"If it wasn't for me where the fuck you'd be? Rappin like the Treacherous Three, fuckin cowards I'd have seen Dre rockin parties for hours And I'd have seen Ren fuckin bitches from Howard And I'd have seen Snoop give away Eddie Bauer's So fuck Jerry Heller and the white superpowers..."
N.W.A (Niggaz With Attitude) was an American hip hop group from Compton, California, widely considered one of the seminal acts of the gangsta rap sub-genre. Active from 1986 to 1991, the group endured controversy due to the explicit nature of their lyrics. They were subsequently banned from many mainstream U.S. radio stations and even at times prevented from touring - yet the group has still sold over 9 million units in the U.S. alone. Their debut album, Straight Outta Compton, marked the beginning of the new gangsta rap era as the production and the social commentary in their lyrics were revolutionary within the genre. Rolling Stone ranked N.W.A 83rd on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Although largely unknown at the group's inception, rappers Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy-E and MC Ren would all go on to be platinum-selling stars as solo artists. New Line Cinema reps announced to Entertainment Weekly's "Hollywood Insider Blog" that N.W.A's story is in development to become a theatrical release in 2012. According to IMDb, the script was researched and written by filmmaker S. Leigh Savidge and radio veteran Alan Wenkus, who worked closely with Eazy E's widow Tomica Wright. Producing the film will be Tomica Wright, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre. "Chin Check" is a single by N.W.A. from the Next Friday soundtrack. The song was also released on The Best of N.W.A. - The Strength of Street Knowledge and as a bonus track on the N.W.A Greatest Hits album. Snoop Dogg is featured in the song in place of the deceased and former member Eazy-E. The song is remembered for being a "reunion song" for N.W.A, as it was the first song they performed together since their split and a tribute to Eazy's memory.
Sorry for the lack of updates here! Lately I've been rollin' on a really "fast lane" and most of my days & nights have spent on other forms of art... But here's one crew piece from the archives! Take a look at some previous works while you're gettin' ready for new stuff! 2009.
"Last seen out of state where I drop my slang I'm deep in the south kicking up top game bouncing on the highway switching 4 lanes screaming through the sun roof money ain't a thang your worst fear confirmed, me and my fam roll tight like the firm..."
Originally from Marcy Houses housing project in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City, Jay-Z was abandoned by his father and, at age 12, he shot his brother in the shoulder for stealing his jewelry. Jay-Z attended Eli Whitney High School in Brooklyn, along with rapper AZ, until it was closed down. After that he attended George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School in Downtown Brooklyn, which fellow rappers The Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes also attended, and Trenton Central High School in Trenton, New Jersey, but did not graduate. In his music he refers to having been involved in selling crack cocaine. Jay-Z can briefly be heard on several of Jaz-O's early recordings in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including "The Originators" and "Hawaiian Sophie". Jay-Z was also involved in and won several battles with rapper LL Cool J in the early 90's as part of a plan to get a sought-after record deal. He first became known to a wide audience by being featured on the posse cut "Show and Prove" on the 1994 Big Daddy Kane album Daddy's Home. Jay-Z has been referred to as Big Daddy Kane’s hype man during this period, though Kane explains that he didn’t fill the traditional hype man role, instead Jay-Z “basically made cameo appearances on stage. When I would leave the stage to go change outfits, I would bring out Jay-Z and Positive K and let them freestyle until I came back to the stage”. He made an appearance on a popular song by Big L, "Da Graveyard", and on Mic Geronimo's "Time to Build", which also featured early appearances by DMX, and Ja Rule in 1995. His first official rap single was called "I Can't Get With That", for which he released a music video. "Can't Knock the Hustle" marked Knobody's first foray into outside production after the rap group he was in disbanded. Knobody had been very pleased with the last track he had produced for the band and, together with Sean C, had taken it to the nearby home of Roc-A-Fella's Damon Dash. Dash then showed it to Jay-Z, who was suitably impressed and encouraged the young producer to contribute beats. Knobody then gave Jay-Z the backing track to what would become "Can't Knock The Hustle". The rapper then wrote to the track. A space was left for the hook, which the Latin singer Veronica was originally supposed to sing, but for which Mary J. Blige stepped in after Roc-A-Fella had contacted her and she heard the track and immediately wanted to get involved. The appearance of Blige was considered a major coup because the label was an independent and Jay-Z was unknown at the time. Blige came up with the idea for the chorus, which is a vocal interpolation of a verse from "Fool's Paradise" by Meli'sa Morgan, with slightly modified lyrics. Before the song begins, Pain in da Ass delivers a monologue from the 1983 gangster film Scarface. Jay-Z then proceeds to deliver mafioso lyrics about drug dealing and street life.
"Shed tears as we bury niggaz close to heart What was a friend now a ghost in the dark, cold hearted bout it Nigga got smoked by a fiend, tryin to floss on him Blind to a broken man's dream, a hard lesson..."
"To Live & Die in L.A." is a single by rapper 2Pac (who at the time went by the name Makaveli) from his album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. The song samples "Do Me, Baby", a song by Prince from the early '80s. It starts with an interview originally performed on KKBT's Street Science program; The host asks a man what he thinks of 2Pac's new album and he responds by saying he loves it. He then expresses that his music heightens the East/West Coast Feud, most likely referring to 2Pac's personal attack song toward The Notorious B.I.G., Hit 'Em Up. The song then starts as 2Pac reflects on his life, with Val Young singing the chorus. The song peaked at #10 on the UK Singles chart. It is unknown, however, if the song did peak at #10 on the U.S. Rap chart. It was later included on 2Pac's Greatest Hits album in 1998. This video was filmed a month before Tupac's death and is one of the last videos the rapper filmed. The video for this song features Tupac at various locales around the Los Angeles area, mostly in South Central. Most notable is the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Plaza which was used as a major film location. Tupac can be seen rolling up to the mall in his Jaguar convertible, and walking inside. He is also seen singing with a group of teenagers dancing around him. The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory is the fifth and final studio album by Tupac Shakur, under the new stage name Makaveli, finished before his death and the first to be released after his death. The album was completely finished in a total of seven days during the month of August 1996. The lyrics were written and recorded in only three days and mixing took an additional four days. These are among the very last songs he recorded before his fatal shooting on September 7, 1996. Although The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory was released almost two months after his death, on November 5, 1996, it is not a true posthumous album in the way that the later 2Pac albums are since he completed the album before his death.
"What you see is what you get now The kinda style make the whole world go wow Bless the child like a hoe who's on flesh 'n bone and no matter where I roam I feel right at home..."
"What U See Is What U Get" is the first single from Xzibit's second album, 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz. In its first week the song reached #50 on the Billboard Hot 100. It remains Xzibit's highest charting single as it peaked at #3 on Hot Rap Singles. This song was considered to be his biggest hit by fans, until Xzibit outperformed himself two years later with the release of "X". The song was featured in a mash-up on the Loud Rocks Album ft. Sevendust. What U See Is What U Get is considered the 88th best rap song of all time.
