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What did happen to the posse?

waxjunkywaxjunky 1,849 Posts
edited May 2010 in Strut Central
The cover of the 1987 album N.W.A and the Posse does not look like something released by one of the most important rap groups of all time. Actually, just looking at the photo, who would believe that some of the guys in this alleyway would change the course of popular music forever less than a year after the flashbulb popped? Who would guess these men were capable of creating their own genre of music, putting their fingerprints on nearly every hip-hop song written in the past 20 years? In fact, this picture is a perfect snapshot of one of the most important scenes in the history of popular music. Stare for a moment and you can see a myth about to be born. That myth, gangsta rap, enabled four guys in this picture ? Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren and Eazy-E ? to titillate and terrify America as Compton-based rap group Niggaz With Attitude. The mythical power of N.W.A certainly doesn't come from the clock necklaces, the running pants or the Jheri curls. Look to the left, at the bottles of malt liquor, the plain jeans and the black ball caps. Those props (and that's the right word) hint at what's going on here, which is the gestation of gangsta rap.http://www.laweekly.com/2010-05-06/music/whatever-happened-to-n-w-a-s-posse/

  Comments

  • waxjunkywaxjunky 1,849 Posts
    "It Was a Good Day," arguably the greatest rap song ever recorded.

    Interesting choice.
  • MurdockMurdock 542 Posts
    Still On Broadway I suppose.
  • pimlicosquirrelpimlicosquirrel 772 Posts
    too much?
  • white_teawhite_tea 3,262 Posts
    I don't know if "props" is the right word and I definitely don't know if I'd magnify that point. I do know that the way Eazy is propping up his foot on that empty bottle is a risky move -- that's not going to bear the weight of even a spiry young rapper like him.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    That's a really cool concept for an article. At the same time, I don't recall people tripping out all that much on the cover photo, especially in relation to how much they were freaking out over Boyz n the Hood being on the (let's be real here) cassette. Plus, the most critical background person involved with that release wasn't even in the cover photo. I'm speaking of DOC of Fila Fresh Crew, who had at least 2 tracks on the tape. Of course, DOC went on to record a groundbreaking solo album with Dre and wrote much of the material that Dre and Snoop and crew would get over with bigtime post-NWA.

    And then there's...



    Tracklisting:

    01 - Fila Fresh Crew - I Hate To Go To Work
    02 - J.B. Beat - Freak City
    03 - D.J. Battlecat - D.J. N-Effect
    04 - Digital Underground - Underwater Rimes
    05 - The Arabian Prince & The Sheiks - Situation Hot
    06 - The Unknown D.J. & D.J. Slip - X-Men
    07 - Krushin' MC's - Nightmare On Rhyme Street
    08 - The 2 Live Crew - Revelation
    09 - Ice T - 6 In The Mornin'
    10 - A.T.C. - Cisco Jam
  • JuniorJunior 4,853 Posts
    This seems as good a time to ask about MC Deathrow. There were a couple of tracks by him on one of the many Dre presents Westcoast etc compilations/bootlegs doing the rounds a few years ago. One of the tracks, No Escaping, is a great slice of late eighties NWA style hip hop.

    Can't seem to find anything about this track anywhere. Anyone able to help?
  • edpowersedpowers 4,437 Posts
    Scratch says Eazy-E once asked him to be his DJ, but he refused, out of loyalty to Candyman.

  • novocaine132novocaine132 337 Posts
    for years i thought that krazy d was teh one jerry heller.

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