N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton [180g] (LP) Vinyl

Straight Outta Compton is the debut studio album by N.W.A., released on 25 January 1989 through Ruthless Records and Priority Records. It was produced by Dr. Dre and DJ Yella, with lyrics written by Ice Cube, MC Ren and Ruthless labelmate The D.O.C. The record moved gangsta rap from a regional Los Angeles concern to the centre of mainstream hip hop, and in July 1989 it became the first gangsta rap album to be certified platinum.

The Album

The album was recorded and produced at Audio Achievements in Torrance, California, during the summer and autumn of 1988, on a budget of around 12,000 dollars. The tracks are built from sampled horn blasts, funk guitar figures, sampled vocals and turntable scratches over a Roland TR-808 drum machine, and Brian Gardner cut the master at Bernie Grundman Mastering. Ice Cube and MC Ren wrote most of the lyrics, including the verses rapped by Eazy-E and Dr. Dre. The D.O.C. takes a verse on "Parental Discretion Iz Advised", the only appearance on the album by a rapper from outside the group.

The opening run of "Straight Outta Compton", the anti-police track printed on the sleeve as "_ _ _ _ Tha Police", and "Gangsta Gangsta" set out the group's platform. The second of those drew a warning letter from an FBI agent to the group's record company, an episode that did as much as anything to establish the group's reputation. The album reached number 9 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 37 on the Billboard 200 in 1989, was certified triple platinum in November 2015, and in 2016 became the first rap album inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

This Pressing

This is the Ruthless Records and Priority Records reissue, pressed on 180 gram heavyweight vinyl as a single LP in a standard sleeve. It carries the original ten track vinyl running order, which is three tracks shorter than the thirteen track sequence issued on CD and cassette: "8 Ball (Remix)", "Something Like That" and "Something 2 Dance 2" do not appear on the record. Copies from the Back To Black and Hip-Hop Heroes run carry a sticker on the shrink wrap and include a voucher to download an MP3 version of the album. Catalogue number 0600753469958, barcode 0600753469958.

Tracklist

Side 1

1. Straight Outta Compton (4:19)
2. _ _ _ _ Tha Police (Fill In The Blanks) (5:46)
3. Gangsta Gangsta (5:37)
4. If It Ain't Ruff (3:34)
5. Parental Discretion Iz Advised (5:16)

Side 2

1. Express Yourself (4:23)
2. Compton's N The House (Remix) (5:20)
3. I Ain't Tha 1 (4:54)
4. Dopeman (Remix) (5:20)
5. Quiet On Tha Set (4:00)

Track 2 is printed on the sleeve and on the record label as "_ _ _ _ Tha Police (Fill In The Blanks)"; it is the song more commonly listed as "Fuck tha Police".