It was the first time you heard a particular note, drum beat or electronically created sound that made your ears tingle, your heart skip a beat and resonated with your soul. This is “My Song” – a series where the music that makes the person is spotlighted. James Bullock writes about a N.W.A song that inspires him to this day.
For fans of rap music, August 2015 has been something of a nostalgia trip thanks to the theatrical release of “Straight Outta Compton”. The movie focuses on the rise and fall a genre-defining group known around the world as N****z wit Attitudes (or simply known as “N.W.A”). The sheer, unadulterated rawness of their lyrics, the themes of their albums and a penchant for wordplay made them a force in not only the music industry, but also made them a target of the United States government. But no matter what anyone tells you, their message went beyond sociopolitical issues. There were times when the quintet wanted everyone listening to know that one can thrive by being himself/herself.
Sampling Charles Wright’s song of the same name, one of the few profanity-free songs in the group’s catalogue saw Dr. Dre take the lead and talk about people not living up to their potential because they either strived to be like everyone else, let the demons of their environment get the better of them, sold out of the sake of monetary gain, or went about achieving success in the wrong manner (or all four). Though it might come across as kind of hokey when you compare it to the true hardcore, original gangsta tunes that occur before and after the track, the power behind the words that flow out of Dr. Dre’s mouth are just as true today as they were when he first recorded another piece of what would turn out to be one of the most influential albums in the history of music. Be proud of whom you are and what you do to reach the depths of your potential.
