Lucy Delibrado
N.W.A
Straight outta Compton
[Intro: Dr. Dre]
You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge
[Verse 1: Ice Cube]
Straight outta Compton, it's a crazy brotha named Ice Cube
From the stupid-dope gang wit a attitude
When I'm called off, I gotta sawed-off
Kick knowledge and bodies are hauled off
You too boy if you get with me
The police are gonna have to come and get me
Off yo back, that's how I'm going out
For the sucka dumb brothas that's showing out
Some start to mumble, they wanna rumble
Mix em and cook em in a pot like gumbo
Going off on everybody like that
With bass that's droppin' in your face
So give it up smooth
Ain't no telling when I'm down for a jack move
Here's a murder rap to keep you dancing
With a crime record like Charles Manson
Yo Dre, what's the sound of my tool? [bullets]
Now you know that I'm about to act a fool
Me you can go toe to toe, no maybe
I'm knocking suckas out the box, daily
Yo weekly, monthly and yearly
Until the whole damn world see clearly
That I'm down with the capital C-P-T
Boy, you can't step to me
So when I'm in your neighborhood, you better duck down
Cause Ice Cube will damn sure buck 'em down
As I leave, believe I'm stomping
But when I come back boy, I'm coming straight outta Compton
[Eazy E]
Yo Ren
[MC Ren]
Whassup
[Eazy E]
Tell em where you from
[Verse 2: MC Ren]
Straight outta Compton, a brotha with his finger on the trigger
More punks I take out, my rep gets bigger
I'm a ruthless villain and you know this
But the suckas in the public won't show this
But I don't really care, I'mma make my snaps
If not from the records, from jacking the craps
It's like burglary, the definition is jacking
And when illegally armed it's called packing
Knock a fool out in a sec
I find somebody talkin' trash and put em in check
So if you're at a show in the front row
I'mma call you a sucka if you don't go with the flow
You'll probably get mad like a punk is supposed to
But that shows me, yo, you're composed to
A crazy young brotha from the street
Attitude legit cause I'm ready to hit
MC Ren controls the automatic
For any fool in my way that starts static
Not the right hand cause I'm the hand itself
Every time I pull a AK off the shelf
The security is maximum and that's a law
R-E-N spells Ren but I'm raw
See, cause people know me as a villain
The definition is clear, you're the witness of a killing
That's taking place without a clue
And once you're on the scope, you know you're through
Look, you might take it as a trip
But a brotha like Ren is on a gangsta tip
Straight outta Compton
[Dr. Dre]
Eazy is his name and the boy is coming
[Verse 3: Eazy E]
Straight outta Compton
Is a brother that'll smother your mother
And make your sister think I love her
Dangerous young brotha raising hell
And if I ever get caught, I make bail
See I don't really care, that's the problem
When I see a police, I don't dodge him
But I'm smart, lay low, creep a while
And when I see the punk pass, I smile
To me it's kinda funny, the attitude showing suckas driving
But don't know where the hell they going, just rolling
Looking for the one they call Eazy
But here's a flash, they never seize me
Ruthless
Never seen like a shadow in the dark
Except when I unload
You see I'll get over the hesitation
And hear the scream of the one who got the lead penetration
Feel a little gust of wind and now I'm jetting
And leave a memory no one'll be forgetting
So what about the girl who got shot [garbled]
You think I give a damn about a girl, I ain't a sucker
This is the autobiography of the E
And if you ever mess with me
You'll get taken by a stupid dope brother who will smother
Word to the mother, yeah!
Straight outta Compton
[Dre]
That's the way it goes in the city of Compton, boy
Ice Cube stated, “There is a lot of resentment of police because if you are black you get picked on a lot… The song is a way to get out aggression”. He refers to the letter implementing “…More harm than good… It reinforces the notion among minorities that the government is against them. N.W.A is a positive role model about how you can get out of poverty, and then the FBI writes them a letter”.
In responding this way, the FBI and local law enforcements are contributing to the youth’s feelings of oppression and dissociation from society. Oppressing their most powerful form of expression and community, feeds into the youth’s anger and frustration, which then results in violent actions. True rap has become one of the most positive roles in Hip-Hop politics because it demonstrates how disposed individuals/groups can direct their pain and energy into powerful, and influential body of art. Not only is this a mode of education and awareness, but also it’s away to escape.
Those sheltered from urban violence not only fear the reality, but the messengers and what they have to say. Seeing as the problems aren’t occurring in their respective neighborhoods, they want to pretend as if they don’t exist. The N.W.A’s mission was to expose the truth.
“Peace is a fictional word to me… We deal with reality. Violence is reality. When you say something like that, it scares people. You’re supposed to picture life as a bowl of cherries, but it’s not. So we don’t do nothin’ fake”.
NWA is a postmodern good who were and still are very influence with the way they express their pain, happiness, anger, etc. It's become a very strong beautiful art that people can relate to. there's deeper meaning behind their music and it's more educational than people might think. They rap about true realites which people at their time wouldn't dare to do their meanings behind it. In the song "Straight outta Compton" and their whole album they rap about the reality of their lives in Compton and society around them they relate to the true lives of people who face similar obsitcales.
F*** tha police
Right about now, NWA court is in full effect
Judge Dre presidin
In the case of NWA versus the police department
The prosecution attorneys are M.C. Ren, Ice Cube, & Eazy
Mothaf*ckin E
Order, order order
Ice Cube, take the mothaf*ckin stand
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth & nothin but
the truth, so help yo black ass?
"You are goddamned right!"
why dont you tell everybody what the f*ck youve got to say...
[Ice Cube]
F*ck the police commin straight from the underground
A young nigger got it bad cause I am brown
And not the other color
Some police think
They have the authority to kill a minority
F*ck that shit cause I aint the one
For a punk motherf*cker with a badge & a gun
To be beaten on & thrown in jail
We can go toe to toe in the middle of a cell
F*ckin with me cause I am a teenager
With a little bit of gold & a pager
Searchin my car, lookin for the product
Thinkin every nigger is sellin narcotics
You would rather see me in the pen
Than me & Lorenzo rollin in a Benz-o
Beat up police, out of shape
And when I am finished, Bring the yellow tape
To tape off the scene of the slaughter
Still gettin Swoll off bread & water
I do not know if they fags or what
Search a nigger down & grabbin his nuts
And on the other hand
Without a gun, they cant get none
But dont let it be a black & a white one
Cause they will slam ya down to the street top
Black police showin out for the white cop
Ice Cube will Swarm
On any motherf*cker in a blue uniform
Just cause I am from the CPT
Punk police are afraid of me, huh
A young nigger on the warpath
And when I finish, it is going to be a bloodbath
Of cops dyin in L.A.
Yo, Dre, I got somethin' to say ...
[Eazy - E]
F*ck the Police
F*ck the Police
F*ck the Police
F*ck the Police
SCENE I :
Pull your goddamn ass over right now
Aw, shit, & what the f*ck you pullin me over for?
Cause I feel like it, just sit your ass on the curb & shut the
f*ck up!
Man, f*ck this shit
All right smartass, I am takin your black ass to jail
[Dr.Dre]
M.C. Ren, will you please give your testimony to the jury about
this f*cked up incident?
[MC Ren]
F*ck the police & Ren said it with authority
Because the niggers on the street is a majority
A gang - that is wit whoever i am steppin
And a motherf*ckin weapon is kept in
A stand-by for the so called law
Wishin Ren was a nigger that they never saw
Lights all flashin behind me
But they are scared of a nigger so they mace to blind me
But that shit dont work, I just laugh
Because it gives em a hint not to step in my path
To police, I am sayin, "F*ck you punk!"
Readin my rights & shit - it is all junk
Pullin out a silly club so you stand
With a fake-assed badge & a gun in your hand
But take off the gun so you can see whats up
And we will go at it, punk, & I am a f*ck you up
Make you think I am a kick your ass
But drop your gat & Rens going to blast
I am sneaky as f*ck when it comes to crime
But I am a smoke em now & not next time
Smoke any motherf*cker that sweats me
And any asshole that threatens me
I am a sniper with a hell of a scope
Takin out a cop or two that cant cope with me
The motherf*ckin villain that is mad
With potential to get bad as f*ck
So I am a turn it around
Put in my clip, yo
And this is the sound
Yea, Somethin like that
But it all depends on the size of the gat
Takin out a police would make my day
But a nigger like Ren dont give a f*ck to say...
[Eazy - E]
F*ck the Police
F*ck the Police
F*ck the Police
F*ck the Police
SCENE II :
Yo, Man, whatcha need?
Police, open now (oh shit), weve a warrent for Eazy Es arrest
Oh shit
Get down & put your hands up where I can see em!
Man, what did I do?
Just shut the f*ck up & get yo motherf*ckin ass on the floor
But I didnt do shit
Man, just shut the f*ck up
[Dr. Dre]
Eazy E, why dont you step up to the stand & tell the jury how
you feel about this bullshit?
[Eazy - E]
I am tired of the motherf*ckin jackin
sweatin my gang while I am chillin in the shack an
Shinin the light in my face & for what?
Maybe it is because I kick so much butt
I kick ass, or maybe it is cause I blast
Oh a stupid-assed nigger when I am playing with the trigger
Of an Uzi or an AK
Cause the police always got somethin stupid to say
They put up my picture with silence
Cause my identity by itself causes violence
The E with the criminal behavior
Yea, I am a gangster, but still I got flavor
Without a gun & a badge, what do you got?
A sucker in uniform waitin to get shot
By me or another nigger
And with a gat, it dont matter if he has smaller or bigger
(Size dont mean shit, he has from the old school, fool)
And as you all know, Es here to rule
Whenever I am rollin, keep lookin in the mirror
And ears on cue, yo, so I can hear a
Dumb motherf*cker with a gun
and if I am rollin off the eight, he will be the one
That I take out & then get away
While I am driving off laughin, this is what I will say ...
F*ck the Police
F*ck the Police
F*ck the Police
F*ck the Police
The verdict :
The jury has found you guilty of being a red-neck, white-bread,
Chicken-shit motherf*cker
"That is a lie! that is a goddamn lie!"
Get him out of here!
"I want justice!"
Get him the f*ck out of my face
"I want justice!"
Out right now!
"F*ck you, you black motherf*ckerrrrrrrrrrr!"
F*ck the Police
F*ck the Police
F*ck the Police
Read more: NWA - F*** Tha Police Lyrics | MetroLyrics
"Police brutality." Odyssey
Ice Cube addresses the controversial messages in an MTV interview. He explains, “… We ain’t talking about all policemen, but there’s bad police out there. A lot of people pretend that these kinds of police brutality and stuff like that don’t happen in their city… They’re saying we’re infesting their kids to believe cops are bad, and we just tellin’ the truth and it goes for damn near every city”. [3]
“Fuck Tha Police” was the first song in history to question pop music censorship and first amendment rights. The controversial lyrics against the police resulted in the Federal Bureau of Investigation sending a letter to Priority Records, the group’s distributor of “Straight Outta Compton” and other albums. The letter was written by the Assistant Director of the FBI Office of Public Affairs, who at the time was Milt Alerich. He wrote, “Advocating violence and assault is wrong, and we in the law enforcement community take except to such action… I wanted you to be aware of the FBI’s position relative to the song and its message. I believe my views reflect the opinion of the entire law enforcement community”.
NWA recieved contreversy when they wrote this song. Many believe that this song was manly out of anger but in all reality they rap about subjects people are afraid to talk about themselves. Instead of pretending it doesn't exist or that injustice with our people isn't happening all around us. It's a deeper meaning all related to the life on a young black figure in Compton and all the racial problems they faced. The violence is true reality in our society. It relates to stories of our time such as Micheal Brown, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, and many more. It became the anthem to activists fghting againist rasim and police brutality in this country.
I used to think that most of N.W.A’s popularity stemmed from their notorious ‘Fuck Tha Police’, a song packed with anger and bitterness over the mistreatment of black communities by so-called ‘law enforcement officers’ in late-80s LA. Whilst ‘F*ck Tha Police’ is a brilliant rallying cry though, the popularity and notoriety of N.W.A run much deeper than that.
If rap is (or at least was) the music of the streets, then it will surely always need a sort of street politics to keep it current, to engage with us listeners at ground level. Now, some of the most profound politics and sloganeering to be found in rap music were espoused by classic-era Public Enemy, but N.W.A brought the black intellectualism of Chuck D’s ebony tower down to street level, with lyrical themes bred on the everyday injustice faced by the thousands of black inhabitants living in Compton, Los Angeles.
The video below are protesters chanting "I can't breathe", "Black lives matter" all these different types of movements for innocent people who's live were harmed or killed in some way by the police. They standing up together as one to fight for the justice of people like Eric Garner, Micheal Brown, Sandra Bland, Aiyana Jones, so many more.
Express yourself
Yo man there's a lot of brothers out there
Flaking and perpetrating but scared to kick reality
Man, you been doing all this dope producing
You ain't had a chance to show 'em what time it is
So what you want me to do?
(Express yourself!)
I'm expressing with my full capabilities
And now I'm living in correctional facilities
Cause some don't agree with how I do this
I get straight and meditate like a Buddhist
I'm dropping flavor, my behavior is hereditary
But my technique is very necessary
Blame it on Ice Cube, because he said it gets funky
When you got a subject and a predicate
Add it on a dope beat, and it'll make you think
Some suckers just tickle me pink, to my stomach
Cause they don't flow like this one
You know what? I won't hesitate to diss one
Or two before I'm through, so don't try to sing this
Some drop science, while I'm dropping English
Even if Yella, makes it a-capella
I still express, yo, I don't smoke weed or sess
Cause it's known to give a brother brain damage
And brain damage on the mic don't manage, nothing
But making a sucker and you equal
Don't be another sequel (Express yourself!)
Now, getting back to the PG
That's program, and it's easy
Dre is back, new jacks are made hollow
Expressing ain't their subject because they like to follow
The words, the style, the trend; the records I spin
Again and again and again, yo, you're on the other end
Watch a brother blend dope rhymes, with no help
There's no fessing or guessing while I'm expressing myself
It's crazy to see people be
What society wants them to be, but not me
Ruthless, is the way to go, they know
Others say rhymes which fail to be original
Or they kill where the hip-hop starts
Forget about the ghetto, and rap for the pop charts
Some musicians cuss at home
But scared to use profanity when upon the microphone
Yeah, they want reality, but you will hear none
They'd rather exaggerate a little fiction
Some say no to drugs, and take a stand
But after the show, they go looking for the "Dopeman"
Or they ban my group from the radio
Hear N.W.A. and say, "Hell no!"
But you know it ain't all about wealth
As long as you make a note to (Express yourself!)
from the heart
Cause if you want to start to move up the chart
Then expression is a big part of it
You ain't efficient when you flow, you ain't swift
Movin like a tortoise, full of rigor mortis
There's a little bit more to show
I got rhymes in my mind, embedded like an embryo
Or a lesson, all of 'em expression
And if you start fessing, I got a Smith and Wessun for ya
I might ignore your record because it has no bottom
I get loose in the summer winter spring and autumn
It's Dre on the mic, getting physical
Doin' the job, N.W.A is the lynch mob!
Yes I'ma climb, but you know you need this
And the knowledge is growing just like a fetus
Or a tumor, but here is the rumor
Dre is in the neighborhood and he's up to no good
When I start expressing myself, Yella, slam it
Cause if I stay funky like this I'm doing damage
Or I'ma be too hyped, and need a straight jacket
I got knowledge, and other suckers lack it
So, when you see Dre, a DJ on the mic
Ask what it's like, it's like we're getting hyped tonight
Cause if I strike, it ain't for your good health
But I won't strike if you just (Express yourself!)
Kids from the streets were glad to hear their stories finally being told, but the establishment was not so pleased with Straight Outta Compton. N.W.A soon became known as the “World’s Most Dangerous Group” after outrage against the album’s explicit content led to the album being banned from radio play. When N.W.A toured to promote the album, “local police departments faxed a version of the song’s lyrics from city to city, and since off-duty police officers often double as concert security personnel, promoters found it increasingly difficult to put on N.W.A. concerts without them.” This pressure led several promoters to cancel N.W.A.’s gigs, and cops rushed the stage in Detroit as soon as they tried to play “Fuck Tha Police.”
The song even caught the notice of the federal government, as N.W.A. discovered when their label, Ruthless Records, received a letter from Assistant Director of the FBI Milt Ahlerich. “Advocating violence and assault is wrong, and we in the law enforcement community take exception to such action,” the letter read. “Recordings such as the one from N.W.A. are both discouraging and degrading to these brave, dedicated officers.”
Although facing discrimination and brutality at the hands of cops was an everyday reality for minorities, suburban America still refused to believe that this discrimination was happening.
For the song "Express Yourself NWA used Postmoderism intertextuality tying it to their other song "F*** tha police" reason being that it caused controversy and their explicit content led their album being banned from the radio play. Then got a letter from the FBI about their content. in response to this NWA created "Express Yourself" becuase they believe in the rights of art and free expression in society.
Works Cited
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"N.W.A. to Be Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." PEOPLE.com. 17 Dec. 2015. Web. 20 May 2016.
"NWA." - F*** Tha Police Lyrics. Web. 18 May 2016.
"NWA Movie: Dr. Dre, Ice Cube on 'Straight Outta Compton', Suge Knight's Murder Charge and a Reunion Tour (With Eminem)." The Hollywood Reporter. Web. 18 May 2016.
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"The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum." N.W.A Biography. Web. 18 May 2016.
"The Sphinx." The Sphinx. Web. 23 May 2016.
"Straight Outta Compton GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY." GIPHY. Web. 23 May 2016.
"Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A Songfacts." Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A Songfacts. Web. 20 May 2016.
TimeMagazine. "'I Can't Breathe' Protests Erupt In New York City After No Chokehold Indictment | TIME." YouTube. YouTube, 08 Dec. 2014. Web. 23 May 2016.