Rewind: N.W.A. 'Straight Outta Compton' (Part 3)

It's fitting that our final look at N.W.A.'s debut album 'Straight Outta Compton' is post #187. Not only did the album murder the competition in 1988 (released on August 8th, 21 years ago tomorrow), it murdered Los Angeles' electro leanings and ushered in the age of G-Funk.

Ice Cube flies solo on N.W.A.'s track 'I Ain't the 1', produced by Dr. Dre and DJ Yella. The quirky song samples Brass Construction's 'The Message (Inspiration)' from their 1976 album 'Brass Construction II'. On the 'Dopeman' (Remix), N.W.A. rhyme over Herman Kelly and Life's essential B-boy cut 'Dance to the Drummer's Beat' from the 1978 album 'Percussion Explosion', but heavily re-released on the grey market later through the Ultimate Breakbeats series. N.W.A.'s b-side cut 'Quiet on tha Set' samples George McCrae's 'I Get Lifted' and former Five on It breakbeat of the month 'Rock Creek Park' by the Blackbyrds, produced by the inimitable Donald Byrd. On the album's final track, 'Something 2 Dance 2', N.W.A. join with L.A. legend Arabian Prince for a throwback electro dance number that samples the beat from Sly and the Family Stone's 'Dance to the Music' as well as 'You're the One for Me' by D-Train.

Following 'Straight Outta Compton', Ice Cube left the group over money disputes. In 1990, Ice Cube released his solo debut album 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' while N.W.A. followed with the '100 Miles and Runnin'' EP and 1991's 'Efil4zaggin' before dissolving entirely. In 1992, Dr. Dre found success on his own with his breakthrough debut album 'The Chronic'. Eazy-E would only release 2 EPs before his untimely death in 1995.

The Lowdown:
N.W.A. 'I Ain't the 1', 'Dopeman' (Remix), 'Quiet on tha Set', and 'Something 2 Dance 2'
from 'Straight Outta Compton' (1988) (MP3/CD)
Brass Construction 'The Message (Inspiration)'
from 'Brass Construction II' (1976) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Herman Kelly and Life 'Dance to the Drummer's Beat'
from 'Percussion Explosion' (1978) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
George McCrae 'I Get Lifted'
from 'Rock Your Baby' (1974) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The Blackbyrds 'Rock Creek Park'
from 'City Life' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Sly and the Family Stone 'Dance to the Music'
from 'Dance to the Music' (1968) (MP3/CD)
D-Train 'You're the One for Me'
from 'You're the One for Me' (1982) (MP3 not available/Import CD)

Related Posts:
Rewind: Ice Cube 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' (Part 1)
Rewind: Ice Cube 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' (Part 2)
Rewind: Ice Cube 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' (Part 3)
Rewind: Dr. Dre 'The Chronic' (Part 1)
Rewind: Dr. Dre 'The Chronic' (Part 2)
The Breaks: Sly and the Family Stone 'Dance to the Music'
Five On It: April 2009's Essentials (Blackbyrds appearance)

Rewind: Notorious B.I.G. 'Ready to Die' (Part 2)

The track that introduced much of the world to B.I.G. was the album's lead smash single 'Juicy', which would go gold by the end of 1994. For one of Biggie's trademark songs, Sean "Puffy" Combs and Jean Oliver looped segments of Mtume's 80s hit 'Juicy Fruit'. More than a decade after its release as a single, 'Juicy' is still one of the necessary tracks in every DJ's arsenal: it is an essential party mover.

The Bluez Brothers produced 'Everyday Struggle' samples smooth jazz icon Dave Grusin's 1979 song 'Either Way' from his album 'Mountain Dance'. 'Ready to Die''s second single was another smash hit, the Sean "Puffy" Combs / Chucky Thompson produced 'Big Poppa' launched into the Billboard top 10 in 1995. The track famously mines 'Between the Sheets' by the Isley Brothers to fantastic results. Combs and Oliver dissect George McCrae's 'I Get Lifted' for Biggie's 'Respect'. 'Respect' features guest vocals from Diana King, who would receive a record deal due to this appearance and go on to have a solo hit with 'Shy Guy'.

Check back for part 3 of 'Ready to Die'.

The Lowdown:
Notorious B.I.G. 'Juicy', 'Everyday Struggle', 'Big Poppa', and 'Respect'
from 'Ready to Die' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: 'Juicy', 'Everyday Struggle', 'Big Poppa', and 'Respect'
Mtume 'Juicy Fruit'
from 'Juicy Fruit' (1982) (MP3/CD)
Dave Grusin 'Either Way'
from 'Mountain Dance' (1979) (MP3/CD)
The Isley Brothers 'Between the Sheets'
from 'Between the Sheets' (1982) (MP3/CD)
George McCrae 'I Get Lifted
from 'Rock Your Baby' (1974) (MP3 unavailable/CD)

BONUS CUT:
Of course, Biggie was not the only one to use 'Juicy Fruit' as a sample. Warren G's self-produced singles 'Do You See' and 'This D.J.' both pluck 'Juicy Fruit' (and both slightly pre-date 'Ready to Die', although both albums were probably produced around the same time). Several B.I.G. referencing tracks also use 'Juicy Fruit', like the Faith Evans' 2001 album title track 'Faithfully and the 2007 hit 'Let it Go' by Keyshia Cole produced by Missy Elliott who also appears along with Lil' Kim.