Zack: I’ve listened to Straight Outta Compton before, although only a handful of times. I distinctly remember the last time I listened to it because it was the day after the grand jury decided not to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown. I, like a lot of people I think, was pretty horrified and angry. The Department of Justice has since released a report saying that Wilson acted in self-defense and I am willing to believe the DOJ on this matter, but a man died and that was at least taking to a formal trial setting, I believe. I spent most of the day after stewing in my frustration, and I naturally drifted toward albums which talked about these issues to soundtrack my disgust. Straight Outta Compton was one of them. It’s fascinating (and very depressing) that an album that came out the same year as He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper could speak so clearly to the events of today. And it’s even more fascinating when you consider the public outcry to black men expressing themselves that occurred then, in light of the fact that when I’m writing this Colin Kaepernick is dominating headlines for refusing to stand for the national anthem. And that, ultimately is what I think makes this album so special. If you isolated only the musical contributions, it would still be worth including in this list. I’ve listened to a fair number of albums that came out the same year as Straight Outta Compton (The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, Love Live the Kane, By All Means Necessary, and Follow the Leader for example) and nothing I’ve heard sounds like this. Dre and Yella really changed the sound of rap by building songs more around the bass than the drums. The rapping is solid, and I will go to my grave arguing that MC Ren is terribly underrated as a rapper. The lyrics have their grimace-inducing moments (like all of I Ain’t Tha 1), but they are more often than not clever and powerful. But beyond all of that, this album stars a conversation, and it’s one we’re still talking about today. That’s what makes it one of the most influential rap albums of all time.
Favorite Tracks: Fuck Tha Police; Straight Outta Compton; Parental Discretion Iz Advised
Emily: Last year, Zack and I, along with another friend, went to see the movie Straight Outta Compton. I was reluctant to go at first, because I wasn't sure how much interest I would have in a movie about gangsta rap in the late '80s, especially a group I had barely listened to before. Turns out I was wrong - I really enjoyed the movie. I left the theater feeling like I learned a lot about N.W.A. and their place in both music history and the larger cultural dialogue about the black experience in America. And that experience led me to pick Straight Outta Compton, the album, to listen to for this blog now. Many of the songs, particularly Fuck Tha Police and the title track, were featured heavily in the movie to show how controversial yet prescient the group was in 1988. While there are songs on this album that are embarrassingly sexist and outdated, the ones that stood out back then remain relevant to the issues facing the world today. Both Straight Outta Compton the movie and the album reflect a particular era in music and history, but tell stories and reflect a mood of discontent that remain startlingly relevant today.
Favorite Tracks: Straight Outta Compton; Fuck Tha Police; Parental Discretion Iz Advised
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