47 Fun Facts About N.W.A

What does the abbreviation N.W.A stand for?

Niggaz Wit Attitudes: the Compton group formed in 1987 around Eazy-E, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube and broke up in 1991.

Which member co-founded Ruthless Records with manager Jerry Heller and assembled the group?

Eazy-E, born Eric Wright, founded Ruthless Records in 1987 with Jerry Heller as partner and manager, bankrolling it with drug-dealing money; he is often called the Godfather of Gangsta Rap.

Which member joined last, in mid-1988, as the sixth man?

MC Ren (Lorenzo Patterson), a Compton friend of Eazy-E, joined in 1988 as the sixth member and wrote much of Eazy-E's solo album Eazy-Duz-It.

What was the group's first release, a 1987 compilation that reached number 39 on the R&B chart?

N.W.A. and the Posse, a November 1987 Macola Records compilation of early Ruthless tracks, preceded the official 1988 debut Straight Outta Compton.

Roughly how much did it cost to record Straight Outta Compton at Audio Achievements in Torrance?

About $12,000: Dr. Dre produced it at Audio Achievements in Torrance in roughly six weeks in 1988, a fraction of a major-label budget.

What US sales level did the RIAA certify for Straight Outta Compton in 2015?

Three million: the RIAA certified Straight Outta Compton triple platinum in 2015, the year of the biopic, despite almost no radio play and MTV's refusal to air the title track's video.

Which song prompted an FBI warning letter to Ruthless and Priority Records in 1989?

Fuck tha Police: FBI assistant director Milt Ahlerich's August 1989 letter to Priority Records cited 78 officers slain in the line of duty in 1988; the letter was later displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In the mock trial framing N.W.A's anti-police anthem, which member plays the judge?

Dr. Dre presides as 'Judge Dre' in the track's courtroom framing, with Ice Cube, MC Ren and Eazy-E taking the stand as witnesses against the police.

Which founding member left N.W.A over royalties around the time of Straight Outta Compton?

Arabian Prince (Kim Nazel), an electro producer on the early Ruthless records, left over money and does not appear at all in the 2015 biopic.

Which pop-rap hit did Arabian Prince produce for the Ruthless girl group J.J. Fad?

Supersonic, J.J. Fad's 1988 Ruthless hit co-produced by Arabian Prince with Dr. Dre and DJ Yella, earned a Grammy nomination and helped fund the label's early days.

Why did Ice Cube leave N.W.A in late 1989?

A dispute over royalties: Ice Cube, who had written much of Straight Outta Compton and Eazy-Duz-It, felt underpaid by manager Jerry Heller and left in December 1989.

Which Eazy-E track, written by Ice Cube and produced by Dre, helped establish gangsta rap in California?

Boyz-n-the-Hood, written by Ice Cube for the New York group HBO, who rejected it, became Eazy-E's 1987 debut single once Dr. Dre produced it.

Ice Cube recorded his 1990 solo debut AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted in New York with which production team?

The Bomb Squad, Public Enemy's production team of Hank and Keith Shocklee and Eric Sadler, made AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted with Ice Cube in New York in 1990.

What was the title of Ice Cube's 1991 diss track answering N.W.A's insults?

No Vaseline, closing Ice Cube's 1991 album Death Certificate, answered the jabs on 100 Miles and Runnin' and Niggaz4Life, attacking the group and Jerry Heller.

The video for the group's 1990 single '100 Miles and Runnin'' showed the remaining members where?

It was Dr. Dre's last uptempo production before he turned to the slower G-funk sound.

What chart milestone did the group's 1991 release Niggaz4Life achieve?

First gangsta rap LP to top the Billboard 200: Niggaz4Life debuted at number two in June 1991 and rose to number one the following week, early in the SoundScan era.

How is the title of Niggaz4Life printed on its cover?

Backwards, to be read in a mirror: the cover lettering reads 'Efil4zaggin', which is why the album is often listed under that reversed title.

Which basketball star's nickname inspired Dr. Dre's stage name?

Julius Erving: Andre Young took 'Dr. Dre' from Erving's 'Dr. J' nickname while DJing at the Compton club Eve After Dark in the early 1980s.

Which label did Dr. Dre help found after leaving Ruthless in 1991?

Death Row Records, founded in 1991 with Suge Knight; Knight pressured Eazy-E into releasing Dre from his Ruthless contract, and Dre's Aftermath followed only in 1996.

Which 1992 Death Row release, Dre's solo debut, opened the feud with Eazy-E?

The Chronic, released in December 1992, carried 'Fuck wit Dre Day', which mocked Eazy-E as 'Sleazy-E' and opened the feud.

Before N.W.A, Dr. Dre and DJ Yella were members of which electro group?

World Class Wreckin' Cru, Alonzo Williams's electro outfit, put out its debut album World Class on Kru-Cut Records in 1985 with Dre and Yella in the lineup.

How much did Apple agree to pay for Dr. Dre's Beats in 2014?

$3 billion: Apple bought Beats Electronics and Beats Music in May 2014 for $2.6 billion in cash plus $400 million in stock, its largest acquisition at the time.

Eazy-E drew criticism in March 1991 for attending a lunch hosted by which politician?

George H. W. Bush: Eazy-E accepted an invitation to a March 1991 Republican Senatorial Inner Circle lunch in Washington hosted by the president, baffling fans and the group.

How long after his AIDS diagnosis did Eazy-E die, on March 26, 1995?

One month: Eazy-E was admitted to Cedars-Sinai in late February 1995 with what he thought was asthma, announced his AIDS diagnosis on March 16, and died on March 26.

Who plays Eazy-E in the 2015 biopic Straight Outta Compton?

Jason Mitchell played Eazy-E in the 2015 biopic Straight Outta Compton, opposite Corey Hawkins as Dr. Dre; Mitchell went on to Mudbound and Detroit in 2017.

Which Ruthless group, mentored by Eazy-E, dedicated the single 'Tha Crossroads' to his memory?

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, the Cleveland group Eazy-E signed to Ruthless in 1993, reworked 'Tha Crossroads' as a tribute after his death; it won the 1997 Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

What was the title of MC Ren's platinum-selling 1992 solo EP?

Kizz My Black Azz, released on Ruthless in June 1992, went platinum and preceded Ren's full-length debut Shock of the Hour in 1993.

After his music career, DJ Yella says he produced more than 300 of what?

Adult films: after his only solo album, One Mo Nigga ta Go (1996), DJ Yella moved into pornography, directing and producing some 300 titles.

Which 1990 EP did Ice Cube release months after AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted?

Kill at Will, released in December 1990, was Ice Cube's first EP and included 'Jackin' for Beats' and 'Dead Homiez'.

In which year was N.W.A inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

2016: after nominations in 2013, 2014 and 2015, N.W.A were inducted on April 8, 2016, with Kendrick Lamar doing the honours.

At which festival did the surviving members reunite in April 2016 after a 27-year hiatus?

Ice Cube, MC Ren, Dr. Dre and DJ Yella took the stage on the second weekend.

Which honour did N.W.A receive in 2024?

The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award: the Recording Academy named N.W.A among its 2024 Special Merit Award recipients alongside Gladys Knight, Donna Summer and Laurie Anderson.

Which magazine gave Straight Outta Compton five stars on first review, a first for a rap album?

The album was placed 70th on its 2020 list of the 500 greatest albums.

In 2017 Straight Outta Compton was selected for preservation in what?

The National Recording Registry: the Library of Congress added Straight Outta Compton in March 2017, one of 25 recordings chosen that year for their cultural, historical or aesthetic significance.

Who directed the 2015 biopic Straight Outta Compton?

F. Gary Gray, who had directed Ice Cube in Friday (1995) and the 'It Was a Good Day' video, shot the biopic in Los Angeles in 2014.

Who plays Ice Cube in the 2015 biopic Straight Outta Compton?

O'Shea Jackson Jr., Ice Cube's eldest son, plays his father in the 2015 film; Aldis Hodge is MC Ren and Neil Brown Jr. is DJ Yella.

Which actor plays manager Jerry Heller in the film?

Paul Giamatti plays Jerry Heller, the group's manager; the film's only Oscar nomination was for Best Original Screenplay.

How much did the biopic gross worldwide?

$201.6 million worldwide, $161.2 million of it in the US and Canada, after opening on August 14, 2015.

Which biopic did Straight Outta Compton overtake in 2015 as the top-grossing US musical biopic?

Walk the Line (2005), the Johnny Cash biopic, had held the record with $119.5 million; Straight Outta Compton passed it on August 27, 2015, and finished at $161.2 million domestic.

Before journalists coined 'gangsta rap', what did the members call their own music, per Ice Cube?

Reality rap: Ice Cube has said the group saw its songs as reporting on Compton street life, and 'gangsta rap' was a press label attached later.

Which Ruthless rapper was the only non-member to rap on Straight Outta Compton?

The D.O.C. raps on 'Parental Discretion Iz Advised', the only outside voice on the album; he also helped write lyrics and followed Dre to Death Row in 1991.

N.W.A toured nationally in winter 1988-89 alongside Ice-T and which East Coast group?

The short tour ran from December 1988 to January 1989, and by the time it ended one of the original producers had quietly quit the group.

'Express Yourself' samples a 1970 funk hit of the same name by which band?

Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band's 1970 'Express Yourself' reached the US top 20; Dr. Dre built N.W.A's 1989 single on its groove, and Labrinth reworked it again in 2012.

How much did the 2015 biopic earn in its opening weekend, topping the US box office?

$60.2 million: opening on August 14, 2015, in 2,757 theaters, it took first place well ahead of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Which October 1993 EP paired 'Real Muthaphuckkin G's' with old photos of Dre in lace and makeup?

It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa, released in October 1993, printed Dre's World Class Wreckin' Cru-era photos in lace and makeup and answered 'Fuck wit Dre Day' by branding Dre and Snoop 'studio gangsters'.

Before founding Ruthless Records in 1987, Eric Wright belonged to which Compton gang?

Kelly Park Crips: Eric Wright ran with the Compton set and dealt drugs as a teenager, later using the money to start Ruthless Records; his father was a postal worker and his mother a school administrator.

During a 1990 staff strike, an Australian station looped 'Express Yourself' how many times in a row?

82: in 1990 striking Triple J staff put N.W.A's 'Express Yourself' on repeat for 82 consecutive plays, a protest that became part of the station's folklore.