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THE HIP-HOP NATION stood in shock. The new NWA LP, Efil4zaggin, had just debuted at #1 on the Billboard chart, as certified in the June 22 issue of Billboard Magazine. Several million of the black youth population and their peers had taken it upon themselves to make Efil4zaggin the number one selling album in the entire nation. No single and only a bit of radio play. Just straight-out purchases, 900,000 in the first week, 2 million now and counting.
The new NWA LP, their first since NiggaZ4Life, rockets to #1, prompting more debate than any record in the history of rap music. NWA is everything America doesn't want black youth to be: violent, foul-mouthed, anti-authority, profane, proud, rich, and famous. Efil4zaggin is a detailed story of the way NWA sees their own lives. But what they really are is angry. And angry young black males are America's worst nightmare. Even when they drop out of the charts, they still can't be controlled. It's the strength of NWA's anger and the sincerity of their message that makes them so big. They aren't just rapping - they're saying something about the way America is treating the black population. They are rapping about survival.
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When NWA hit #1, it was the American music industry equivalent of teenage gangs beating up the seniors from rival high schools. In other words, some day it had to happen.
In the same week NWA hit #1, critics around the country proclaimed the end of hip-hop, predicting a plague of inane gangster rap records to flood the market, pushing all other rap artists off the charts. But most of the people doing the proclaiming know little about NWA's music, their fans, or the power of their success. The more people try to censor NWA, the more their fans refuse to acknowledge it.
For Niggaz with Attitude, platinum success is nothing new, but in 1991, they are achieving it without their former frontman Ice Cube, who left the group acrimoniously a year ago and promptly sold half a million records with his own debut album. But NWA, with its core trio of Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and MC Ren, is forging ahead. NWA offers an alternative to the Hollywood fantasies of pop-rap, it's raw and real, and their fans feel it in their bones.
In the South Bronx, where rap first took hold in the '70s, the streets are still hard and dangerous, but kids everywhere can turn on a tape player and be transported by the music. The biggest buyers of rap records today are young white kids from suburban America. The Hollywood fantasy might seem fun, but NWA tells it like it is - the real deal. It’s about life and death in the inner city, the economic and social conditions that black youth face every day, and their reaction to it. And this "real rap" record went straight to number one, without any of the normal marketing tactics. When NWA reached the top spot on the Billboard charts, the message was clear: black youth culture is taking over, and it's going to be heard.
Critics and the media have always underestimated NWA's appeal and the strength of their message. But their devoted fanbase - the ones who really live the life NWA talks about - have stayed true. They're the ones who buy the records, go to the shows, and keep NWA at the top.
Efil4zaggin is more than just music; it's a statement. It's the voice of the angry, the unheard, the marginalized. It's a reflection of the struggle and the reality for many young black Americans. NWA is not just making records; they're making history, and they're doing it on their own terms.
Since Day One, N.W.A’s career has been surrounded by controversy: the banning of the “Straight Outta Compton” video, the hysteria around “F*** Tha Police” and the not-so-salable departure of Ice Cube. Even after Niggaz With Attitude, still there’s many. Last year, when Ice Cube left the group to pursue a solo career, some thought that N.W.A would fade away. Those people were wrong. The controversy continues with Eazy E’s recent trip to Washington for lunch with the President, and Dr. Dre’s notorious run-in with Dee of “Pump It Up.” I guess you could say that the gangsters are back and more ruthless than ever with the release of their long-awaited sixteen cut LP, Niggaz 4 Life (Ruthless/Priority).
In the middle of April, more than a month before the album’s scheduled release date, I met the group at their recording studio, Audio Achievements right outside of Los Angeles. When I arrived, MC Ren was the early bird waiting for the rest of his crew. Eazy E called from his cellular to say that he was stuck in traffic. (Now, this was the day the big Hollywood fry festival, so we were all keeping track of time.) Eazy’s tardiness was cool, because I got to hear the album. I figured I was a bad sign, I heard the bass, the synthesizer, the studio bass, and after an ow of seconds, I could hear that N.W.A’s sound had come through. The album is dope!
Once again, Dr. Dre’s production is more than funky enough. N.W.A displays much more diversity on Niggaz 4 Life, most notably by making the ample skills of dope rap anthem for rapper D. The “Prelude” features Eazy’s last 187 of Above the Law and Cold 187um (watch out for Cocaine’s solo LP). The title track has hardcore beats and classic lyrics; Ren really comes off, taking another shot at the LAPD: “Why do I call myself a nigga, ya ask me/Because everything that I’m rollin’/they swear up and down that it’s stolen.”They make an issue out of the ordinary.
The beats are much more creative.”For example, “Real Niggaz Don’t Die,” which is my favorite cut, has an ill sample of Parliament’s “One Nation Under a Groove.” The lyrics are full of controversy and rage. “A Message to B.A.,” which stands for Benedict Arnold’s Eazy’s message for the traitor who tried to f*** them out of a million dollars. B.A. fans definitely won’t be disappointed. I love to hear the f*** the police cut.
When I finished listening to the album, Eazy and Yella had arrived. Dre showed up too, so I turned on my tape recorder:
Source: Let's talk about the title of your LP, Niggaz 4 Life.
MC Ren: We named our album that because everybody always says what we say. If we’re always the same, we should be just niggas. Bottom line is, to everybody’s mama it all adds up.
Eazy E: As long as you remain Black, you're still gonna be a nigga.
MC Ren: You’re still n***** in everyone's eyes. Bottom line.
Source: You have another Ice Cube dis on this LP. What gives?
MC Ren: Who? (smiles) He had no idea of this.
Source: Is that personal or just business?
MC Ren: Always business.
Source: What happened to the angry stuff you heard in America’s Most Wanted?
MC Ren: We're going to take that n****.
Eazy E: We're going to kick his ass.
Source: What was it like to work with Doc on this album?
MC Ren: Eazy E’s n****, but Metallica helped us write that album.
Source: Are you guys Niggaz 4 Life?
Eazy E: We're always Niggaz 4 Life.
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Source: What's N.W.A’s new album compared to the last album?
MC Ren: It's harder to get into the world, and have more social awareness. Our last album didn’t get as much recognition. The white kids made up for all the people who liked the album in the first place. It got us more hype. The fans really like it. We are going to release a 12” of “F*** Tha Police” and “Quiet On Tha Set.” A lot of kids love that song. They like the new cuts. The Rodney King riots were a hot topic on this album.
Easy E: People are startin' to understand better, we're out “F*** Tha Police.” Before, everybody said “F*** the Police.” Now they’ve got cameras. Now they've got everywhere they finally seem what we were talking about.
Source: There's been a rumor out that you’ve got a six million dollar check from the FBI. How do you think the Rodney King incident will affect N.W.A?
MC Ren: Everybody knows that we got away, so we’re just doing the same thing.
Source: What do you think about R.I.P., asking for the rights to the Rodney King riots?
Eazy E: I’m happy for them.
Source: Let's talk about your trip to the White House and what it means for N.W.A.
Eazy E: We had a public relations man pull a Sam from John. I knew it would happen. I didn’t pull the press. I told everybody. (pause) You know what, we were just watching Oprah when the call came in. I was like, “Wow.”
Source: You’ve met Bush speak?
Eazy E: No, I met some other senators. I don't remember their names.
Source: Without sounding like the N.W.A. official historians, what really happened with the Dee Barnes scandal?
Eazy E: It was all rumors. Dre laid his hands on her, but I don't know what happened.
MC Ren: Oh yeah, we hit “Pump It Up,” we did a little something. He hit Ice Cube. She lied and said it was all cool when I did the interview, then he started bumping her. That’s how it started. I didn’t even see it, but she said it was on tape.
MC Ren: That was an example.
Source: Don’t you think that was an over-reaction?
Eazy E: No, I don’t think so. She made it worse than it was. She lied.
MC Ren: It was more than what you could see. We should have been part of the show.
Source: Did you see in the Fight?
MC Ren: We hope not.
Eazy E: Hope not.
Source: What’s your Ruthless Records on Ice T?
Eazy E: To take over s***!
Source: Would you see in the Fight?
MC Ren: I would like to see Foreman win, we'll have Holyfield.
MC Ren: Foreman.
Eazy E: Because he's a big, fat, bald-headed motherf*****, and he'll take out Holyfield!
Eazy E: Frankly, I don't give a damn. I'm just glad that the s*** wasn't released before me!
Source: What about the lawsuit?
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