The idea of a Gangster Rap group to being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame is a remarkable feat in itself. This group channeled the talents of Easy-E (Eric Wright), Ice Cube (O 'Shea Jackson Sr.), Dr. Dre (Andre Young), MC Ren (Lorenzo Patterson), DJ Yella (Antoine Carraby), and the inconsistent but valued contributions of The D.O.C. (Tracy Curry) and Arabian Prince (Kim Nazel), all under the guidance of manager Jerry Heller. Easy E, often referred to as ‘The Godfather of Gangsta Rap’, is still considered one of the most vital pioneers of rap music. He dropped out of high school to join a gang and sell drugs at a young age, but turned to music when his cousin was shot and killed. He established Ruthless Records and had experienced successful beginnings of a solo career when he became a founding member of N.W.A. He gained huge commercial successes both within and without the group by the time he died of aids at age 30. He was buried in a gold casket wearing jeans and a Compton hat. Jerry Heller was a well known manager at the time, having worked with bands like: Journey, Marvin Gaye, Crosby Stills and Nash, Ike & …show more content…
This track has a prominent and fairly consistent funky bass groove that features blue notes of the R&B tradition that act as a warning against xenophobia- just because the notes sound different or unsettling, doesn 't mean they are ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’. This track is also laced with an eerie and suspenseful riff during Eazy-E’s arrest to highlight the daunting racial tensions being displayed by the lyrics, borrowing from the style of Horrorcore. This track features many different versions of sirens, gunshots, helicopters, and screaming. I also noticed sounds of dogs barking in the background of one section, which could represent the threat of intimidating police dogs, or draw attention to the fact that many people in these unsafe neighborhoods would invest in large fear-provoking dogs to guard their property and discourage anyone that would otherwise attempt to rob or harm them. It also features the appropriate sound effects to accompany the scenes where the cop is pulling someone over. There is also a piece of the song where a group of people, likely the jury and court-goers, are gossiping in the background. This song makes great use of rests to emphasize the most crucial and hard-hitting lyrics. In music, a rest is called an ‘organized musical silence’, but I would call this song an ‘organized musical act