"Fuck Compton" | ||||
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Single by Tim Dog | ||||
from the album Penicillin on Wax | ||||
Released | July 11, 1991 | |||
Recorded | 1991 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:53 | |||
Label | Ruffhouse | |||
Songwriter(s) | Timothy Blair | |||
Producer(s) | ||||
Tim Dog singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Fuck Compton" on YouTube |
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
"Fuck Compton" censored as "Forget Compton" or "F**k Compton" is a diss track written and performed by the American rapper Tim Dog, released in 1991 through Ruffhouse Records as the lead single from the rapper's debut studio album Penicillin on Wax . It is a diss track criticizing the West Coast hip hop scene, including the Compton-based group N.W.A and its members Eazy-E and Dr. Dre as well as the latter's then-girlfriend Michel'le. The song is often credited for igniting the East Coast–West Coast rivalry of the 1990s. [2] Production was handled by Ultramagnetic MCs' member Ced-Gee and Tim Dog himself. The song peaked atop of the US Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart. Later in 2018 it was place at #19 on Complex 's "The 50 Best Hip-Hop Diss Songs" list. [3]
During the late 1980s, multiple New York hip hop artists began to resent the exposure and success of their West Coast counterparts, an animosity which Tim Dog would tap into via the release of his groundbreaking first single. Frustrated at the apparent lack of interest in East Coast artists from record companies, Tim recorded "Fuck Compton", a scathing diss track from his debut album Penicillin on Wax . "Fuck Compton" attacked the city's style of dress and musical output and made threatening gestures to several Compton rappers including Eazy-E, MC Ren, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Michel'le. Tim Dog would later exclude Ice Cube on "Step to Me", another diss track attacking N.W.A.
The lyrics also made reference to an infamous incident involving N.W.A's Dr. Dre and Pump It Up host Dee Barnes. Barnes had accused Dre of assaulting her after Pump It Up had edited an N.W.A interview to include disparaging comments made by Ice Cube, who was embroiled in a feud with his former group at the time. The single was released by Ruffhouse Records, then-home to other artists such as Cypress Hill and Kris Kross, and became a worldwide underground hit in the clubs and hip hop circles. Two versions of a music video were released—the original version and a censored edition.
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg responded to the song on their 1993 single Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin') and on "The $20 Sack Pyramid" skit from Dr. Dre's 1992 album The Chronic. Compton's Most Wanted responded with the tracks "Who's Fucking Who?" and "Another Victim" from their 1992 album Music to Driveby. DJ Quik responded with the tracks "Way 2 Fonky" and "Tha Last Word" from his 1992 album Way 2 Fonky and on the track "P.S. Phuk U 2" with the Penthouse Players Clique from their 1992 album Paid the Cost. Tweedy Bird Loc responded with the track "Fu'k the South Bronx" (featuring Att Will, Hitman D, D-Mark & Nini X) from his 1992 album 187 Ride By and E.L.Me and The Street Products responded in 2 tracks from their debut album titled 16 Lessons From the Streets on songs "E.L.Me and The Street Products and "The Outro" .
Chart (1991) | Peak position |
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US Hot Rap Songs ( Billboard ) [4] | 1 |
N.W.A was an American hip hop group formed in Compton, California. Among the earliest and most significant figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, the group is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential acts in hip hop music.
O'Shea Jackson Sr., known as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1988 album Straight Outta Compton contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popularity, and his political rap solo albums AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990), Death Certificate (1991), and The Predator (1992) were all critically and commercially successful. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of N.W.A in 2016.
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Timothy J. Blair, better known by his stage name Tim Dog, was an American rapper from the Bronx, New York, who rose to notoriety during the early 1990s with his debut LP Penicillin on Wax and the diss track "Fuck Compton". Tim had already appeared on songs with the Ultramagnetic MCs and went on to form a duo, Ultra, with member Kool Keith. "Fuck Compton" appeared in XXL magazine's "Top 25 Diss Tracks of All Time" and earned Tim Dog critical acclaim from progressive hip-hop producer Blockhead, who said Tim Dog's "The Dog's Gonna Getcha" is "quite possibly the hardest song ever made." Nas references Tim Dog on his track "Where Are They Now?" from his 2006 album Hip Hop Is Dead, and despite Tim Dog's feud with Dr. Dre, Eminem name-checked him on the track "Ricky Ticky Toc".
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Gerald Elliot Heller was an American music manager and businessman. He was best known for his management of West Coast rap and gangsta rap pioneers N.W.A and Eazy-E. He rose to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s representing Journey, Marvin Gaye, Van Morrison, War, Eric Burdon, Crosby Stills & Nash, Ike & Tina Turner, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Otis Redding, the Who, REO Speedwagon, Black Sabbath, Humble Pie, Styx, the Grass Roots, and the Standells, among many others.
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Michel'le is the debut studio album by American singer Michel'le. It was released on October 23, 1989, on Ruthless Records, Atco Records and Atlantic Records. The album was co produced by Dr. Dre of N.W.A and André “LA Dre” Bolton. The album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America five weeks after its release.
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Straight Outta Compton is a 2015 American epic biographical drama film that depicts the rise and fall of the hip hop group N.W.A under the management of Jerry Heller. It was directed by F. Gary Gray from a screenplay written by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff based on a story written by Berloff and executive producers S. Leigh Savidge and Alan Wenkus. Co-produced by Gray, former members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, Eazy-E's widow Tomica Woods-Wright, Matt Alvarez and Scott Bernstein, with MC Ren and DJ Yella serving as creative consultants, the film stars O'Shea Jackson Jr. as his father Ice Cube, alongside Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown Jr. and Aldis Hodge as Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, MC Ren and DJ Yella, respectively, and Paul Giamatti as Heller. Rounding out the rest of the ensemble cast include Marlon Yates Jr, R. Marcos Taylor, LaKeith Stanfield, Alexandra Shipp and Keith Powers.