Antoine Carraby

N.W.A was an American hip hop group from Compton, California, widely considered one of the seminal acts of the gangsta rap sub-genre, sometimes... credited as the most important group in the history of hip hop. Active from 1986 to 1991, the rap group endured controversy due to the explicit nature of their lyrics, and was subsequently banned from many mainstream U.S. radio stations. In spite of this, the group has sold over 10 million CD units in the U.S. alone. The original lineup consisted of Arabian Prince, DJ Yella, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and MC Ren; Arabian Prince embarked on a solo career in 1989 and Ice Cube left in December of that year over royalty disputes. Several members would later become platinum-selling solo artists in the 1990s. Their debut album Straight Outta Compton marked the beginning of the new gangsta rap era as the production and social commentary in their lyrics were revolutionary within the genre. Rolling Stone ranked N.W.A number 83 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time." The group was assembled by Compton-based Eazy-E, who co-founded Ruthless Records with Jerry Heller. Initially, N.W.A consisted of Eazy-E and Dr.
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Ruthless Records is a record label, founded by Gangsta rapper Eazy-E and N.W.A. manager Jerry Heller, in Eazy's hometown of Compton, California in 1987. The label is widely credited with helping to pioneer the gangsta rap genre of West Coast hip hop. Ruthless Records was formed as a vehicle for... releases by N.W.A., as well as member and founder Eric "Eazy-E" Wright; its first successful single was Eazy's "Boyz-n-the-Hood", followed by N.W.A.'s "Dopeman" and "8-Ball", introductory to the group's N.W.A. and the Posse, a compilation album released under the group's name, albeit not on Ruthless. It also put out singles by underground California acts such as Frost and J.J. Fad, but the label's first full-length release was N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton, which was eventually certified multi-platinum. Immediately following this was the release of Eazy's solo debut, Eazy-Duz-It. As the five members went on tour in support of their project, some began to voice their displeasure with the financial situation at Ruthless Records. According to group member MC Ren, it was common opinion that Heller was the one receiving their due: The label also experienced outside pressure due to the group.
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