N.W.A.'s 5 Most Influential Tracks

It seems as though it is always the short-lived groups that incite the most influence in their respective genres. Between 1965 and 1970, squeaky clean rock-and-roll music was changed forever by The Beatles who, in a five-year span, took over all of pop culture-- changing it forever. Less than two decades later, the equally pristine and adolescent genre of hip-hop music was met by the bravado and gangsta machismo of N.W.A.

Their Niggaz 4 Life and Straight Outta Compton albums served as catalysts that scorched the earth, forging the path of rap music for years to come. And while those albums are N.W.A.’s only releases, they were brave and bold enough to not just warrant a (wildly anticipated) biopic, but imprint the industry in such a clear way, that their influences are felt even to this day. From the challenging of police, to using the N-word in their lyrics-- N.W.A. carried the cross for decades of rappers-to-be.

Let’s look at the tracks that laid the groundwork for the future of hip-hop music, with N.W.A.’s 5 Most Influential Tracks.

Sure, there might not be many rap songs like this on the radio anymore. I mean, there’s not one curse in its three verses, which includes Dr. Dre (the artists behind The Chronic album) denouncing marijuana. Though, it’s not the track's cleanliness that makes “Express Yourself” influential. Instead, it's what the cleanliness represented amidst the songs historical context.

Off of Straight Outta Compton, which set the music media on fire with rash opinions in regards to N.W.A.’s titular attitude, “Express Yourself” proves that the group (and, in turn, rap music as a whole) cannot be pigeonholed. The positively funky track, which features only Dr. Dre, stands out on the record, not as a palate cleanser, for the more aggressive tracks on it, rather, it stands out as an evasion of being pigeonholed.

It’s songs like “Express Yourself” that opened the door for the countless diverse artists and albums that the hip-hop community turned out since.

N.W.A.’s sophomore album’s eponymous track “Niggaz 4 Life” looks detractors in the eyes, rebutting the backlash against their successful re-appropriation of the N-word. Obviously, the term has called rap music home since. The track not only serves as a dialogue, in response to the critics who called them into question, it also speaks to a larger issue; their reasoning behind the use of the N-word, which was otherwise unspoken of in music and media. As sound of a reason as you’ll ever get for use of a slur, N.W.A. stood by the word stating in “Niggaz 4 Life” that as long as society, its authority figures, and White America as a whole, perpetuates racist behavior that withholds the growth of the black race-- they will go by that label.

“Gangsta Gangsta” was one of the first raps that embraced the gangsta lifestyle itself and also got radio play.

Even though there are more popular songs off of Straight Outta Compton, “Gangsta Gangsta” was one of the singles that got the rest of the world buzzing. Not only was this a song, intended for radio, that made mention of gang pride and drug use-- it straight up touted it. And while lyrics like “Since I was a youth, I smoked weed out/Now I’m the motherfucker that you read about” and “Find something to get into like some pussy or, in fact, a bum rush,” may not phase the modern rap listener, it sure startled folks in 1989. The fact that these sentiments in rap are now rather commonplace is a testament to the track's lasting power and impact.

“You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge.” It’s hard to know if the members of N.W.A knew that the opening line of "Straight Outta Compton" (both the album and the song) would turn out to be a declaration that has reached decades of music and movements, both in rap and urban culture, in general...but that’s exactly what happened. The song’s frenetic beat was enough to incite chaos. Though, its rugged lyricism about hood-pride and its accompanying lifestyle paved the way for riotous West Coast rap music that still can be found today. Without a “Straight Outta Compton,” who knows what the coastal difference in rap music that guides so many artists would show itself as? Would rappers be able to use their position to galvanize opinionated movements? Would have fellow Compton residents like Kendrick Lamar have turned out to be rappers? 

It’s hard to debate the influence of this song. The macabre reality of it, though, is that it should have done more to influence the way police brutality and law enforcement corruption was viewed by the media. Instead, it brought forth a questioning of intention and artistic integrity onto N.W.A., and subsequently nearly all rappers that still refuse to relent; arguably a sign of the inherent racism the track itself tries to address. Unfortunately, police brutality brought on by an undercurrent of racism towards the black community also persists.

Luckily, hip-hop has become a platform of expression and re-appropriation of the subsequent anger and angst that comes as a result of, as Eazy-E put it, "dumb motherfuckers with guns." There will always be folks who will call the fury-filled lyrics of "Fuck Tha Police" and similar tracks into question, but they serve as rally cries of justice and continue to-- as indicated by songs like "Alright" being used during recent protests against the same issues N.W.A. were on the front line challenging.