"Straight Outta Compton" | The N.W.A Story - Trailer

I remember getting in trouble when i was younger for listening to a N.W.A record. It was quickly labeled "violent music" and "gang-related", and people like myself were banned from listening to it. Mainly, because their music was so explicit and they emerged in a time when hip-hop music & culture was just getting started and people were shocked by the graphic nature of this new rap music and all the cursing. (which goes completely unnoticed these days)

You have to remember, N.W.A. debuted in the late 80's / early 90's,  when people were listening to music like Michael Jackson, Madonna and other pop stars like Whitney Houston. It was  the end of the rock n' roll era and there was nothing like "gangsta rap" back then, so this California crew's music quickly became controversial and was even  banned from playing on mainstream radio stations. Regardless, N.W.A. still sold over 10 million records in the US alone.

N.W.A stands for "Niggas With Attitude", which in itself, caused controversy. Not to mention, their hit single was titled, "F*ck The Police" which gained a lot of popularity, while also gaining more negative attention. Since the group started, they have changed members several times between 1986 - 1991. This movie is about the original crew: Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy E, MC Ren, and DJ Yella.They are the founding members and most of them went on to have phenomenal solo careers.

Ice Cube, who is considered to be the foundation of the crew and wrote most of their songs, was the first member to leave N.W.A and started his own company as a solo artist. He quickly became one of the biggest names in rap culture, and it wasn't before long, he was in movies like, "Boys-n-the-hood" released in 1990, and "Friday", released in 1995. The remaining crew members were unhappy with Ice Cube quitting, and they released several tracks that disrespected Ice Cube and the first "rap-feud" developed between them. Next, Dr. Dre left N.W.A for Death Row Records, and joined Snoop Dogg and Tupac to become the new face of west coast rap. Original members, MC Ren and DJ Yella also went on to become solo artists but didn't go far. Eazy E unfortunately died from AIDS in 1995, just as he was beginning his solo career too.

These guys are legends and pioneers of rap music, they opened doors for so many other rap/ hip-hop artists to get a chance to share their music. Look where we are today, it's 2015 and rap / hip-hop music is still incredibly popular. I think it's official, hip-hop /rap music & culture is NOT a "fad" and it's certainly not going away anytime soon.