The All-TIME 100 Albums: Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A

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The All-TIME 100 Albums

33 of 101

By Alan Light Published: November 13, 2006

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ALBUM: Straight Outta Compton

YEAR RELEASED: 1988 LABEL: Priority ARTIST: N.W.A

TIME 100 ALBUMS PODCASTS

PODCAST: Welcome to the All-TIME 100 Albums - the musical compilations of the last half-century that need no introduction. That said, listen in below as music critics Josh Tyrangiel and Alan Light introduce the list and talk about the top albums of the 1950s and '60s.

PODCAST: We know. Twenty-nine of the 100 greatest albums of all time come in the 1970s, and Pink Floyd isn't there. Play this podcast to learn why we picked the titles we did, and if you have something to say, tell us about it using the talkback link below.

PODCAST: Maybe it's a Sign O' The Times that you're listening to critics' audio recordings about great music, but this podcast about how we chose the best albums of the 1980s really is a Thriller. Give it a listen below.

PODCAST: Here's music even the younger set will know by heart. Listen to selected clips from the 1990s through present day as music critic Josh Tyrangiel discusses his picks.

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Rappers had flirted with hardcore themes and street violence before — Schooly-D's "PSK (What Does it Mean?)," "South Bronx" by Boogie Down Productions — but Straight Outta Compton was the hip-hop shot heard 'round the world. Almost twenty years later, virtually all gangsta rap remains a response to or an elaboration of this one album. N.W.A's name — that's short for "Niggaz with Attitude," in case you forgot — was the first sign that this was no ordinary group. From "F--- tha Police" (which earned them a warning letter from the FBI) to "Gangsta Gangsta" and "Dopeman," Dr. Dre's jittery, cinematic production was matched by Ice Cube's unflinching ghetto reportage. Add in group founder Eazy-E's oddly menacing high-pitched snarl, and support from MC Ren and DJ Yella and it made for a true gang-bangin' all-star team. One of the most controversial albums ever released, and one of the most influential.