Despite profane lyrics, I began to enjoy the power and
intensity of the beats and countermelodies of NWA’s music because they
methodically drove the songs forward. I think the only way that these types of
songs are even bearable to current audiences is the fact that we have become
desensitized to vulgarity and offensiveness in art and music. This is a very
intriguing topic of discussion but I’ll save that for another time. When
pondering how this album was accepted AT THE TIME, however, it is no surprise
that it utterly shocked the masses. I believe that the album did so well at the
time because it was so drastically different and shocking that a lot of people
started talking about it. This peaked interest probably allowed the notoriety
of the album to skyrocket. This album resonated with suburban white kids
because they had never been exposed to such concepts. These innocent kids not
only were appealed to the danger of it all but they probably felt connected to
the injustice of their situation. Because of this, I feel more qualified to
evaluate this type of music even though I do not come from a similar background
as the artists.
This album is interesting because it was the first major
commercially available album that exposed gangster rap on a new hardcore level.
After analyzing other music in the 80s, I could see that rap up until this
point had a rather innocent vibe. Centralized in New York, this earlier rap
didn’t have NEARLY the same amount of swear words or discussion of gross
concepts. As rap shifted towards California, it took on a new sound. While the
beats and rhythms got more intensified which is appealing, their lyrics also
got WAY more dangerous. I feel that the idea that music (and rock for that
matter) is an expression of rebellion is very applicable to this evolution of
rap because this album utterly exposes an exaggerated, but true, view of poor
neighborhoods.
I generally enjoy listening to this music. With passive
listening, I am able to tap my foot to the methodical and repetitive rhythms.
With in depth analysis, however, it is hard for me to take this album seriously
and try to evaluate all the good qualities of it because I can’t bring myself to
look past the lyrics. The lyrics are so vulgar and absurd that it’s almost
laughable at how disgusting and intense they are. If you take the lyrics too
seriously, it will definitely strip the song of any qualities that it has. Despite this, the album takes on a very
different and fresh method of production. As compared to earlier rap in the
decade, this music has much rawer and deeper beats. Additionally, they utilize
a very strong bass line in order to drive the main countermelody. These two
main music aspects are the main reason that these songs are tolerable for me. I
like the heavy beat so much that I can actually block out the disgusting
messages that this album (IN PASSIVE LISTENING). Overall, I actually enjoyed
this album because it was so different than what we have listened to so far.
It’s pure attitude and blatant offensiveness makes me appreciate the guts of
these artists.
When viewing the music videos accompanying several of the
singles off of the album, I gained a greater sense for what NWA was actually
singing about. When I simply listened to the songs I tried to focus a lot on
the rhythms rather than the lyrics but the videos forced me to focus on the
content of the music. They exposed a reality that seems so far removed from my
life. It is hard for me to imagine such a world because of my background but
this makes the music videos so interesting. In their videos, NWA shows the
injustice of the police which were the main authoritative figure in the poor
neighborhoods. Visually, these videos are also different than earlier rap because
they told an explicit story that applied towards the actual song’s story. The
artists also drastically changed the style of clothing in hip hop. They
premiered dress such as baseball caps, sunglasses, and large chains that have
maintained in the genre until present time. I felt more connected with NWA’s
message with the music videos and it added a visual to enhance the already sick
beats and countermelody. Check out the hits off of this powerful album:
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