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Straight Outta Compton (song)

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"Straight Outta Compton"
Single by N.W.A
from the album Straight Outta Compton
B-side"Fuck tha Police"
ReleasedJuly 10, 1988 (1988-07-10)
Recorded1988
StudioAudio Achievements
(Torrance, California)
Genre
Length
  • 4:18
  • 4:03 (clean version)
  • 4:54 (extended mix)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
N.W.A singles chronology
"Panic Zone"
(1987) 		"Straight Outta Compton"
(1988) 		"Gangsta Gangsta"
(1988)
Music video
"Straight Outta Compton" on YouTube

"Straight Outta Compton" is a song by American hip hop group N.W.A. It was released on July 10, 1988 as the lead single from their debut album of the same name. It also appears on N.W.A's Greatest Hits with an extended mix and The Best of N.W.A: The Strength of Street Knowledge. The song samples "You'll Like It Too" by Funkadelic, "West Coast Poplock" by Ronnie Hudson and the Street People, "Get Me Back on Time, Engine No. 9" by Wilson Pickett, and most famously, "Amen, Brother" by The Winstons. It was voted number 19 on About.com's Top 100 Rap Songs,[2] and is ranked number 6 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.

In 2015, "Straight Outta Compton" debuted at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the issue dated September 5, 2015 as a result of the recent releases of the group's film of the same name and Dr. Dre's Compton; it was the highest debut on the chart that week.[3] This became the group's first top 40 hit song, in large part due to lack of airplay since N.W.A was banned from many radio stations in the 1980s, charting 27 years after its initial release and 24 years since the group originally disbanded.[4][5][6][7][8][9] In 2021, Rolling Stone listed the song at #248 on their updated list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[10]

Content

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"Straight Outta Compton" is a hip hop song. The group N.W.A. comes from Compton in Southern California. The opening verse is rapped by Ice Cube. MC Ren delivers the second, and Eazy-E the third verse. Dr. Dre does the intro as well as introducing Eazy E's verse. Eazy-E also introduces MC Ren's verse.

Tributes

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The song, especially Ice Cube's verse is referenced quite often by rappers, and not infrequently by Cube himself. In the song "Compton" by The Game, he says "Nigga, I'ma keep on stompin', comin' straight outta Compton".

Music video

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The video, directed by Rupert Wainwright, features Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy-E, MC Ren, Krazy Dee, and DJ Yella. The video shows the group walking and posing throughout various parts of the city of Compton. Ice Cube and Ren are chased by the police during their verses, arrested, and put in a holding van. Eazy-E's verse shows him riding alongside the van in a convertible, yelling at the driver who ignores him. As the van leaves the neighborhood local residents throw rocks at it. In the clean version of the video, profanities have edited lyrics by rappers' voices, including words like "fuck" changed to "get" from time to time with different words as well. It first aired in May 1989.[11]

Cover art

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The record cover image for the Straight Outta Compton single and maxi-single covers, known as "The Bleacher Shot" was created by Greek-American photographer (and regular Priority Records free-lancer), Ithaka Darin Pappas. The black and white version of the picture used on the cover was converted from the color original. The picture, which was not scheduled to be used as a cover image, was made spontaneously on March 14, 1989 at MacArthur Park, Los Angeles while NWA was waiting for a film crew to arrive at the park to interview them. The Bleacher Shot has also been used as a color poster for Word Up! and as part of NWA's induction ceremony and official printed program of the 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in Brooklyn, New York presentation.[12][13][14][15][16]

Charts

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Charts

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Chart (2011–15) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[17] 63
UK Singles (OCC)[18] 66
US Billboard Hot 100[19] 38
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[20] 13
US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[21] 9

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[23] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Graves, Wren (August 5, 2017). "How N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton Made Gangsta Rap the New Reality". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on October 21, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  2. ^ "Top 100 Rap Songs". About.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2008.
  3. ^ "Billboard Hot 100, September 5, 2015". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  4. ^ "After 27 Years, N.W.A Finally Cracked Billboard's Hot 100". 25 August 2015. Archived from the original on 28 August 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  5. ^ "N.W.A Takes Over Charts, Gets First Top 40 Hit on Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2015-08-28. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
  6. ^ "N.W.A Finally Has Their First Top 40 Hit - SPIN". 25 August 2015. Archived from the original on 28 August 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  7. ^ "N.W.A. Score First Top 40 Hit with "Straight Outta Compton"". Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
  8. ^ "NWA charts on Billboard Hot 100's Top 40 for the first time with "Straight Outta Compton" single". 25 August 2015. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  9. ^ "THE GAMUTT-- WebMag: #NWA scores 1st ever Top 40 HIT on #Billboard! Make HUGE strides BACK on the CHARTS!". Archived from the original on 2016-06-30. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
  10. ^ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 15 September 2021. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  11. ^ "Straight Outta Compton". MVDBase. Archived from the original on May 15, 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2007.
  12. ^ "BLAZEDMADE INTERVIEW VOL.001, ITHAKA DARIN PAPPAS – Blazedmade". Archived from the original on 2019-03-29. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  13. ^ "Meet the Greek-American Artist Who Shot N.W.A's Earliest Promo Photos". The Hundreds. 30 September 2015. Archived from the original on 2019-05-14. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  14. ^ ""BEYOND SOUTH CENTRAL" Eazy e & NWA photographs ...by: Ithaka Darin Pappas: N.W.A. At MacArthur Park, LA - Photographer: Ithaka Darin Pappas © 1989". 25 January 2016. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  15. ^ "N.W.A. Slam Gene Simmons, then pose for a selfie at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame". Mashable. 9 April 2016. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  16. ^ "• music hip hop rap Poster old school Ice Cube eazy e nwa westcoast dr. Dre Straight Outta Compton 1989 mc ren ruthless records dj yella Word Up! Magazine Rap Scans NWAscans genevanheathen •". Archived from the original on 2017-10-12. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  17. ^ "Chart Track: Week 37, 2015". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  18. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  19. ^ "N.W.A Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  20. ^ "N.W.A Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  21. ^ "N.W.A Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  22. ^ "British single certifications – Nwa – Straight Outta Compton". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  23. ^ "American single certifications – N.W.A. – Straight Outta Compton". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
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