The song’s set-up mimics a court case, Cube, Ren, and Eazy-E called as witnesses to police brutality. The album’s most notorious offering, “F_ck Tha Police,” may have shaken tender sensibilities and drawn condemnation from the FBI, but NWA reckoned it was the voice of their hood. They were saying it like they felt it, like it or loathe it. The group said they were simply reporting on life in a hitherto disregarded LA suburb. The liberal use of the N-word broke a taboo it wasn’t unheard of in rap, but never so freely scattered.
Above all, it was about uncompromising attitude: you were with it or you weren’t. Ice Cube’s glorious writing and heavyweight mic style Eazy-E’s outlaw charisma Dre’s production allied to Yella’s steely turntablism Ren’s rhyme style: individually all were strong collectively, it was five-way dynamite. Arabian Prince and The DOC were also on hand, though only the former made the Straight Outta Compton cover. MC Ren joined in 1987, just as NWA were ready to drop bombs that included tracks on the album NWA And The Posse. Eazy-E had earned acclaim for his single “The Boyz-N-The-Hood,” penned by Cube with a title to conjure with. Ice Cube had been in CIA, better known to UK B-boys than their US brethren thanks to an appearance on the popular Street Sounds Hip-Hop compilations. They had pedigree Dr Dre and Yella were part of World Class Wreckin’ Cru, who fused R&B and rap with some success. It was more complicated than that, though: if you hadn’t noticed NWA, that was your fault.
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