Reviews (page 8 of 14)
Good beats, obviously an extremely influential album, especially covering the topics it did at the time when it did. Just not for me.
As a big fan of hiphop I was excited to finally see some representation in this list. This album was a first listen for me, but being familiar with the members' later work, it was super fascinating to hear them at this very early stage of their career - notably Dr Dre's production and Ice Cube's rapping. Unfortunately, I don't think the album has aged terribly well, and don't see myself coming back to it much. Definitely a prime choice for this list nonetheless, and I appreciate its huge influence on everything that would come after it.
This album really does it all for me. It has (light) political commentary, humor, anger, and the interplay of the different NWA members on the tracks is excellent. Best of all - no skits!! I do feel it is slightly too long but always a great listen.
N.W.A
Just a really difficult album for me to rate. Obviously a very historically significant album but also one that is hard for me to relate to/enjoy. It's not a genre I enjoy and the tone is uber-aggressive but you have to respect the work. 6/10 (3/5)
The intro to gangsta rap
[8/10]
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.
Didn't know what to expect really and definitely didn't expect to like it much, but wow the level of energy from this album is insane. I'd heard of it and knew it was important but hearing it really drives it home. One of the easiest 5's so far.
A bit frontloaded but how can it not be with that opening three song stretch.
Fantastic album!
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?
a classic album for sure but lyrically i wasn’t the biggest fan of a majority of the tracks
Impactful in its time. Kind of dated now
4/21/25. Love it! And a lot of the messages still carry to this day. Also love the uniqueness each MC brings.
It's okay, heard some of these songs before.
Classic. Dated . But classic.
I wanted to hate this more than I did
Kind of a bop. I was shocked too.
Heard the album before , went back to listen to a few songs. Album comes with a lot of background on it that I don’t know but it’s got a lot of bite and attitude in every song
Having a shit day and generator has my back. Thanks generator.
Compared to Nas, Tupac, and Biggy, they sound like the sugarhill gang. Glad to hear it but won't listen again.
Interesting mix of West coast funky rap but obviously super agressive. I can vibe with this somewhat
87% Best: Straight Outta Compton; Fuck Tha Police; Gangsta Gangsta; Parental Discretion Iz Advised; Express Yourself; Something 2 Dance 2 Must-Hear? Sure
Som en skolskjutning utan skola och skjutning
Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Express Yourself was the highlight for me.
A classic
At one point in my life I knew all the lyrics for this album
listened
Oldschool rap Album. Absolut nicht schlecht, aber im Moment nicht das nach dem ich suche. Ich kenne eigentlich nur das Lied "Fuck the police".
Classic rap, pretty good
Good album with great lyrics. One of the greatest rap albums of all time. Great beats and stellar samples (even though they are few). I don’t think every member of NWA carries their weight. I think some members are more talented than others. And for a rap album, there’s a good amount of variety. This is a must listen to album.
I can see why the main critiques are there. I do think it is a product of its time. You can feel the vibe of “Us against them”. I can hear the experience in the stories they tell. An entire song about “bitches” is pretty wild though. I get how this is an experience when rising to fame, but being upfront about expectations is a thing. Very edgy, “parental guidance advised” is funny. I can see why it is so iconic and opened the doors for artists today.
Groundbreaking album, still know 80% of fuck tha police I’ve already listened to this album 100 times
Good
I enjoyed it more than I expected. Can't sing along for obvious reasons.
Not into the remixes. Fuck tha police and Straight Outta Compton are highlights. Pretty sexist but that tracks with the timeframe. Sexist messages did not age well but anti-police sentiment did.
Listened to this 30 years ago & still sounds good 👍
Good album, was surprised the deeper cuts were better than the popular ones. Unsurprising lol
It's difficult to listen to this as a thing unto itself with it being peak "rap older white people listen to and reference." But unzip that baggage, the energy and anger is still potent. It's a monotonous listen, but then that same-damn-thing-every-day-ness is what it seeks to express. I feel the singles are maybe more important to hear than the full album.
It's hard to separate this album from all the controversy and mythology that surrounded its release, yet the amazing thing is how vital and current the most incendiary tracks sound in 2025. "Straight Outta Compton" makes me want to march and burn shit down. Ice Cube, who wrote most of the lines (even for the others), is a skilled rap lyricist. The album definitely wanes in energy and relevance as it wears on ("I Ain't Tha 1" is a low point), but there's no denying its cultural impact or its influence on hip hop. Also, I love the last track, "Something 2 Dance 2," an old-school electro tack-on that seems to almost undermine the group's gangsta credentials. It's like a hip-hop Nuggets entry, great for a mix tape full of obscurities.
Kind of a struggle to get through this album (sorry) though that Something 2 Dance 2 was a nice little bit at the end.
Some of the lyrics and flows have NOT aged well, but the productions are more sophisticated than a lot of 80s hip hop and there are more than a couple all-time tracks on here.
No.
Ice Cube is one of the greatest MCs of all time. Not always a fan of his lyrical choices, but there's no denying he knows how to deliver them with, well, attitude. PS: fuck the police.
The album that shot gangster rap into the More mainstream
This was really a groundbreaking album. It's a snapshot of a specific time and lifestyle - one that persists for many communities in the US today. The rapant sexism is tough to listen to, even when many of the tracks are full of important social commentary (e.g. Fuck the Police). The flows are pretty good and often hard hitting, but the runtime allowed some tracks to seem redundant. A flawed album but good. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
I must be getting old
It's hard, reading the lyrics today, to think that this was actually meant seriously. Lyrics like 'I think with my ding-a-ling'... If this were a joke, I'd think it was a pretty funny one. Still, hasn't aged well given the misogyny.
Boppy, lots of classics I didn't realise were from this album. Lyrics haven't aged particularly well but it's a product of its time. May need to get on vinyl.
Heaters: the album
A bona fide classic. I think it holds up pretty well and the songs are fairly diverse.
i like but a little too violent for me
Hip hop classic. Blows my mind it’s from 1988.
Not for me but at least it's a classic. Finally something that belongs on the list.
Hey I've heard of this one!
Surprisingly good for a hip hop/rap album but still not entirely my thing.
Was ready to say that it went way down hill after the first 2 tracks, which have become so iconic, but it doesn’t! Good all the way down.
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
one of the best of the history
I know the themes included in this album are dated in the extreme and my love for this album is not an endorsement of birches and guns. But this album deserves to be here, purely for the fact it is a foundation stone in a genre that exploded in scope and popularity over the ensuing 40 years. Plus my white 43 year old middle class ears loved every second of this.
Since I’ve listened to this before it wasn’t super shocking for me like it definitely had been the first time. This is an intense album and that’s no debate. It’s essentially unlistenable as singles from the album, at least for me because the language, ideologies, and general themes are no lighthearted fun rap songs. It definitely holds up for its place in history of west coast rap though.
Now this is a straight classic I’ve heard before. I love getting to revisit defining albums like these. Wow though, I forget how brash, abrasive, blunt, intimidating, and violent this record is. I mean it’s a shock. Gangsta rap at its finest. Unfortunately that does mean the lyrical content contains a lot of themes of misogyny, homophobia, and general hate speech, plus advocacy for violence and usage of illegal substances. This is of course coming from an upper middle class white kid who grew up in the 21st century, so it’s a completely different world and perspective for me to understand here. So while this is an amazing and incredibly influential record I can’t in full conscience give this a perfect score. Also “You know I spell girl with a B” is a lineee lol.
This was too long and repetitive. Wasn't bad though, just wish it was shorter 3 ⭐️
Very good 👍
a classic i dont enjoy too much
listened before
Dope
Ok I was surprised here. This was awesome. Blew away public enemy for my money. I’d listen again. Funny how Dre and ice cube are like mainstream and live off the persona now. I liked this. A lot. Not 5 stars but easy eazy 4.
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!)
Musikalisch eich voll kei spass, aber glich d eröffnig füg es grossartigs genre. Ich bin sau grosszügig und runde es musikalsch 2 uf es 3 uf. Greets nach compton boyz 3 gangstas um de block
straight outta post bender monday crisis hittet scho, aber gid sehr selte moment woni ungfrögt N.W.A bumpe, also en grossteil vo de hütige verteilte pünkt basiered uf em pionierfaktor bravo & danke für das!
A legendary album that defined a genre.
I feel pretty under-equipped to give opinions on this album, but I liked how much of it was narratively driven.
Straight Outta Compton // Fuck Tha Police // Gangsta Gangsta // I Ain’t Tha 1 // Express Yourself // 3.5/5
Really solid album, I could definitely appreciate this one for the time and place. What I understand it’s very influential, first if it’s kind of the time, the beats in the grooves are really catchy. Strong political message, pretty easy to digest, a few small dips. I would say a 4.75 out of five, but I’ll round up.
pretty all right
important album in the history of hip hop. one of the first “gangster rap” albums as well as the first album of the genre to reach platinum status. topics of street violence, social critiques of policing, and rampant sexism. highlights: “straight outta compton” “fuck tha police” “quiet on tha set”
Man, Cube could really fucking hit it before he started doing shitty kids movies.
9/1001 Being very familiar with this album and can basically recite pretty every lyric, this album is more about influence, impact and how it shaped hip-hop, rap, and the music industry then it is about great timeless music. The whole crew from NWA bring something to the table but the raw talent of Cube, Dre and E is one of the great moments where 3 people lives cross at the perfect timing. Production quality and technologies have improved so much over the decades that a lot of rap songs from the 80s just don’t stand the test of time (37 years), and several tracks on this album are no different. Simplistic rhyme patterns and lyrics age poorly as well. All that said, Straight Outta Compton has so many great moments and tracks that will still make my head bob. Ice Cube’s overall weight on this album alone is worth 3 stars. But there’s so much more here too. The controversy that was this album bad it known from Compton to Connecticut and beyond. It sprung a whole new sub genre of rap, in gangsta rap, and that would arguably be the sub genre to dominate the genre as a whole (at least as it became the most marketed) even to this day in 2025. SOC is probably one of the 10 or so most influential albums in American music history. If SOC didn’t have the influence is did/does and was just a stand alone late 80s rap album, I would give it 3.5/5. But every hip hop and rap song from 1988 on owes a lot to SOC. Even if the artist never heard if NWA. Scale of 100, this album gets the hindsight review of 90/100. If this were in a vacuum 70/100. In a 5 star review, it gets 5 stars.
Didn’t listen to it all, but it sounded interesting from what I heard.
No doubt a hard hitting album when it was released but it hasn't aged well. It sounds like a comedy parody.
A 42 year old white man probably shouldn’t be blasting this while driving to work but here we are. Not really my thing, but I understand the importance, and some of the rhymes still hit hard. 3/5
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.
3.5
This starts off actually pretty damn good, but after the first five dings it falls off a fucking cliff. "Straight Outta Compton" and "Fuck The Police" are obvious highlights. My next favorite was actually "Parental Discretion Iz Advised" not really because of the rapping, but on the funky Groove and the jazzy piano really caught my attention good. The rest of the album is pretty much almost text book example of why I don't like rap. Honestly, can Easy-E go four lines with out saying something about his dick? Also, the backing tracks on "I Ain't Tha 1" are so fucking corny, that it eclipses the total misogynistic lyrics of the rap. Still most of Cube's And Ren's raps across the album are the highlights. I'm gonna go light 3½ just on the strength of the first five songs + "Express Yourself" 7.3 ★★★½
A few cool songs, but wears me a bit out over the course of the runtime. Still, quite coolfor hiphop, since I like this era of hiphop better than most. 3.5 stars
I'm kind of on the fence on this one. While I realize it was a landmark album in west coast hip-hop, specifically gangsta rap, that's never been one of my favorite subgenres of hip-hop. When you look at the hip-hop landscape overall, it feels almost dated by 1989 standards. Over in New York, you had Public Enemy, Eric B & Rakim, De La Soul, Beastie Boys, and A Tribe Called Quest all releasing classic hip-hop albums that hold up much better, all within a year of this. I also think Dr. Dre hadn't really found his style yet, and the Ice Cube kind of overshadows the other other rappers. Still, there's some good songs here. The title track and "Express Yourself" are both great, and "Fuck The Police" is more than just shock value. 3.5 stars.
4.5
Landmark late-80s hip hop with the cool gang of Ice Cube, Dre, Easy E, MC Ren and maybe MC Stimpy is in there as well. First two songs are the most potent, thumping and incendiary but there are lots of fun, solid, groovin beats n raps thereafter, only a few clunker tracks. Gangsta Gangsta, Express Yourself and I Ain’t Tha 1 next best quality poppy, funky highlights.
Stone cold classic.
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
Good production and good beats. But never really got into it. Probably hits better with more listens
Just not my scene man..
Infuriatingly misogynistic. Not interesting lyrics. Dumb end-rhyme raps. I hope I never have to listen to this again.
Incindiary.
a classic. i love the title track and F tha police, but the rest of this album doesn't hit as much for me. vinyl was in collection. Would I listen again: yes Deserves to be on this list: Yes 3.4
ok
Top 10
2.46 64/13
Groundbreaking stuff
2002 remaster Partially listened before Favourite tracks: Gangsta Gangsta, Parental Discretion Iz Advized, Express Yourself
Streit (evt straight)
This is tough to review, on one hand the production is fantastic and it's a very important staple in rap history and the messaging about police brutality is as relevant today as it was then, but on the other hand there's not only one but two whole songs back-to-back that are just extremely misogynistic and, as a woman even though sometimes I understand different times existed, there is a limit to what I can take haha. And to top that off there are homophobic and racist lines sprinkled through some songs as well. I also can't comment much about the individual rap abilities since I don't think I'm well versed enough to do so. So I think when you put all that together.. 3 stars is the way to go.
Great samples, a few throwaway tracks. I'm not a huge fan of 80s rap. It's a little rudimentary and plodding, but this album won me over.
Didn’t listen to the album pre-movie but LOVE it! 1988?? Sounds fresh
I know is a classic but not mine..
Although this is a monumental release in so many traceable ways, it just doesn’t hold up as a full album. Certainly some Earth-shattering moments of rugged and respectable brilliance, but they are few and indeed far between. Within 3-5 years, hip-hop graduates a few times over both from where beats and lyrics were at this point. But Straight Outta Compton is one of the true blueprints of the entire genre. A record that contains both some outrageously awesome quotables and some cringe too.
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.
This album is basically everything I hate about hip hop - misogyny, violence, intolerance, homophobia, self-aggrandizing toxicity. And I suppose this album is where a lot of that originated in the genre. It's juvenile and dumb. But like most of the hip hop albums that followed, I really sympathize with the social commentary on this record. I just hate this kind of music and can hardly stand to make it through the whole album. 1/5
There’s no denying that this is a classic which broke down barriers and gave people something that they literally had never heard before. That said, I much prefer the g-funk sound that came a few years later. This album is great and groundbreaking, and revolutionary and all the things for what it is; but honestly, it’s a little old school sounding for me.
Need to be heard loud
3.5
A tough one. Innovative and influential, but a lot of the songs are not very good and most of the lyrics are unpleasant to listen to. I’d be curious to know how many women enjoy this. Express Yourself is the biggest earworm on the record but it has no business being on this track list. You can’t have a song about not smoking weed when every other song is about how much weed you smoke and sell. That said, the first two tracks go hard.
How ironic that Dre is a billionaire and Ice plays a cop on tv. Despite the violence, profanity and misogyny I can see this as a protest album. Different tone but the same approach some ‘60s records. Can’t say I liked it but it definitely belongs on the list.
I can't imagine hearing this for the first time as a white suburban person in 1988. My God. Ice Cube's first verse on the title track has to be one of the hardest rap verses ever recorded and it STARTS the album! Aside from "Express Yourself" I do think the album is a bit top heavy and starts to sound similar by the end (and the misogyny starts to become overbearing) but what a revolution. There is such raw anger on "Fuck Tha Police" and its clearly not coming from nowhere. Would do a 4.5 if possible, but its gotta get the 5 for influence and true shock value.
I was hoping from more political commentary from this, being that “fuck tha police” is the only song I was familiar with. Instead, we mainly get chauvinism here, which is a little hard to stomach. The shallowness of the lyrics is saved by the beats. I find myself wishing this album were instrumental.
Kinda drops off after the first two tracks, but the first two tracks are so fucking good it really doesn't matter. You get cut a lot of slack when you lead off with music that literally changed the idea of rap and pissed off the cops for life.
Better than the usual stuff in this genre
This is a tough one to rate. It's aged poorly in a lot of ways, feeling dated in style and especially content, but it's still so well done. Half the album is really amazing and I think if the fluff were trimmed and the violence and misogyny weren't quite so thick this could be one of the greatest rap albums ever.
Fuck the police indeed. Late 80s and early 90s rap has a special place in my heart. Storytelling through the lyrics and sound mixing was great.
To me, this album is the birth of hip hop. Undoubtedly influential. Lyricism, composing, production and mixing... christ, what a wonderful album. High energy, whether it's insightful, braggadocious or just meant for bumping to. I've never really listen to NWA beside Straight Outta Compton but this made me a fan. BRB, gonna rinse through the history of hip hop in record form. FAVES Straight Outta Compton Gangsta Gangsta If It Ain't Ruff Express Yourself Dopeman (Dopeman!) Quiet On Tha Set Something 2 Dance 2 (a great way to finish!)
Simply one of, if not thee, greatest rap album of all time. The lyrics of Cube/Ren combined with Dre's production is perfection. You can still feel the influence in flow to songs like Rapper's Delight and the beats are basic and pumped full of samples which might sound somewhat simplistic these days but I think that gives it a lot of its charm. It might not have the creative rhyming of Eminem or experimental production of Kanye but, considering how young the whole genre was, and the fact it was produced for $12k, it's beyond impressive. Certainly one of the most cited and influencial albums of all time considering how huge the genre is now.
"Straight Outta Compton" by N.W.A. is a classic album that stands as a cornerstone of hip-hop history. As one of the greatest hip-hop groups ever, N.W.A. created a masterpiece with this album. Dr. Dre's production is beyond words, setting a new standard in West Coast beats. Ice Cube's raw intensity, Eazy-E's distinctive style, and MC Ren's lyrical prowess all shine brightly on this record. Together, they crafted an absolute classic that continues to influence and define the genre.
Not in the mood for this, but yeah, it's foundational. 2.5.
Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5
The nimble slickness of the production that pulls new life through old loops. The gnashing hunger in the political edge that turns defiance into iconic rebuke. The compelling interplay of voices, exchanging perspectives and crafting verisimilitude. The rampant and repeated misogyny that can’t hide behind any pretence of “reportage”, no matter how pathetic. Grow up, you fucking losers.
Bad ass confident FUCK EM
this site has really opened my eyes to old-school hip-hop, which i already thought i enjoyed
This is another album I can't separate from my youth. Some of these songs are amazing and some don't do anything for me. Getting a 4 for nostalgia, downgraded to a 3 for actually listening to the lyrics
Perhaps my favorite rap supergroup. It’s interesting how much public perception has shifted when you think about how this album was received when it was released vs the public stand against police brutality going on recently… dare I say we’re making progress even if it doesn’t feel that way sometimes.
Another album that had a big influence on hip hop production and helped keep a focus on black oppression (particularly at the hands of the police). There's a air of anarchy in the message and the delivery, which never hurts either. But, the rampant misogyny really holds this album back. It's only gotten more tasteless over the years. Some of the songs on the back half of the album are fairly forgettable too. It hits differently now than it did in high school. I'll give it 3 stars for the good stuff, but its not a stone cold 5 star classic. (If you don't know it, check out the D.O.C solo album, No One Can Do It Better - someone did a lot of lyric ghostwriting...)
I first listened to this album right around its release maybe 89’. It is still a good rap album and really encapsulates a very specific time in the US and this album needed to happen. I have always preferred Public Enemy and Krs-One style artists that have a more political bent (and waaaay less blatant misogyny).
нууу норм, рэп.
NWA - Sraight outta Compton Superb, and in an era when every rap/hip hop group would have 10 mins of unfunny skits on records, it's so refreshing this album has none. Very high 4
Great album. Classic
Dated, influential, “Fuck Tha Police” + 1
Conflicted here. On one hand, the generator had just yesterday served me Public Enemy and my appetite for shouty, brash old school hip hop, let alone an hour of it is still very much saturated. On the other hand, it's March 2025 and today I saw the two US presidents do a sort of Marie Antoinette QVC on the White House lawn - "The peasants have no eggs!" "Let them buy Teslas!" - because one of them has his feefees hurt over the prospect of becoming only the second bizarrely wealthiest mf on this planet, so my demand for something that sounds like this album cover looks is kinda up. Imma give it a 4.
Buh Iih Bäh Aua Aua Bum Bum - dieser Schrott ist Dum Dum
Brilliant. Dodgy lyrics but also really funny
A solid first half, but loses steam after. Good beats and decent vocal work. 'Express Yourself' was my fave.
Clasico del hip - hop, sin mas que decir.
Not my cup of tea. Boring, with a predictable overuse of 'fuck'. Sigh
Yawn. Gets 2 because it's groovy in places and not worse than Adele.
Culturally significant, highly impactful, and undoubtedly flawed. Reflected the unrest caused by police brutality & discrimination in the late 80s, and also the blatant misogyny that existed at the time. Definitely leaps and bounds ahead of other hip hop released during its time from a sonic perspective. Dr. Dre really was ahead of his time when it came to production, and the quality of the grooves across this album really carries it. Express Yourself and If It Ain’t Ruff are favourites of mine.
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.
Det är jävligt bra hip hop alltså.
Album icónico. La primera mitad es mejor que la segunda, pero sigue siendo un gran disco. Grandísimos raps.
Some good stuff but dated and not especially interesting today
Another classic. My dad gave me this on tape when I got my first car. It means alot to me that's for sure. It's full of top tier west coast production from greats. In my mind they wrote the book on west coast sound. Great bars on great bars from the whole crew. It's great that ice cube and Dre became pop culture icons. I wish the same could have been said for Ren yella prince and especially E. I'm sure they all did well enough but damn is nwa packed with some greats. Love it. Simple
Important album, but it didn't age well. Favorite song: express yourself.
A classic but a tad outdated for a 2025 listener. Loud, raw, and unfiltered to the max. 8/10
Great beats. The lyrics are a problem.
The originator of Gangsta rap and you can see their influence throughout sp many genres today. Th3 social commentary on this album is still prevalent 40 years later.
I enjoyed this one. The violent posturing didn't bother me and I can definitely get on board with the anger at the police. There are some misogynistic moments, but they're not like the awfulness of Smack My Bitch Up by the Prodigy or Notorious B.I.G's entire album. They're more 2 dimensional cynical visions of a certain type of woman - one who tries to use her femininity to exploit men - that are probably applied to too many women rather than a celebration of treating women like shit. This doesn't bother me enough to dock it points. Musically, the beats are good, the rapping's often slick. The album does go on for too long and gets weaker towards the end. Cutting the last 3 tracks would make it better overall.
Lots of filler, a few great songs
The more I process this album all I really can say is I'm thankful for the artistic contribution. This is not my cup of tea. Specifically the subject matter. But of course it's not, I can't relate to most of it. I actually dig a lot of the beats/music. So.. I really don't care much for the concept of hardcore.. but I used to! It was hardcore rock, but same idea. Young folks goin hard about whatever. Seems like it should be that way. Debating what's authentic or not feels just as silly as trying to be perceived as a real thug who doesn't give a fuck. At the end of the day, they created something. That's cool. Doesn't mean I'm going to rate it high, haha, but as much as I don't respect the dumb shit they're saying, I respect the work. The art.
Álbum muy importante en su momento y al que tenía muchas ganas de echarle un vistazo. El estilo sí que es verdad que ya está un poco pasado y algunas letras pues tampoco son lo mejor hoy día, pero tiene un mensaje tan importante que cambió el hiphop en su momento. Es imposible que no te guste esto. Canción destacada: Fuck the Police :)
Album seven for me... Hip-Hop's Never Mind The Bollocks. Time, perhaps, has not been kind to the themes or the delivery, but the energy and rock solid beats are every bit as fresh as they seemed in 1988. Unlike the Pistols, there can be no doubting these guys were the real deal. While it is hard to fully appreciate the pros and cons of NWA's manifesto from the UK, it is clear the controversy routinely overshadows their contribution as a musical force. Listening almost four decades on, there is more subtlety and deftness of touch with a choice sample than you may have noticed before. Or maybe you did - look, hip-hop is not necessarily my specialist subject, certainly not in its gangster form at least, but this was enjoyable to revisit for me. Not perfect, but worth the hype. Four stars for a ground-breaking album.
I have nothing positive to say about this one. This album declines in quality throughout, ending on the very weakest track.
Classic, unfiltered, meandering, influential.
Lots of yelling.
I mean... they made a movie out of this album. Great lyrics (not a fan of the objectification of women though, but sadly that's so common) and catchy beats.
I cannot listen to any more gangsta rap albums. There's no way I can rate them objectively because I hate them so much.
I am not the audience for this album and my opinion is irrelevant, but I was prepared to hate it and I really didn't. Yeah, it was too long and some of it was offensive (no more so than Mötley Crũe, but that was a performance too). The groove is solid (although when I hear the samples I tend to think why don't we just listen to that?) and the rapping is skillful and the Library of Congress says it's significant, so I'm fine with it.
I think my mom said something in her review comparing the offensive lyrics to Motley Crue, which I agree with (though I definitely prefer this to Crue any day) in that both are exaggerated performances of masculinity in music. The main difference is in how NWA influenced the popular image of gangsters despite most members not having any actual gang ties and how that lead to a specific type of masculinity being played up in a lot of the mainstream rap of the time...but that's its own conversation. This still stands as one of hip-hop's most important and influential records, whether you think that's a good thing or not. 3.5
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.
Interesting roots of hip hop
I have witnessed the strength of street knowledge
嘻哈说唱
Rap feels novel in this list, so I think I enjoy it more.. a lot of bangers in here, a lot of attitude, obviously
Enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Some really fun songs - Gangsta Gangsta and Express yourself. A few of the hours all blurred together
Yeeaah, yeeaah, the homies got some influence here. The beats are very similar from song to song and the rhymes are simple throughout the album, but made a statement in ‘88. Got some good zuka, zuka in, I was hoping / expecting to hear the Dopeman Christmas carol towards the end of the experience. I know whaccha talkin’ bout. What? (3.3*s) spress yaself! Not bad at all.
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."
I much prefer this attitude in rap over the corny shit but this album does get a little tiring. It hits you hard but then oversaturates with the gangster, fuck you attitude. Introduction to bitches, hoes, drugs, and bangin with this album. Easy E is a less annoying Flav. Dre and MC Red, better Chuck Ds. Significant change in the genre for the better in my opinion but a good balance (which we get in the 90s) is the sweet spot. List deserver at 2.6 stars.
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
3.5?4
beautiful
This was great. Some really good songs. It was long but that's okay.
One of the densest albums I've heard. A lot of hip hop albums are, but this especially. I guess I have the benefit of hindsight, but for something which was deliberately courting controversy and aiming to provoke, this doesn't seem so offensive these days. Honestly Fuck The Police sounds like a forerunner of the anger at Defund the Police, etc. However like a lot of punk stuff, when trying to be offensive it often comes across as childish. These guys are working so hard to establish their street cred and now Ice Cube is starring in Ride Along 2 with Kevin Hart. There must be a lesson in that. Anyway, this album said what it wanted to say, hugely influential, etc., and I quite enjoyed hearing it. However as the archetypal gangster rap album I felt like I'd heard a lot of it before in the form of parodies, homages and remixes. The middle tracks were fresher to me, and Express Yourself I think I enjoyed the most just for the choice of backing.
"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
Old Skool Gangsta Rap. That’s what I’m talking about! Was on the fence between 3 and 4, but +1 because it kills Kendrick Lamar and current day rap nonsense.
If you can turn a blind eye to the absolutely rampant misogyny, this is a pretty great and undeniably important album.
Bunch of dumb-ass racists and misogynists.
rapping is insane from all members (even dr.dre) such variety and probably influential, as stuff still sounds like this today more than say public enemy (not necessarily a bad thing). Beats are also so good and the mix of 808 hihat and drum break works so well and I'm sad its not used now as much. some beats are a bit nothing (i aint tha 1). Some of the sexism is a bit jarring for me though (same thing with the ice cube album earlier). Favourite songs: straight outta Compton, fuck tha police, gangsta, gangsta, 8 ball-remix, something like that, express yourself, Compton's N the house-remix, something 2 dance 2. Overall around 8/10 (feels quite close to 9 but not quite)
2.9
Gangsta Rap never appealed to me. It was ok IMO
Gutsy to be doing something so avant garde. Lotta respect for these guys. They shaped hip hop as we know it.
Straight Outta Compton- still the Boom Bap that defined the early days of hip hop, but so much angrier. Fuck tha Police- I was only eight when this came out, so I didn't listen to it until about a decade later. I think this was the most explicit anger directed at the police, even though other groups had voiced that anger before Gangsta Gansta- a strangely placed song about how they have embraced their roles as rebels- gangsta rap was not inherently about traditional "gangsterism", but more about rebels living at the edges or society. Homophobia and sexism are huge in this song. If It Ain't Ruff-not about sex as you might expect, more of a brag track about how tuff they are Parental Discretion Iz- funky background- probably Dre's best sampling so far 8 Ball (Remix)- I think Eazy E is bragging about doing cocaine Something Like That Express Yourself Compton'S N tha House I ain't Tha 1- perhaps the high point of misogyny on the album, led by Ice Cube Dopeman- a rare overtly positive message- stay away from crack
Hard to think just how big an impact this had. The 80’s??? Insane. Raw, unapologetic, defiant. This still has lasting impact on the hip hop genre these folks RAPPED. Admittedly not something I listen to often but the beats n lyrics are chaotic and it is undeniable.
Jag antar detta är bara ett upprepande av ting de hört från fulare typer runt dem, så ingen riktig återgivelse av berättelser och ingen substans kan hittas heller, men fan är mig om detta inte är fantastiskt utfört.
Aweaome
The first song starts off very strong with "Straight Outta Compton" Ice Cube and the crew are just delightful. While this might seem very basic to me in 2025, I can see how revolutionary it was when it came out. I know that this album influenced a lot of the artists that I would go on to later enjoy. It's fun and interesting to see where the influence came from. Gosh Easy-E and Ice Cube? Insanity. I always thought that I didn't/wouldn't like this old 90's rap but this seems different from Biggie and 2Pac from the 90s. I notice this is slightly older, 1988. They just do a great job with the lyrics, the beats, and laying in other musical elements. It's not as elementary as I would have expected. Again, it just predates a lot of the rap I'm familiar with but I was thoroughly impressed with this album. Also, the amount of speaking was tasteful versus like the Nellyville album where there are a lot of skit tracks. It also has a full track list (17 songs) for a total run time of 1 hour and 16 minutes. Again, I am impressed ath the length, the quality of this album. It truly is a masterpiece. The energy really flows and maintains throughout the album.
Legendary, turning point of hip hop. 8/10.
Oh no I thought not another hip hop album but I really enjoyed this one. Back in the day when they still made an effort with tunes and ryhmes. Good effort!
Kan meget godt lide det men tror ikke jeg har været i humør til det på dagen? Måske skal jeg tilbagevende.
-wow I am officially 1/4 of the way done this whole thing. crazy -so. the album. not bad? i think I’m more of an east coast and southern hip hop girlie at heart. I know this is an iconic album but it got a liiittle corny for me at times -still had some great highlights though. i loved most of the beats and mixing -Favorites are Gangsta Gangsta, If It Ain’t Ruff, and Something 2 Dance 2
It’s almost a futile endeavour to attempt to write anything that hasn’t already been said about this album. I would have a difficult time arguing with anyone claiming this to be the best hip-hop album of all time. There’s certainly rap records that I personally enjoy more, but “Straight Outta Compton” is so influential and objectively great, it’s hard to deny it. I’ll leave the technical and musical analysis of this record to those more knowledgeable about hip-hop than me, all I’ll say is this is an easy 10/10.
FUCK THA POLICE COMIN STRAIGHT FROM THE UNDERGROUND!!!! Truly the pinnacle of gangsta rap. First of all, the anti authoritarian themes and attention this album brought to institutional racism was enough to raise serious concerns at the FBI - based. Second - NWA collectively have the kind of 80s early rap flow that often sounds corny to modern ears but absolutely works for them. Third - the use of sampling on this album is sparse but super effective and the production overall is just fantastic. Lightning in a bottle moment. A lot of the lyrical content on this album is very objectionable - there’s wanton violence, drug peddling and abuse, and many creative and hardcore disses to women both specific and general. And yet this was a landmark album in popularizing rap music with mainstream audiences and remains a classic today. I think the reason this album has had its remarkable success is because they create such a vivid and engrossing picture of life in the hoods of 80s LA. You can almost feel the heat rising off the pavement and hear the smattering of car horns in traffic and feel the thumped out bass from low riders cruising by with music way too loud for their sound systems. It feels almost voyeuristic to an audience totally separate from that world and it’s a fascinating hour long peak inside - gruesome and often bleak, but NWA makes it a LOT of fun.
Explicit, but for all the right reasons. If Eazy-E was still alive, he would probably be doing Medicaid commercials. I owned this album! Still a classic.
Good album but gets a little repetitive after a while
A great album. Folk country soul and with an outsider point of view
Oh, this one. I vividly remember my brother playing this cassette for the first time. I had no business listening to this, being an 8 year old white kid in the boonies of middle Georgia. I thought it was awesome! Not only the harsh language and raw imagery, but the beats were so cool. I used to dance around and say every word (when my parents weren't around). It gave my ignorant self a glimpse into what it was like being a black youth in Compton in the 80's. It certainly was an introduction to how state agents actually treated people, contrary to the "protect and serve" public relations scam. I always attributed my "hatred of the state" starting point to Rage Against the Machine, but maybe it was this one. So much talent in this group. Dre is an all time legend. This album is a 5 in my book.
I'm beginning to get the feeling that police officers are not always on the up and up. I love the hard hitting production on this. Musically it's got quite an abrasive, aggressive tone that matches the lyrical vibe. There's definitely a lot of misogyny here, as well as other themes that would go against most people's modern sensibilities, but sometimes I was finding myself chuckling despite this (or because of it, of how unexpected it is to hear these days that it surprises you into laughter?), it's just so in your face and like, damn, okay. He really just said that. Ice Cube especially has this humorous undertone despite what he is saying ("I Ain't Tha 1").
Seminal. Always good to drive to.
ААА НЕГРЫ(пиздато, но нудно пиздец)
Scranton! What!? The electric city Scranton! What!? The electric city
Wu Tang and NWA back to back? The generator is cooking rn.
Cool sound. Very theatrical
The golden age of hip-hop. Loved it!
4.5/5
Despite the ham handed, offensive, stupid lyrics and silly rhymes, this thing is still a classic.
Front half is a 4.6 but back half is a 3.4. Quite entertaining overall! 4
This is great music, especially the groovy beats and funky guitar parts, which are so much fun to listen to. Of course, the lyrics are debatable, and it can be challenging to take in so much “street knowledge” in just one hour. I wish today’s hip-hop featured more real instruments instead of cheap electronic sounds all over the place.
still insane to me that this came out in the late 80s
Institucija
very interesting sociologically and musically. great album!
Damn that shit was dope!
Some of the best potty mouth ever put on record. I think the world would be a better place if more people could simultaneously A) Respect the job that good cops do and B) Understand why young African American males would write a song entitled "Fuck the Police
Solid late-80s gangster rap. I enjoyed it much more than I was expecting, but it's not like I'm gonna ever listen to this again.
Good beats and rapping and well produced overall. I liked it more than I thought I would.
I can understand why people like this and why it was influential. While I don’t care for rap, I do like hip hop so there was enough here to keep this perfectly tolerable for me.
Really enjoyed this. Trip down memory lane. Always a bias to the music of high school years.
I'm not the target audience for this album so I can't really say much. If somebody had the aux and played this album I wouldn't mind, but I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it on my own.
epic powerful album.
Influential, but does not talk to me.
the backing tracks feel kinda dated
There’s no denying that Straight Outta Compton is an important album. It helped define gangsta rap, pushed boundaries, and made an impact that still echoes through hip-hop today. But for me, it’s always been an album I respected more than I actually liked. It has moments of brilliance, but overall, it just feels messy, awkward, and like something I could never fully resonate with. The album radiates undeniable energy, with N.W.A. launching in full force on the title track. Aggressive, uncompromising verses are set against a backdrop of heavy, raw West Coast beats, crafted mainly by Dr Dre and DJ Yella. Lyrically, the album takes no prisoners—tracks like “Straight Outta Compton” and “F*** tha Police” confront issues such as police brutality and urban strife head-on. Ice Cube delivers his verses with searing intensity, while Eazy-E’s unique, high-pitched yet menacing delivery lends a distinct flavour, making tracks like “8 Ball” and “Dopeman” particularly memorable. The album feels messy and inconsistent. While some tracks are fully formed, others seem barely held together, largely due to jarring transitions between politically charged, aggressive songs and ones that are cartoonishly over-the-top. The shifts in tone disrupt any consistent feel, making the album appear disjointed. Lyrically, despite bold statements, the violent and misogynistic themes often come off as excessive and dated, leaning more towards shock value than meaningful commentary. Additionally, although there’s undeniable chemistry among the members, certain flows—especially Dre’s—can feel awkward compared to Cube’s natural aggression and Eazy-E’s charismatic delivery. Straight Outta Compton is rightfully hailed for breaking barriers and shaping hip-hop, boasting undeniable moments of brilliance. However, as a complete album, it feels too messy and inconsistent, with awkward transitions and delivery issues that detract from its appeal. While there are noteworthy tracks, the overall experience doesn't compel repeat listens, earning it an underwhelming 3/5.
Didn't age that well tbh, BUT I recognize the influence ofc duh. It's like a 5/5 for influence, 2/5 for where it stands currently, and 2/5 for personal enjoyment, so average 3/5.
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
I dunno man. Invent a time machine and go back to 1989 to listen to this. I bet it hits.
6/10 Yeah it wasn’t a competition, the East Coast kicked the West Coast’s ass in the 80s, but we can’t say they didn’t try. Straight Outta Compton is rough, a bit messy, and straight up feels so stripped back and unfinished it’s awkward at times, but the best moments really do prop this record up really well. There’s no ignoring the significance of this album for the West Coast, and while it wouldn’t take until the G-Funk era for the West Coast to get its respect, there’s still a legacy that this album earned as a steppingstone for the genre. Still, you can’t help but see this album as being anything more than “playing catch up”, seeing what the East Coast has done by this point, it’s kinda pathetic sorry But I don’t wanna have sex with policemen! ☹️
Strong rap album.
The first part is classic, but the second part is just a snoozefest (with the exception of some tracks).
Has not aged well (in 2025) at all. I 'get' the commentry on the police racism but many of the tracks are seriously misogynistic and immature (bravado or insecurity?). MC Ren seems like the only rapper with flow.
More like 3.5. I knew I would probably like it but never gave it a chance. Starts out really strong. Insanely misogynistic and kinda racist.
Such a groundbreaking album. Loved it at the time but not all of the cuts have stood the test of time.
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
Misogyny, homophobia, violence in one hand; anger, opression, resistance on the other. I felt uncomfortable listening some of the lyrics.
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.
Nope. 1* for FtP
Ehhhh, not my jam.
Fav: Straight Outta Compton Least Fav: I Ain’t Tha 1
The start is incredible but as a whole album I can see where Dr Dre is coming from. It always felt like the poor cousin to Public Enemy to me.
Definitely NSFW, or to sing aloud - but damn catchy 🍉 🧑🌾
Very impactful album, I have mixed feelings on it - the vibes and sound of the songs varied quite a bit. Songs like the title track were too shouty for me with a choppy aggressive cadence. Songs with smooth rapping and a less raw production sound were more my vibe. Lyrics like “I ain’t the one to get played like a poop butt” really resonated with me while others felt too violent or misogynistic. Favorite songs were: Express Yourself Parental Discretion is Advised 7/10
Story time: Straight Outta Compton was is inextricably linked to my first car crash. Like all white 16 year olds, I had just gotten into NWA. I was driving up 15th St in my mom's slate blue Hyundai Santa Fe, listening to Straight Outta Compton too loudly and not paying enough attention. At the intersection of 15th and Church a car going the opposite way was turning left, and stopped in the middle of the intersection for an unexpected pedestrian before completing the turn. I was too busy singing along to notice and hit the guy's fender. Everyone was fine, but the cars were a bit dented. The guy was very cool about it, probably cause he saw I was a dumb 16 year old with the unmistakably wide eyes of "Ohhhhh my mom's gonna be so mad". She was indeed mad and said "You were probably listening to music too loud and not paying attention weren't you". How did she know? Anyway, the album. I felt mixed on it. The more albums we listen to, the more I realize Hip Hop is just not my genre. I still have a lot of Hip Hop I love, but there's less of it than other genres that I would choose to put on myself. I went in and out of really vibing with it, and then losing steam. Also I knew the first 2 songs the best, and expected the rest of the album to have that same energy. There were a lot more 80's Sugar Hill/Run DMC sounding beats and songs on there than I expected. I think of this album as being farther removed from that era than it is I guess. My surprise favorite was Express Yourself. And not to be too Tipper Gore about things, but man it was hard to listen any time they mentioned a woman. They get real gross and a lot of their lyrics have aged about as poorly as its possible to age. Not that what they were saying was at all ok at the time. In conclusion, I enjoyed it but its not a favorite. Album Cover: (A+) HARD. Also the parental advisory sticker makes it so much cooler. A prime example for how much that idea backfired and made anything it touched instantly more appealing.
This album is incredible. I'm pretty demographically and temporally distanced from the cultural effect this album had but I know it changed the game overnight. I enjoyed every song. The beats keep you moving. The bars are relentless. "It Ain't Ruff" actually made me take off my headphones, the bass was so intense it was hurting my ears. I am not a gangster. "Straight Outta Compton" and "Fuck Tha Police" are my favorite songs as well as, presumably, almost everyone else's. 9/10
I really enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. The sampling is good and the beats are funky and fun. It has a lot of variety too. The opening title track and 'Fuck Tha Police' go hard. The radio friendly 'Express Yourself' is surprisingly upbeat and uplifting and 'Something 2 Dance 2' does exactly what it says on the tin. Eazy-E has the best flow but the worst voice, whereas Ice Cube is the opposite, he flows slightly more basic but has a loud in your face voice which suits the music better. MC Ren is a happy medium. Overall the flow is a little bit simpler than other rap music but it doesn't really matter when the words which transport you into their world are said with such aggressiveness and venom. There's a lively energy about them. I was tempted to give this a four, but there weren't many dud tracks here and it's a hip hop album under an hour! A damn shame they only did the two albums (and their follow up doesn't even feature Ice Cube) because I'd have liked more from N.W.A.
o sea es god, no es un album q escucharía a diario pero lo reconozco. ademas te pones a pensar q salió en 1988 y decís que mierda
- startet extrem stark - die beats viben stark 90s - lyrics fühlen sich schon sehr outdatet an (misogyn) - die basslines (wenn vorhanden) bei den meisten beats sehr groovy - Irgendwann wird es repetitiv - für den Vibe ganz geil als komplettes Album zu eindimensional außerdem stören irgendwann die lyrics
I feel dirty (¬_¬)ﾉ
Although iconic, its highkey problematic
Good album a bit too aggressive with not much let up but a lot of good stuff
3.5. I want to get a time machine to introduce the Ice Cube on this album to Ice Cube now and see what happens.
Great album 4/5
Good rap
Songs: Straight Outta Compton
The kind of hip hop I like. Just fun banger after banger (casual sexism notwithstanding - putting this down to the era and genre). Anything over an hour is too long 95% of the time.
Historically iconic with a few good tracks. Ice cube getting things started hits hard, but the later songs wane.
Hell yeah
I thought I'd enjoy this more but it had some good songs.
The one bad thing about going through this list is having crap (not music) like this served up on an alarmingly regular basis. Stuff like this brings out the worse in me and makes me angry which is the exact opposite of what music is supposed to do. Yes by all means it should create a reaction but when it is done by glorying all what’s wrong in this world, there is no justification at all in subjecting those outside your grimy little world to it. As if to reinforce my point, there is a report in the UK press today about a gangster who was convicted of killing a young boy in 2009 and released in 2023 (yes I checked my figures - less than 14 years) He’s now making a living and been played on the BBC as a gangster rapper. Some of the lyrics refer to his slaughtering of that innocent child. The rage I feel must be nothing to that of the victim’s parents. This has everything to do with N.W.A who are responsible for promoting violence and not caring one iota for the rule of law. Worse still they are ‘role models’ and big influencers to the brainless moron’s who feel that the world owes them for the poverty and hardship they were born into. Should not appear on this list/5 16/1/25
Immediately iconic My brother loved some of these songs Good production and rapping, good group synergy Lyrics with shock value that wouldn't fly in modern times. Creates catchy and memorable lines.
Still holds up. This is like the public enemy album I got 2 days ago but so much better. I wasnt aware of the sampling and beats on this. I Aint Tha 1 is so good, Gangsta Gangsta, the list goes on I was pleasantly surprised.
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
Straight outta leksikonet for hiphop. Sinna, uredd og ukorrekt rap.
That's why they are the goat
A CRAZY MOTHERFUCKER CALLED ICE CUBE
Brings me back to hearing it for the first time when I was a teen. Unlike anything I had heard at the time 1001 album worthy: Yes - 31/54
There was a time when this was a 5 for me. It was so transgressive and thrilling when it came out. Now, the rhymes sound pretty elementary and the braggadocio comes off as silly. The production is still great though, with a lot of funk to it, soul samples, and left field elements, and Dre, Cube and E all sound great on the mic.
Re-listen from over 10 years ago. Idk liked it better then, it’s slightly better than 3 stars but it’s not 4.
Classic. Still goes hard
Fyrstu tvö eru bangerar, svo dalar þetta nokkuð. Alveg í lagi fyrir það sem það er svo sem. Express yourself remix er hresst, enda er það hresst lag í grunninn, en þetta fer ekki yfir hjá þrist hjá mér.
surprised - first three tracks are great 8 out of 10
I had never listened to N.W.A. besides F*** the Police, and I gotta say it was pretty good. The origins of gangsta rap, you can't deny the beats, funk, sampling, and chemistry of the group. Anger was boiling over out west and this album captures a lot of that in different ways than Public Enemy, ATCQ, and Roots, all of who Ive had in this list before this. The flow is simple by today's standards, but it still works very well. And the lyrics also don't age super well, but it doesn't bother me nearly as much as Eminem's debut or even Dre's own Chronic a couple years later. My favorites here are probably Straight Outta Compton, Express Yourself, 8 Ball (Brooklyn Boys seem to have left a huge impressoon on these guys), Dopeman, and Quiet on the Set. Easy to see how this became a landmark in music.
solid album
good favorites: Express Yourself, Fuck tha Police least favorite: I Ain’t tha 1 gets kinda boring by the end tbh but it starts off strong.
Amazing west coast gangster rap albun
Man never realized how funky some of these beats are
Not a single bad track on this album. The beats and samples are excellent and the lyrics carry a lot of weight. This album has all the pieces of early G-Funk. Every song compliments the one before.
Peak 90s hiphop and incredibly good
Some real classics in this! If you can abstract the immorality from it, and not take it too seriously, you'll find that it's a fun ride. It is a bit long and samey though.
Now this, I like. This is an album I was familiar with before but had never listened to all the way through, and I didn’t ever piece together that a lot of these songs were from this album. It was a nice surprise today to get to listen to this. It’s just such a classic sound that’s so familiar but I can’t place where else I’ve ever heard it before. This album just feels like its own genre to me. I freaking love that record twist sound they use so much. It’s just so iconic and fun and it feels like something that’s only been done once, in my opinion. It’s pretty great, and I don’t want to loosely hand out 5 stars, so I’m going to give this one my first high 4-star for now. I think my only issue pertains to the fact I got tired of hearing “Motha-fucka!” and such every 2 seconds. Got kinda repetitive. Still though- W album. Favorite tracks are Fuck Tha Police, Straight Out of Compton, and Gangsta Gangsta.
Klassiker
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"
Such an important moment in hip hop. A few really iconic songs that are really bigger than just being songs. But other than that, there's unfortunately alot of filler and gets repetitive. Nostalgia probably at play with this one but I enjoyed it alot in parts, then just kind of coasted through listening to the rest.
Decent opening track, genuinely don't think I've ever listened to it despite being familiar with the title. I enjoyed the booming kick drum and tapping on the hi-hat, and a very faint Starkey and Hutch wah wah. Didn't think the lyrics were all that, but the rhythm to the cadences definitely works well. Fuck The Police does what it says on the tin, but isn't interesting sounding or lyrically compelling. Gangsta Gangsta, If It Ain't Ruff and 8 Ball are very middle of the road. I Ain't Tha 1 is a neat little tongue in cheek number. It struck me as a bit of a predecessor for battle of the sexes songs like Biz Markie’s ‘Just A Friend’ or Outkast’s ‘Roses’. Express Yourself is the highlight. Super effective use of sampling and I feel the lyrics step up at this point. Quiet On Tha Set, Dopeman and Something 2 Dance 2 are far better than similar tracks earlier in the album. Side 2 of the album is better quality than Side 1. Some fully formed ideas, well executed, and other songs that feel unfinished. The album is generally not as iconic or gripping as I'd hoped it would be.
FIRE . Also love the beastie boys shout out
What a classic! Yes, the misogyny and violence is through the motha fuckin' roof, but a great display of early West Coast gangsta rap and some of the most influential figures in music.
No doubt the groundbreakers for in yo face gangsta rap. I actually enjoyed this on more than the vast majority of the era, and strangely, more than many of the bands they influenced.
The true and first anti-establishment punk rockers of the rap world. That alone merits high(er) ratings here. The front end of the album is hardcore right outta the gate, but admittedly the backend gets pretty sleepy due to repetition and just not quite having as strong of songs. Still a classic.
Wait THATS what it stands for??
Had to be away from the kids to listen to this one! Can’t say I can relate to many of the lyrics and has me blushing at times, but there are so many great lines in this. And you can’t deny the impact this had on rap and music. Funny that the backlash was prob led to much of the mainstream success.
The definition of going hard out the gate. The first three tracks are certified bangers. So much that the rest of the album can’t keep up. It’s an undeniable classic but doesn’t reach 5 star status for me. And let’s be honest…some of the lyrics are straight up corny! 4/5
- not perfect but pretty good .... today it sounds more "old skool" than I expected ... and, of course, some of the lyrics don't age well ..... but who gives a fuck? -
"We wanna fuck you, Eazy!" "I wanna fuck you too!" A more perfect exchange has never been highlighted in popular music.
This actually surprised me I thought the album would be more like the sound of Fuck the Police but it wasn’t it was more like early rap which I enjoy far more