was nice to listen to this classic I give it an 8/10
Ehh, good but not my cup of tea anymore
Classic. Iconic. UPDATE: Love the outro jam for "Parental Discretion Iz Advised."
This album is angry and fun
Not much to be said… fucking solid
// Favs: Straight Outta Compton / Fuck Tha Police / It Ain't Ruff Score: Decent to Strong 4
Old school rap Catchy Heard of the second song before Reminds me of beastie boys
It's a classic. Some great samples. I love Ice Cube. Of course the lyrics are pretty vulgar and juvenile (and occasionally racist, sexist etc), but I can almost rationalize that in a punk rock kind of way. I will say, it's pretty uneven. Some all-time great stuff but also some that just feels a bit like filler. I think I remember it as better than it actually is.
Bumpin
Each track is awesome but extremely repetitive. We get it. You're mad. Still great.
7/05/2021 I heard about this album for the first time from Chetan Harithas. We were discussing RATM and their Fuck the police, when Chetan told me about the song of the same name by NWA. Of course we ended up listening to it on our way back from the Bodhi room that night, and I loved the song. The album is quite interesting. I can see how it was considered one of the most influential albums of its time. Looking at the current scenario, the music is still very relevant.
Classic album from start to finish
The album was released in 1988 and I recall very distinctly the outrage it generated amongst the white man. To quote Dr. Kane in "Evolution", "He's a very sensitive man, the white man. He doesn't like to be yelled at." The track "Fuck Tha Police" caused an especially focused amount of anger and anxiety in the white man. The racism came hard and fast in their critiques of that one. Anyway, I bought the album and to demonstrate how white privilege works, the lyrics spelled out very clearly the mistreatment of black people at the hands of authorities and the general plight of black people in society. Me and my white friends clearly *heard* this, but we clearly did not *get* this. As I matured and experienced more of the world I finally got it and understood the entire album through a much different lens. A distressing number of my friends still don't get it or understand it to this day. In fact, rather than continuing to enjoy the album as they did when they were young, they have turned their noses up at it. I can only imagine this is because to listen to it forces them to confront some hard truths about the world and themselves that they are clearly not comfortable facing. Anyway, it is a great album through and through and I am happy it was my recommended album for today. It is absolutely worth a listen if you have never heard it. It is especially recommended if you have only ever heard "Fuck Tha Police".
Good and nostalgic. Old school. Not a great work album.
This iconic album started the golden age of hip-hop and blasted the genre to the mainstream. Even if you put aside the album's popularity, the songs are just so damn good too!
Changed the rap game
Cornerstone hip-hop album. Many of the lyrics are still very relevant (and very clever) to this day.
An explosive, breathtaking and game changing album. The opening title track is as good as it gets but the album suffers from the weight of expectation created by those early tracks. It’s a lengthy record and each track seems a little worse than the one before it and by about the halfway more the songs are starting to feel a little bit tired, as if they have run out of ideas or things to say. For that reason it doesn’t get full marks for me, but still an incredible album that out gangsta rap on the map.
Not perfect, there's some filler but still an amazing album. I could feel the California sun on my face at times, Fuck da Police!
4.5/5 amazing album, amazing movie.
Far better than expected!
OG gangster rap album. Definitely an important album, maybe drags on a tad long.
Fucking classic. A bit too long but absolutely essential.
Tää on best ja kova! kyllä vierähti lautasella vaikka ekaa kertaa taisin kuunnella. Jääpalakin joskus osannut räpäytellä!
Better than i expected, specially since it's really not my type of music.
Laden with the N word and tales from the hood, you can see how this album became the inspiration for bands like Coldplay and Glasvegas. NWA walked so Elbow could fly. . I could have said 'so Doves could fly', which would be better, but I don't mind Doves and Elbow can go suck a dick.
Ennakolta arvosana luokkaa 6/5 ja edellisestä kuuntelukerrasta iäisyys. Nyt tuntuu puuduttavalta. Onko tämä spotifyn soittolistojen tulosta, että 76min gängstää on liikaa. Tai no sama tyylistä riippumatta kun näitä on kuunnellut. Musiikkilaji uppoaa, mutta onhan gangsa rap alalajina jossain määrin menneisyyden tuote .
Wow! Brings back the college days! Right up there with Public Enemy.
Kovaa räpäytystä ameriikan maalta. Siellä heiluu aseet ja elimet. Oman osansa tykityksestä saa sekä poliisit että bitchit.
Liked it a lot even though i am not a big fan of rap.
Probablemente el mejor disco de su género
Great album
Great album. Only 2 years after Run DMC but has aged much better I think
Ah, das West-Coast-Pendant zu Public Enemy. Hätte man denken können, so vom Sound-Design der Single her. Ist natürlich falsch, weil: da politisch radikale Consciousness-Typen mit Militär-Fetisch aus Brooklyn und Qeens, hier hedonistische Gangsta-Typen aus Compton, natürlich mit Guns. Und auch der Sound bleibt nach dem starken Einstieg mit Straight Outta Compton so gar nicht beim Bomb-Squad-Design von PE, sondern hier zeigt der junge Dre mal, wo er eigentlich hin will. Und da klingen die Raps dann klar nach 80ern (man nehme nur mal den Freestyle-Style in Compton's N The House oder, da klingt es wirklich dated, I Ain't Tha 1) und pumpen die Beats schon Dres reduziert bis sonnigen, aber immer superbassstarken Dicke-Boxen-Funk. Für Deutschrapfans von heute ist das vermutlich gar nichts, für nen alten Mann aber immer noch eines der stärksten HipHop-Alben die wir hier bisher hatten, und sei es nur als Zeitdokument.
Classic album from a supergroup
Nice Lyrics. Powerful style. Not my cup of tea but still
It’s really good except for the misogyny
From angry white punks of The Fall to the other extreme, angry black gangstas from the 'hood. Again, if we could rate half stars I'd give this a 3.5 but given that this is the OG Grandaddy of gangsta rap I'll round it up to 4
3.5?
Schöner alte Schule
This is a real tough one to only give a 4 to. It is without a doubt one of the most important rap albums of all time and essential listening for anybody who cares to understand the golden age of rap. The best tracks on the album (the title track, "Fuck tha Police", "Express Yourself") sound as good today as they ever could have. But I can't give a 5 to an album this packed with forgettable filler. The tracks that you don't remember on this album? There's a reason why you don't remember them. They are just not good or enjoyable to listen to. Outside of the big tracks, there is very little here to listen to today.
there is so much history and culture surrounding this album, it's hard to ignore it's place in music history. i mean, this caused fear, anger, hope, and a dialogue about systematic abuse and inequality in the black communities. this became a damn near rallying cry and scared the fuck out of the people this was for. the lyrics are poignant, music very well composed. and i know i may be off on my comments, but this album inspired a whole generation and multiple genres of music, which is fucking hard to ignore.
Certainly straight outta compton and f* the police are all time classics. the rest of the album doesn't quite age as well... lots of horns, percussion, record scratching that reminds me of Run DMC. I'm not the 1 is awesome too, though predictably non-PC, like the whole album.
damn, son.
Gangster rap gone mainstream, and much of it still lands despite being something of a bridge between heritage acts of the late 70’s and Biggie, Tupac, etc... of the 90’s. I could do without the misogyny.
Original but the simplistic flows don't stand the test of time without nostalgia
Hot fire.
shit fuego also social commentary is nice
Heard the album for the first time when I was 10 and loved listening to it again at 34
Another classic. Some monstrous outlaw and ruthless hip hop collected paving the way for folks to come. From contemporary perspective lyrics here are pretty discouraging demonstrating complete escapism and will of freedom mixed with will to domination. However it doesn't exclude splendid production and killing flows esp Ice Cube's. track picks- Fuck the police, S/T, Gangsta Gangsta, Express yourself, if i ain't ruff, dopeman
Great album, doesn't hit me quite like it used to though.
A Classic. Changed the landscape of music and inspired my more favoured hip hop albums. Really good album, I just don't get as much out of it as my top hip hop albums so just misses out on 5*
From the Amen Break that kicks off the record, this is a tour de force. Been a while since I heard it, and there are so many more recognizable samples than I remember. Even sampling Public Enemy from the previous year. You can definitely hear how rap started out sing-songy but by the time we get to Jay-Z and Eminem, flow becomes more central than working the rhythm of the song. Obviously the problematic issues of misogyny, language and homophobia cannot be avoided. I wonder how this album will play in, say, 2030. You can hear Dre's whole career here in his samples and beats, which is interesting. Raw but definitely his style was formed. Shave a couple of filler tracks off its 60-minute CD bloat and it's a 5.
Urgent, provocative, menacing, violent, confrontational, funky. Of its time, but just shows how good old time rap was. Sparse production, basically 808 drums, samples and voice, but beats and rhythms to die for.
Wish I knew this at the time
FTP. ACAB. HOOD.
You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge...
Another classic hip hop album. Ice cube, Dr. Dre, Easy-E, Mc Ren. Only knew the title track and "Fuck Tha Police", but also other good tracks including "Express Yourself".
The good tracks here are so goddamn good and frequent that they offset the repetitive or dated songs heavily.
A powerful and important album but maybe a few too many swears for me. Production was funkier than I remember. Not a fan of Easy-E’s voice but Dre and Ice Cube are dope.
Historisk hiphop album, gangster, racekultur, sampling,
Ooh, I like these beats! Nice to also hear the entirety of this album instead of just the hits. This kept me going at the end of my work shift.
Highly poetically technical lyrics over a funky, detailed, masterfully produced session. Didn't love the misogyny and homophobia, which the record failed to say anything interesting with/about. Fave tracks: Straight Outa Compton, Fuck Tha Police, Gangsta Gangsta, Parental Discretion Iz Advised, Something 2 Dance 2 Least Favorite Track: Dopeman
Lively and in your face, classic record. Standout Tracks: Parental Discretion Iz Advised, Compton’s N The House (Remix), Quiet On Tha Set, Something 2 Dance 2
Good stuff. I've seen this album around and never got around to listening to it. I enjoyed this, I would pick it up if I saw it at a record store.
Test
Definitely Straight Outta Compton was an album that pushed the standard way back when it was released. It's provocative and edgy. I can totally see how this album converted a lot of white people into hip-hop enjoyers. However I think seeing it from a nowadays perspective has probably made me not fully like it, probably I would see this differently had I listened to this in it's heyday. It seems a bit underdeveloped maybe? I suppose it's that mid-school hip-hop sound, but I reckon even Licensed to Ill does it better. I think the only 'essential' songs are the title track, "Fuck Tha Police", "Express Yourself" and "Dopeman (Remix)" - I think the rest can be safely forgotten to the test of time. I know it's very influential, so I think it has a place on the list, I just won't give it a high rating. Highlight Song/s: "Straight Outta Compton", "Express Yourself" and "Dopeman (Remix)"
Cool, but too dry for me. I know it's of its time, but just doesn't work that well for me.
5/5 sounding music but brought down significantly by sexist and homophobic overtone
The genesis of gangsta rap. Anti establishment. Rebellion. FUCK THE POLICE!
Gangster rap classic
Fun album. Lots of memories with this one, but most of the tracks are meh.
I’d never listened to this before and I’m glad I did.
Some songs are too long
Did better than, Straight Outta Horsham , the gritty album about the impact on the pupils when Tanbridge School was moved to make way for Sainsbury’s. Also a lot less of the N word too Straight Outta Compton is an album of its time and a social commentary of life in LA for the black community. My rating reflects that
A bit long, a bit gangsta, but also a bit good.
It’s all a bit of a double edged sword really. The first two songs in particular are really powerful for the music and the political message. Then it all starts to drift into the guns and misogyny bollox (and the beats rather drop off). Thus creating one good genre and one bad. Does one cancel the other out? Either way, it produces the obvious score…
Enjoyment: 6 Replayability: 5 Cohesion: 6 Flow/Pacing: 5 Artistic Merit: 7 Weighted Average: 5.8 Review: Although rap and hip-hop aren't my forte, I respect the cultural impact that this album has had on American society. There's a few tracks that I'll listen to again and a couple that I won't. Liked Song(s): Straight Outta Compton, Parental Discretion Iz Advised, Express Yourself Disliked Song(s): Dopeman - Remix, Quiet On Tha Set Recommend? Maybe
Solid
Fav: Express Yourself
Not my genre but legendary release, crass to the point of parody in a lot of places, but inspired 40 years of rap
Favourite songs: Gangsta Gangsta, Express Yourself
I really like the sound, but like the Biggie album, I realized I like my music PG-13
This was alright. It was certainly levels above the Chronic and was improved by the absence of Snoop Dee-Oh-Double Gee. There are some tracks which either have an excellent hook or direct their anger towards the right targets. I can’t remember what they were but they were there. Unfortunately, at other times it falls into the usual gangs, guns, misogyny and homophobia - This may have been an authentic view of the streets of Compton but it doesn’t mean I should enjoy listening to it. Musically, it is not really my type of rap/hip hop. It was very influential, even if it is an influence that I don’t particularly like. Shout out to the Eazy-E memorial bench in Newhaven; gone but not forgotten.
Undoubtedly influential and as gangster rap goes, this is fairly accessible with some of the hooks and sample choices used. There’s a lot of problematic lyrics peppered throughout though where the bigotry and misogyny rife in it as a genre is perpetuated. I also take issue with the film associated with the album trying to sanitise what are otherwise some problematic individuals.
Listened
If you can get past all of the misogyny and macho crap, it's an interesting album with great beats and some poignant lyrics. It's also pretty funny, and I laughed at some of the lines. I can see why it's in the list.
6/10 start of the album was good, but it fell of as the album ended
not for me, too sexist
Back in my Limewire days, this was an album I'd downloaded BECAUSE of the historic context. There's some classics, the title track starts strong, we've gotta love Fuck tha police, and then there's some gems along the way to play with the mind's eye and the message of the album. We're full on misogynists here, immature vandals making music because it makes a bigger buck than the gangbanging they've grown up with. To add insult to injury, it's not the best production ever, but this is the beginning of a new era for rap, of course it wasn't going to be polished. I would only consider this a must-listen if you're really into hip-hop. This puts into context the parental advisory sticker, or not being afraid to tell the truth. The movies, documentaries and books that stem because of this probably hold similar value to the album itself. It was never an album I played very frequently, instead being the kind of record that has a couple of songs worth playing every once in a while, but I do feel like I enjoyed the overall experience better than back in my teens. It's still not a record I'd plan on putting on later. 3.1/5
I enjoyed it aot, though I found a couple of the tracks to be duds. A few iconic bangers though.
this is a great throw back. Got some good exposure to old hip hop style. Lyrically, this album issue 6 dudes talking about sex and how great they are are for all but three songs, Straight outta Compton, Fuck the Police, and Express yourself. Everything else is okay
This album is different than i was expecting it to be, first it is funky, like Digable Planets funky, in over a third of it's length, and second it has a very electronic feel to it, it has iconic sounds like the TR-808 snare sound, which I wouldn't be surprised if they kind of invented it, it also is influenced by house/techno names like Africa Bambaataa, which alongside east side inspired funk kind of puts this album in a weird anatopic place. So interesting that this is one of the albums that defined west coast rap!
Not an album I knew particularly well to my shame, but I can appreciate what an important album it is and enjoy it despite this not being my fav genre
Catchy beats, but thematically not my thing and difficult to listen to
Album #179: N.W.A. – Straight Outta Compton ⭐⭐⭐ An iconic and important album, but really, it should only be iconic for a small handful of tracks. In particular, Straight Outta Compton and Fuck tha Police, as well as, somewhat, Express Yourself. Outside of those three tracks, this album is actually not that great. It’s not bad, but those first two tracks in particular, which are front-loaded right at the top of the album, are so punchy and powerful. It’s like the best of punk music. It’s heavy. They’re born singles, those songs. They’re so catchy, authoritative and powerful, and among the best hip-hop songs ever recorded, I think. Everything else just pales in comparison. The production is great. Dr. Dre is already showing the kind of genius that he can be as a producer. He always matches the setting. Listening to The Slim Shady LP on this list made me appreciate just how good a producer he is, because he’s always able to match the tone of an album so well. That album is goofy, and he creates this goofy atmosphere around Eminem. Here, the tone is heavy-duty, aggressive hip-hop. The drums are loud, it’s quite minimalist, and everything has this punchy, heavy, hard-hitting sound that would become hugely influential on the hip-hop that followed. Ice Cube is the star of the show as far as the rapping is concerned. He’s got an amazing voice and cadence, and he was also responsible for a huge amount of the writing. He’s the best rapper on the album. MC Ren is good too. He’s a bit more classic in his delivery and kind of reminds me of Rakim, and I love that classic hip-hop sound, but it doesn’t match the tone quite as well. And Eazy-E is amazing. He’s got an amazing voice and flow, but he’s not really as present as the others. For every great lyric about gang violence, police brutality and where these guys were coming from, though, there’s another side of the album that really pulls it down for me. Of all the things that have aged poorly in hip-hop, the misogyny and homophobia have aged particularly badly. I appreciate that this is where these guys were coming from at the time, but on a modern-day listen, this stuff just isn’t cool to me anymore. I used to love this stuff when I was in my late teens and twenties. I thought it was the fucking coolest thing ever. And it’s not that I’ve become offended by it as I’ve gotten older and I’m now clutching my pearls. I just cringe listening to some of it. I’m sitting there thinking, why am I listening to this horrible shit about women and gay people? It doesn’t appeal to me anymore. It’s juvenile, and I think it worked for me when I was more juvenile. But anyway, I listened to this shit when I was younger, and I didn’t turn out to be a homophobic misogynist cunt. So maybe it’s not that bad for you at the end of the day. And, like every other fucking hip-hop album ever made, it’s way too long. Sixty minutes is way too long. There is so much you could cut from this thing. This could have been a phenomenal, short, 33 or 34-minute album. There’s a good 25 minutes of material that could disappear. The rapping about “we’re from Compton”, introducing each other, “what are you bringing to the table, MC Ren?” “What have you got to say Eazy E?”, all that shit gets very tiring after a while. There are also instances where Dre does instrumental pieces that hearken back to even older hip-hop. They’re good, but they’re not particularly interesting either. This album is at its best when Ice Cube and Eazy are going off on one, and Straight Outta Compton is the perfect example. Nothing else on the album quite matches the force of those opening tracks. So yeah, stick with the singles on this one, in my opinion. It’s iconic. It’s important. They made a fucking movie about it, for God’s sake. And it’s a good movie at that. But as an album, on a modern-day listen, it’s not that great. Three stars is appropriate.
really surprised - maybe some more rap albums and i will start to like it
Fuck tha police, nostalgista… 3/5
Alright … too much angry gansta vibe
Straight Outta Compton, Express Yourself 🌟
It was okay but not my type of music
This was pretty good, not my personal taste in music but album went by smoothly
Hard
Yeah, it's pretty misogynist. Yeah, they aren't actually saying anything groundbreaking. I don't care - it still sounds pretty good. Far from the best, but it has so many iconic moments that it's criminal not to pay it it's dues.
OG gangster rap. Crazy to think this was controversial back in the day. Timid by todays standards. intersesting.
Very good black music, i liked listening to it because it's not my usual genre. עוד בעברית כי אנגלית שפה קשה, ראיתי את הסרט והסיפור מדהים והאלבום הזה עשה המון רעש כשהוא יצא ואפשר להבין בקלות מדוע הוא נכנס לרשימה הזוו (הדירוג בהתאמה לרשימה ולטעמי האישי בלבד)
pas tant ma came mais sympa
It's an important album for the cultural and historical impact, but not something I really vibe with or care to revisit.
Kinda wild that I've had both Dre and ice Cube's solo stuff and gave them both a big fat 1, but this is pretty solid enough. It's tight and it flows well.
Straight Outta Compton There is still a palpable thrill to the brilliantly delivered righteous anger in the title track and Fuck tha Police, backed up by Dre and Yella’s superb production - aggressive and loud, mirroring the thematic frustration and grievance of the lyrics. Express Yourself is also still an excellent track, and Dopeman has always been a favourite. Outside those Gangsta Gangsta, If it Aint Ruff with its guitar samples and I Aint Tha 1 (outside the lyrics), are good, but there is undoubtedly a fair bit of filler in the second half, or more accurately a slightly anodyne sense to a lot of the boom-bap beats, especially in contrast to the sharpened, blasting vivacity of the first two tracks, and lyrically it loses a lot of its power. Aside from the racism, profiling and mistreatment by and hypocrisy of the police it does too often fall into Ice Cube’s other lyrical preoccupation of misogyny and generalised dislike of women. I saw one reviewer on the site highlighting the double standard of giving many white artists less scrutiny than black artists when it comes to this sort of thing. I know I am guilty of that too, so although tracks like I Aint Tha 1 are pretty grim listening due to that misogyny, I will try and make sure I apply that same standard to other non-hip hop artists. The influence of this, particularly socio-cultural, cannot be denied, and when it’s good its superb - direct, honest and impassioned, but unfortunately musically it doesn’t match those high standards, especially compared to groups like Public Enemy or any of the Native Tongues, releasing albums around the same time. Influence a 5, music a 3, with not quite enough good songs to make it to a 4. 🚨🚨🚨 Playlist submission: Straight Outta Compton
Even though i ain't no rap big fan, this I enjoyed.
Has nothing on Ice Cube’s real masterpiece, Are We There Yet? (2005)
Coarse.
This continues to be a genre that just doesn't resonate with me. When I compare it to Dr. Dre's The Chronic, that I listened to a week or so ago I notice a few things: 1) The production on this is much more simplistic. 2) Although they are angry at the world, NWA seems to be having fun together 3) The songs do a good job of being different from each other, but they all seem to be rather monotonous within themselves. I can see why people like it, but it is not for me
Spoko
Wow. The West Coast rappers kind of scare me. I guess that was kind of the point. The lyrics were rather amusing at times, but I suspect that is due to the passage of time and how some of the phrases used have turned since. It was great to see the influence this album has had. The mixing of other tracks to tie into what they were rapping is in it's infancy on this album, but today is widely used. Fuck the Police!!
Great samples
Hip hop it’s been a while. We missed you.
When it slams it slams. But the rest is just motherfuckin dull. 3*
Great beats by the legendary Dr. Dre. Express yourself is definitely my favorite song. The flow was kind of lame. Lyrics were quite explicit.
ah, hip hop. the one genre of music i really just do not understand at all. i get the appeal, i understand how it could be good, but it just does nothing for me except serve as background music, and this record was nothing different than that for me. i genuinely cannot say anything of note about this except i completely don't get it. 3/5 (prolly what i'm gonna give most rap records here), though definitely deserves to be here just off of cultural significance
Way more fun and less annoying than The Chronic. The group has great chemistry, and the production is raw and dynamic. Sure, the flows get stale and goofy at times, but that’s part of the charm. Also, listening to Dr. Dre earnestly tell the listener how weed is bad and damages your brain caught me by surprise and is kind of sad in retrospect. Overall, a good listen, although there were a quite a few skips.
Iconic hip hop album. Some of the songs are definitely a bit dated now though.
Ei tää nyt kauheen hyvin oo sanoituksiltaan ikääntynyt. Mutta ihan hauskoja biittejä ja sampleja, vaikka ne alkoikin käydä vähän ykstoikkoisiksi jossain vaiheessa (kertoo varmaan vaan siitä, etten oo rapin suurkuluttaja). Gangsta Gangsta oli funky.
Bra album, nice lite old school, för långt dock
Overall I enjoyed this quite a bit. If it hadn't gone on so long and had had quite so much misogyny it would have been an easy 4 stars.
Kyllähän puluniska tän lätyn tahdissa liikku alusta loppuun. Paljon rumia sanoja mut hyviä riimejä. Jee!
Merkittävä levy, joka on edelleen tosi kova ja monilta osin tosi ajankohtanen. Biitit on mintissä ja koko köörin flow on todella kova. Misogyniasta oli pakko vähän verottaa pisteitä vaikka aikansa kuva ja mitä näitä on… 🥲
No ohan tää nyt kovvaaaa. Yks tähti pois koska naisvihamieliset sanat.
More important historically than impressive in a pound-for-pound measure nowadays, even if it is still completely timely and listenable. Solid all around, I think, but surprisingly didn't wow me. Would still rather listen to this than a lot of modern rap, even if the production and "aura" of stuff like trap or phonk can make them more easily appreciable on a casual level. With that said, this was still more than aight. Definitely some nice funk on the tracks.
At its best it's the best hip hop album ever. Definitely one of the most important ones in any case; this is the record that solidified rap as the new punk and the breakthrough of seminal artists in Ice Cube and Dr. Dre specifically. At its worst it's skippable filler that feels like a product of the transition from vinyl to CDs, when artists and labels were still figuring out what to do with the newfound freedom of longer and more versatile runtimes. Still an important listen, but be prepared for the disparity between the quality of the singles you know about, and the other stuff. PS. the day before I got this record here I was looking it up, listening to some songs from it and even having a slight discussion about this with my friend; very freaky it actually popped up in my project literally a day later.
Ultimately, the fatal flaw in most of Dr. Dre's work is his own inability to edit. Every single song here outlasts its own energy by a full minute at minimum, just dragging out beats to the point of exhaustion. And that doesn't even account for the fairly gross attitudes this album has toward just about anyone that isn't these dudes. Which, in the case of the police and racist white folks, is refreshing, but in the case of women is pretty disgusting. Still, that's par for the course of that time; at the end of the day, the only thing holding this record together is Ice Cube. Dre's beats are good but don't end; Eazy-E wants to be hard but feels like a caricature; and Ren is just kind of there. This is an important album culturally and influentially, but on its own it's just a bit of a bore.
i liked it less than i thought i would, favorite track is "gangsta gangsta" because its more... it has more texture i guess and its more chaotic, i like that
It's tough to get past the basic '80s beats (some exceptions eg, Parental Discretion iz Advized). But Ice Cube's flow always hits.
Several songs haven't aged well, and the misogyny littered throughout doesn't do wonders for my opinion. I know on some levels that it's dramatised and supposed to add to their confrontational personas, but it's not something I can easily look past. However, that doesn't erase the necessary political messaging throughout the album either, and a lot of the songs are still straight bangers (aided by the great production). I don't want to sit atop my high horse too much, and I'm able to respect what an influential album this is to the history of hip hop (and popular culture in general). Fuck the police!
Not my preferred brand of hip-hop but I respect it
at first it seemed like a fun, strong record. but the longer it goes, the more nasty and misogynistic the lyrics become, some of the beat become too repetitive and i guess it just gets a little boring. though i gotta say, i do enjoy the production on the record quite a bit, the drumkit, the turntable scratches, the samples are all put together very well.
3.2
This is better than I remembered, great listen
Not sure how well this has aged. There are some okay bits though.
Fantastic album, three of the brightest stars. 😍😍😍 Tom.
Die Banger landen, der rest ist leider sehr vergesslich 3/5
I don't normally like rap, but I always had a bit of a soft spot for this album.
I can appreciate the sound, but once the lyrics veer into misogyny, sexism, and the like, it's hard to appreciate the music, no matter how good it sounds.
I did not enjoy this as much as The Chronic, but my boyfriend was super hyped about it so that was fun.
Some good hip hop in there, lot of sexism
Quinticential listening experience to know where so much of west coast hip hop culture came from, possibly the best example of early west coast, because most of the Run DMC, LL Cool J, Furious Five are all east coast. You can tell Dr. Dre had experience producing, there's great sampling ideas ahead of its time, other songs more akin to your basic 80s 808 sound. Lyrics sound very inexperienced but hungry to prove their worth. Ice Cube is the obvious standout. I wish i liked this better, there's great deep cuts, but at least a quarter is not up to par with the rest.
Lyrics are really crude, but I like the sound of it way better than more current rap. Wouldn't listen to it again, but don't hate it.
Great album except for the misogyny and homophobia. Which is a LOT of this album.
amazing album has aged like a fine wine definitely not spoiled milk. I think you can hear the hunger in every one of their verses and it must be the purest form of gangster rap. Saved 5/13 tracks
Great beats, nice flow. But what to do with the misogynic lyrics?
The beats are a bit middle of the road and consequently it’s hard not to drift off. Still a worthwhile lp though.
N.W.A. make a game of it on this album- seeing how many times they could say ‘fuck’ in a song, and then trying to break that record. Early tracks of course had emotional power in their articulating of the frustrations of police power in Compton, but were too abrasive for me to appreciate that much (alongside a dollop of misogyny, as is the case with most rap in this period). However, this was a rare album that improved as it went on as tracks became much more tuneful. Express Yourself, an ironically clean cut condemnation of black musical cautiousness, was a highlight that showed a much more deft touch. Good enough for 3 by the end.
Just like the Ice Cube solo album I had recently, this was often musically pretty good while being lyrically offputting, not so much for the frankly cartoonish depictions of violence, but for the misogyny. ‘I Ain’t Tha 1’ is literally just five minutes of complaining about women. No thanks. There are some undeniable bangers here though, the title track, ‘Fuck tha Police’ and ‘Express Yourself’, being the three best tracks for having a more interesting message, but lots of tracks essentially just consist of bravado and boasting, which gets old rather quickly. A low 3 stars (for the classic tracks).
i enjoyed it for what it was...plus the movie was decent
Vibey, enjoyed the anti-establishment and anti racism themes and social commentary. Did not enjoy the misogyny and characterization of women. 5/10
I feel like I have been sleeping under a rock when I first listened to “Straight Outta Compton.” like how did I not know about this collaboration of iconic rap artists?! these songs made my head bop and hear their battle cries, especially during “F**k Tha Police.” anyways, as my first album for this website, I’d say I’m pretty satisfied and would recommend this album :)
A classic, so I have to treat it with respect. The rap I listen to sounds so futuristic, which I think affected my review. It’s timeless and one of, if not the most, iconic rap albums of all time. Although I don’t listen to a ton of 80s and 90s rap, I understand the influence and how important this album is. My rating for this album is a 3. (Don’t hate me rap fans)
When to listen: When you feel like punching something but probably shouldn't. I found the beginning a bit repetitive and tough to listen to but loved the sampling near the end. I think it's more a testament to my love of funk and Motown than this album in particular though. Rap is just not my genre, but I appreciate it nonetheless.
Falling a bit behind. Forced myself to listen to NWA - Straight Outta Compton Being 56 year old white guy i am clearly the target demographic. ( being 19 when this came out). Pretty good. First three tracks and the final one stood out. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kon er ni doorheenkomen, vond t ni per se slecht want ik herken hoe iconisch t is. My name is Ice Cube
Straight Outta Compton 4 Fuck tha Police 4.1 Gansta Gangsta 3.3 If It Ain't Ruff 3.5 Parental Discreetion lz Advised 3.4 8 Ball (Remix) 3.2 Something Like That 3.5 Express Yourself 3.4 Compton's N the House (Remix) 3.3 I Ain't Tha 1 3 Dopeman (Remix) 3.3 Quiet on tha Set 3.4 Something 2 Dance 2 3.4 Score: 3.446153846
El género me encanta, se me hace medio largo
This was strong. At times, I could hear its age, but the influence it would have is so clear. Really fun
Some pioneering songs but also some clear fillers
Cultural and musical landmark that stands the test of time. Favorite track: Straight Outta Compton
De første 3 numre er en af de stærkeste åbningsruns nogensinde, resten af albummet er noget op og ned
What a sick opener.. what a boring ending.
These guys really are experts at swearing. Each swear is cooler than the last. Great album, clear what it's influences are, and I prefer those. Still undoubtably great tho.
funky ass beats tengo el vago recuerdo de haber escuchado este album (o al menos parte de este), no se si fue por un documental o si tuve que analizar los videoclips para un tp.
Sounds a bit old school even if the message is still relevant. Lots of anger dressed up in some good rhythm. Good to walk to.
its aight I guess a bit too old school for me but I feel the vibe, could only really get 3 tracks into it before it muddled together and I got bored. It's good but just not my style maybe once I'm back in the trad rap mood I'll enjoy it more
Such a powerful album, but the misogyny kind of ruins it for me.
I listened to a few songs. Not really into rap, so not my favorite.
314/1089 even on the first song this sounds pretty ahead of it’s time, it sounds more like mid-90s than 88 imo that hold true for most of the album tbh it was decent, again albums like this are why i’m doing this challenge, even if i don’t LOVE it faves: Express Yourself, Something 2 Dance 2 59/100
RATING: 6.5/10 HIGHLIGHT: Express Yourself LOWLIGHT: I Ain’t Tha 1
Better than Coldplay
Strange album. Aggro lyrics over dated beats. It's obvious how this album was influential but to a modern listener I'm not sure it holds up on its own beyond being a time capsule of an era.
Nice!
actually a baller random pick for the first album in my project, long overdue foray into hiphop for me solid 3 since about half the album hit well but some tracks got boring fast and the work goes on a bit longer than it needs to. also not a fan of the multiple tracks that just disparage women lmfao
Has 4 classic tracks, the rest are mid or plain trash. Overrated as an album, but I get its classic status. 5/10
This is an important, powerful, iconic album. Woke this white man up. The misogyny, violence and racism turns the message ugly. This album needed to happen. It was important. But, the down side only allows me to give it a 3.
Falls off pretty quickly after first two
Ihan kivan kuuloista aikakauden hip hop biittejä. Riimeissä omaan makuun likaa uhoamista ja niggamuthafuckaa. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Très cool, classique, mais tellement long par moment (pourtant dieu sait que j'aime bcp de sons sur cet album)
starts off quite strongly, but fades after the first few tracks. the beats are high energy but get a lot simpler, the vocal performances aren't quite the same, and the production is only fine by the end. the lyrics are well performed but the content is highly variable, fuck tha police is a classic for a reason but some of the rest are...questionable.
Iconic west-coast album. Never has been my favourite though, they all rap with the same cadence and the basic rhyme schemes get repetitive. The beats are hit or miss and so are the lyrics. I think everyone went on to make much better music after NWA, but there's still so much more passion, energy and creativity in these songs than you'll find in today's rap.
It’s funny (and expected) with the absolute earth shattering influence this album had how old fashioned it sounds. I would have thought there’d be less obvious run DMC influence but here we are. Also went about twenty minutes too long
There's a lot here to appreciate, but it's just a little too hard to look past all the misogyny in order to do so. There's just soooo much of it. And at a full hour, it gets tiring after a while. I'm still going with 2.51 stars, rounding up to three.
It is more a socio cultural achievement than a great album. Most of the songs are very similar to each other, and the rappers have a very boring flow. 3/5.
Obviously super important, should be on this list. Not my personal fave but I understand its place in history. Great production.
Un début solide avec de bonnes prods et un impact historique indéniable. Le flow devient vite répétitif et l'album s'étire péniblement en longueur. Un classique essentiel pour la culture, mais lassant et difficile à finir.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that these gentlemen do not "Back the Blue". Plus marks for being a pioneering rap album, and for the kick ass beats. Minus marks for the misogyny, anti-gay jokes, and for being a half hour longer than it needed to be.
The instrumental tracks are cool and well-crafted, and they sound incredible musically, but it's not the style of music I usually listen to, so it took me a little while to get into it. Also, some of the songs seemed a bit long, but it's not a bad album at all.
I definitely get how this was groundbreaking for the time, and the use of samples and remixes is pretty cool. I liked the Charles Wright and Beastie Boys incorporations specifically. And yet, between the different rappers coming in and out on the songs, they all have the same flow and lyrical style. The lyrics themselves were a product of their time, at least accounting for the "edgy" "humor" surrounding women and the LGBT community. Nothing I wouldn't expect from an album of this era, though. The messages of the first few songs still hit hard. Favorite track: Gangsta Gangsta (this fucking hook has been stuck in my head for days)
Debatably one of the most influential albums ever made and I can imagine that this album must have changed the lives of so many people that listened to it because it's so funky and satisfying to listen to but I am not one of those people. As someone who is not black nor American, I feel a slight twinge of guilt whenever I listen to hiphop tracks that have lyrics that focus on the American experience of racism because I feel like the artist would hate that I'm listening to their work.
I know the title track pretty well and I like it a lot but the rest of the album was fairly new to me. I could easily rehash the old spiel about how I don't agree with all the messaging in this genre of music but I want to focus more on the positive parts. This is undeniably a very influential album and my favourite part about it was how individual each song was. Each track had a narrative that told a clear story and I think if you listen actively, there is a lot to be appreciated and enjoyed. In particular I really liked 'Express Yourself' - I feel like the lyrics speak a lot of truth.
3,5