N.W.A discography | |
---|---|
Studio albums | 2 |
EPs | 1 |
Compilation albums | 6 |
Singles | 8 |
Video albums | 1 |
Music videos | 5 |
The discography of American hip hop group N.W.A, consists of two studio albums, six compilation albums, one extended play (EP), eight singles, one video album and five music videos. N.W.A was formed in Compton, California in 1986 by Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, Arabian Prince and Ice Cube, with The D.O.C. and MC Ren joining later. [1] The group's first release was the compilation album N.W.A. and the Posse in 1987, which also featured songs by The Fila Fresh Crew, Rappinstine and Ron-De-Vu. [2] Their debut album Straight Outta Compton followed the next year, which initially reached number 37 on the US Billboard 200; it has since reached number four, and has sold over 1.5 million copies in the US alone. [3] [4] "Straight Outta Compton", "Gangsta Gangsta" and "Express Yourself" were released as singles from the album, all of which registered on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. [3]
Arabian Prince left N.W.A due to having many royalty and financial disagreements with N.W.A's manager and Eazy-E's business partner Jerry Heller's whilst Ice Cube left N.W.A in 1989 due to ongoing financial disagreements. [1] The remaining members released the EP 100 Miles and Runnin' in 1990, which reached the top ten of the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and has since been certified platinum by the RIAA. [3] [5] N.W.A's second and final album followed in 1991: Niggaz4Life , commonly referred to backwards as Efil4Zaggin, [6] The album's singles were "Appetite for Destruction" and "Alwayz into Somethin'", neither of which charted in the US. [3] Niggaz4Life: The Only Home Video was released in 1992, featuring three music videos and previously unreleased footage. [7] Dr. Dre left N.W.A the same year, at which point the group had essentially disbanded and Eazy-E died in 1995 after being diagnosed with HIV. [1] Since the group's breakup a number of compilation albums have been released, including 1996's Greatest Hits which reached the top 50 of the Billboard 200. [3]
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [3] | US R&B [3] | AUS [8] | GER [9] | IRL [10] | NZ [11] | UK [12] | ||||||
Straight Outta Compton | 4 | 9 | 8 | 36 | 7 | 43 | 35 | |||||
Niggaz4Life |
| 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 25 | ||||
"—" denotes a release that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [3] | US Cat. [3] | US Dig. [3] | US R&B [3] | AUS [8] | IRL [10] | NZ [11] | UK [12] | ||||
N.W.A. and the Posse |
| — | — | — | 39 | — | — | — | — |
| |
Greatest Hits |
| 48 | 5 | 22 | 20 | 9 | 50 | 43 | 49 | ||
The N.W.A Legacy, Vol. 1: 1988–1998 |
| 77 | — | — | 42 | — | — | — | — | ||
The N.W.A Legacy, Vol. 2 |
| 154 | — | — | 38 | — | — | — | — | ||
The Best of N.W.A: The Strength of Street Knowledge |
| 72 | 6 | — | 47 | 33 | — | — | — |
| |
N.W.A and Their Family Tree |
| — | — | — | 38 | — | — | — | — | ||
Icon |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"—" denotes a release that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [3] | US R&B [3] | AUS [8] | NZ [11] | UK [12] | |||
100 Miles and Runnin' |
| 27 | 10 | 33 | 32 | 38 |
|
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [3] | US Dan. [3] | US Dig. [3] | US R&B [3] | AUS [8] | CAN [3] | IRL [10] | NZ [11] | UK [12] | UK R&B [16] | ||||
"Panic Zone" | 1987 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N.W.A and the Posse | |
"Straight Outta Compton" | 1988 | 38 | — | 33 | 13 | — | 45 | 63 | — | 66 | — | Straight Outta Compton | |
"Gangsta Gangsta" | — | 45 | — | 91 | 141 | — | — | — | 70 | — | |||
"Express Yourself" | 1989 | — | 38 | — | 45 | 96 | — | — | — | 26 | 13 |
| |
"100 Miles and Runnin'" | 1990 | — | — | — | 51 | 33 | — | — | 32 | 38 | — | 100 Miles and Runnin' | |
"Alwayz into Somethin'" | 1991 | — | — | — | 37 | — | — | — | — | 60 | — | Niggaz4Life | |
"Appetite for Destruction" | — | — | — | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"The Dayz Of Wayback" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Chin Check" (featuring Snoop Dogg) | 1999 | — | — | — | 71 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Next Friday | |
"—" denotes a release that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Title | Year | Chart peaks | Certifications | Album | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US R&B [3] | AUS [8] | UK [12] | UK R&B [16] | ||||
"Fuck tha Police" | 1988 | 25 | 49 | 97 | 22 | Straight Outta Compton |
Title | Album details |
---|---|
Niggaz4Life: The Only Home Video |
Title | Year | Director(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
"Straight Outta Compton" | 1989 | Rupert Wainwright | [17] [18] |
"Express Yourself" | [19] [18] | ||
"100 Miles and Runnin'" | 1990 | Eric Meza | [20] |
"Appetite for Destruction" | 1991 | Mark Gerard | [21] |
"Alwayz into Somethin'" | |||
"Approach to Danger" | DJ Yella, Donovan Smith |
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.
Lorenzo Jerald Patterson, known professionally as MC Ren, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Compton, California. He is the founder and owner of the independent record label Villain Entertainment.
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.
Eric Lynn Wright, known professionally by the stage name Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. He is often referred to as the "Godfather of Gangsta Rap".
Straight Outta Compton is the debut studio album by American gangsta rap group N.W.A, which, led by Eazy-E, formed in Los Angeles County's City of Compton in early 1987. Released by his label, Ruthless Records, on August 8, 1988, the album was produced by N.W.A members Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, and Arabian Prince, with lyrics written by N.W.A members Ice Cube and MC Ren along with Ruthless rapper and unofficial member The D.O.C. Not merely depicting Compton's street violence, the lyrics repeatedly threaten to lead it by attacking peers and even police. The track "Fuck tha Police" drew an FBI agent's warning letter, which aided N.W.A's notoriety, with N.W.A calling itself "the world's most dangerous group."
Antoine Carraby, known professionally as DJ Yella, is an American DJ, record producer, and film director from Compton, California.
100 Miles and Runnin' is the only EP from the American gangsta rap group N.W.A. Released on August 14, 1990, this EP of five tracks reflects an evolution of N.W.A's sound and centers on the single "100 Miles and Runnin'". Two tracks, "100 Miles" and "Real Niggaz", incidentally incited N.W.A's feud with Ice Cube, who had left to start a solo rap career. The porno rap track "Just Don't Bite It" also drew notice. Pushing lyrical boundaries in its day, the EP went gold in November 1990 and platinum in September 1992.
Tracy Lynn Curry, better known by his stage name the D.O.C., is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Dallas, Texas. Along with his solo career, he was a member of the Southern hip hop group Fila Fresh Crew, and later co-wrote for and collaborated with the gangsta rap group N.W.A and Eazy-E. He has also worked with record producer Dr. Dre, co-writing his solo debut album, while Dre produced Curry's debut studio album, No One Can Do It Better (1989), which was released by Eazy-E's Ruthless Records in a joint venture with Atlantic Records. With Dr. Dre and record executives Suge Knight and Dick Griffey, Curry co-founded Death Row Records in 1991, which has signed artists including Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg.
Eazy-Duz-It is the debut studio album by American rapper Eazy-E. It was released on November 22, 1988, by Ruthless Records and Priority Records. The album charted on two different charts and went 2× Platinum in the United States despite very little promotion by radio and television. Three singles were released from the album, each charting in the US. The remastered version contains tracks from the extended play (EP), 5150: Home 4 tha Sick (1992). The 25th anniversary (2013) contains two bonus tracks which are 12" remixes of "We Want Eazy" and "Still Talkin.'"
Niggaz4Life is the second and final studio album by gangsta rap group N.W.A, released on May 28, 1991. It was their final album, as the group disbanded later the same year after the departure of Dr. Dre and songwriter and unofficial member of the group The D.O.C. who both left to form Death Row Records; the album features only four members of the original line-up, as Arabian Prince and Ice Cube had already left the group in 1988 and 1989 respectively. Niggaz4Life debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200, but in its second week peaked at number 1.
"Real Muthaphuckkin G's," or "Real Compton City G's" in its radio edit, is a diss track released as a single in August 1993 by American rapper Eazy-E with guest rappers Gangsta Dresta and B.G. Knocc Out. Peaking at #42 on Billboard's Hot 100, and the most successful of Eazy's singles as a solo artist, it led an EP, also his most successful, It's On 187um Killa. This diss track answers Eazy's former N.W.A bandmate Dr. Dre and his debuting, guest rapper Snoop Dogg, who had dissed Eazy on Dre's first solo album, The Chronic.
Ruthless Records was an American Independent record label founded by Eric "Eazy-E" Wright and Jerry Heller in Compton, California in 1987. All of the Ruthless trademarks have been owned by Comptown Records, Inc. since 1987. Several artists and groups on the label such as N.W.A, Eazy-E, MC Ren, The D.O.C., Michel'le, and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony have released RIAA certified albums.
"Boyz-n-the-Hood" is the debut single by Eazy-E, then leader of a new rap group, N.W.A. Released in March 1987, the single was a local hit, reissued, by year's end on the unauthorized compilation album N.W.A. and the Posse.
Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by American hip hop group N.W.A, released on July 2, 1996, via Priority Records. Composed of nineteen tracks, the compilation contains several poplular singles and songs from the group's 1988 debut album Straight Outta Compton, 1990 extended play 100 Miles and Runnin' and their second and final studio album 1991 Niggaz4Life. It includes "Gangsta Gangsta", "Fuck tha Police", previously unavailable remix of "Straight Outta Compton", "Alwayz into Somethin'", remixed "Express Yourself", and "100 Miles and Runnin'", as well as inserts from live concerts. Production was handled by Dr. Dre and DJ Yella with Eazy-E serving as executive producer.
"Straight Outta Compton" is a song by American hip hop group N.W.A. It was released on July 10, 1988 as the lead single from their debut album of the same name. It also appears on N.W.A's Greatest Hits with an extended mix and The Best of N.W.A: The Strength of Street Knowledge. The song samples "You'll Like It Too" by Funkadelic, "West Coast Poplock" by Ronnie Hudson and the Street People, "Get Me Back on Time, Engine No. 9" by Wilson Pickett, and most famously, "Amen, Brother" by The Winstons. It was voted number 19 on About.com's Top 100 Rap Songs, and is ranked number 6 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
"Alwayz Into Somethin'" is a song by American hip hop group N.W.A, performed by Dr. Dre and MC Ren featuring Admiral D. It is the lead single from their second and final studio album, Niggaz4Life. The song also appeared on the N.W.A's Greatest Hits album and The Best of N.W.A: The Strength of Street Knowledge.
Straight Outta Compton: N.W.A 10th Anniversary Tribute is a tribute album to the American Compton-based hip hop group N.W.A, released through Priority Records in 1998 on the tenth anniversary of the group's debut studio album Straight Outta Compton. It is composed of twelve of the thirteen songs in the order identical to the original, covered by N.W.A. members' affiliates, such as Ice Cube's Westside Connection groupmates WC and Mack 10 along with Hoo-Bangin' Records labelmates Allfrumtha I, Boo Kapone, MC Eiht and The Comrads, Eazy-E's protégés Gangsta Dresta and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, and Dr. Dre's long time partner Snoop Dogg with Snoop's allies C-Murder and Silkk the Shocker, and Aftermath Ent. signee King Tee, as well as several other fellow rappers, including Ant Banks, Jayo Felony, J Dubb, Mr. Mike, Big Pun, Cuban Link and Fat Joe. Production was mostly handled by Ant Banks, as well as Craig B. of Beats by the Pound, Krayzie Bone, Dr. Dre and DJ Yella, with Andrew M. Shack and Marvin Watkins served as executive producers. The album peaked at number 142 on the Billboard 200 and 31 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the United States. Music video was shot for the title track.
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.
Straight Outta Compton: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the 2015 film of the same name. The album was released by Universal Music Enterprises on January 8, 2016 in digital formats. The soundtrack features songs that were mainly performed by N.W.A but also includes solo performances from N.W.A members Ice Cube, Eazy-E, and Dr. Dre.
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