Black History Music Pt. 15

In celebration of Black History Month, the Ear Candy Update intends to celebrate landmark recordings by black artists that have shaped the collective consciousness, mentality, and sense of cool the world over. Next, N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta Compton."

A megaton bomb hit American popular culture in the summer of 1988. The shockwave ripped holes in politics and social commentary. It cracked the concrete of L.A.'s forgotten neighborhoods and shone a spotlight on racism and hypocrisy. It REALLY pissed people off. Some years later, writing for Rolling Stone, Chris Rock called it the "British Invasion for black people."

The parental advisory for explicit content was intended to deter precious young people from the group's horrifying and comical imagery. It failed miserably -the album is triple platinum.

"You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge."

N.W.A. had little time for the historical context of Public Enemy's work and even less time for anything resembling equivocation or falsehood. N.W.A. weaponized their lyrics - pointing a vulgar magnifying glass at street revenge tales, racial profiling, and ugly turf wars.

The title track was a battle flag woven together from the group's collective experiences. The second track was the assault itself. "Fuck tha Police" erupted and America was scared again. The assistant director of public affairs for the Department of Justice and the FBI, Milt Ahlerich, (because of course his name is Milt) sent a letter to N.W.A.'s management expressing disgust at the content of the song and the entire album. N.W.A. had arrived. 

"Do I look like a motherfucking role model?"

The Wire was perhaps the most critically acclaimed television show of the early 21st Century. When it went off the air after five seasons, it was lauded as the grittiest and most real representation of inner-city life in the history of television. While critics adored it, The Wire never truly connected in the ratings columns. The cast was enormous and mostly black and the show itself detailed the crumbling of a major American city. White America had little interest in watching. "Straight Outta Compton" hit for the exact opposite reason. It was dangerous and loud and brutally raw and all the cool kids had a copy despite the silly parental advisory. 

Black music has directly informed all manner of American life. White folks have long copped from black culture, but they managed to maintain a silent, understood detachment. They were able to enjoy and pretend to be cool while not being directly involved. "Straight Outta Compton" didn't wait for white culture. It jumped directly into society and like a gunshot in the suburbs, it could not be ignored.