N.W.A.

Without question one of the most influential LPs of all time. N.W.A.'s '88 classic introduced Compton to the world and sparked a Gangsta Rap revolution that continues to this day. Dre's beats are astonishing, and the mic is slaughtered on every track. Includes all the gems "F*ck Tha Police," "Gangsta Gangsta," "Dopeman," etc.

"It's not about a salary/It's all about reality" they chant as they talk sh*t about how bad they are. Right, it's not about salary--it's about royalties, about brandishing scarewords like "street" and "crazy" and "f*ck" and "reality" until suckers black and white cough up the cash. "F*ck tha Police" is a fantasy, "F*ck with me I'll put my foot in your ass" an exaggeration, "Life ain't nothin' but bitches and money" a home truth, and I bet Ice Cube gets more pussy now than when he copped the line. Somehow DJs Dr. Dre and Yella, who's also got the brainiest rap on the Charles Wright rip that busts out of their ghetto, drive the three M.C.'s past their own lies half the time. It would be poetic justice if both of them departed for greener pastures. (Grade - B)