N.W.A discography
Clockwise from top-left: Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, MC Ren, DJ Yella
Studio albums	2
Compilation albums	6
Video albums	1
Music videos	5
EPs	1
Singles	8

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The cover of 'Gangsta Gangsta' by Snoop Dogg, for example, just doesn't come even close to what the N.W.A version is. Likewise, the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony version of 'F- Tha Police' doesn't come close to capturing the magic of the original.

1. The group's first release was the compilation album N.W.A. And the Posse in 1987, which also featured songs by The Fila Fresh Crew, Rappinstine and Ron-De-Vu. Their debut album Straight Outta Compton followed the next year, which initially reached number 37 on the US Billboard 200; it has since reached number four, and has sold over 1.5.
2. The cover photo is the same as N.W.A’s “Panic Zone” single and features people who do not appear on the record. The album peaked at #39 on Billboard magazine’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

The discography of N.W.A, an American hip hop group, consists of two studio albums, six compilation albums, one extended play (EP), eight singles, one video album and five music videos. N.W.A was formed in Compton, California in 1986 by Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, Arabian Prince and Ice Cube, with The D.O.C. and MC Ren joining later.^[1] The group's first release was the compilation album N.W.A. and the Posse in 1987, which also featured songs by The Fila Fresh Crew, Rappinstine and Ron-De-Vu.^[2] Their debut album Straight Outta Compton followed the next year, which initially reached number 37 on the US Billboard 200; it has since reached number four, and has sold over 1.5 million copies in the US alone.^[3][4] 'Straight Outta Compton', 'Gangsta Gangsta' and 'Express Yourself' were released as singles from the album, all of which registered on the BillboardHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.^[3]

Ice Cube left N.W.A in 1989 due to ongoing financial disagreements.^[1] The remaining members released the EP 100 Miles and Runnin' in 1990, which reached the top ten of the BillboardTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and has since been certified platinum by the RIAA.^[3][5] N.W.A's second and final album followed in 1991: Niggaz4Life, commonly referred to backwards as Efil4Zaggin,^[6] The album's singles were 'Appetite for Destruction' and 'Alwayz into Somethin', neither of which charted in the US.^[3]Niggaz4Life: The Only Home Video was released in 1992, featuring three music videos and previously unreleased footage.^[7] Dr. Dre left N.W.A the same year, at which point the group had essentially disbanded.^[1] Since the group's breakup a number of compilation albums have been released, including 1996's Greatest Hits which reached the top 50 of the Billboard 200.^[3]

Albums[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

List of studio albums with selected chart positions, sales and certifications

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions							Sales	Certifications
		US [3]	US R&B [3]	AUS [8]	GER [9]	IRL [10]	NZ [11]	UK [12]
Straight Outta Compton	Released: August 8, 1988 Label: Ruthless, Priority Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL	4	9	8	36	7	43	35	US: 1,500,000[4]	RIAA: 3× Platinum[13] BPI: Platinum[14]
Niggaz4Life	Released: May 28, 1991 Label: Ruthless, Priority Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL	1	2	—	—	—	—	25	RIAA: Platinum[13]
'—' denotes a release that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Compilation albums[edit]

List of compilation albums with selected chart positions and certifications

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions								Certifications
		US [3]	US Cat. [3]	US Dig. [3]	US R&B [3]	AUS [8]	IRL [10]	NZ [11]	UK [12]
N.W.A. and the Posse	Released: November 6, 1987 Label: Macola Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL	—	—	—	39	—	—	—	—	RIAA: Gold[13]
Greatest Hits	Released: July 2, 1996 Label: Ruthless, Priority Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL	48	5	22	20	9	50	43	49	RIAA: Gold[13] BPI: Gold[14] MC: Gold[15]
The N.W.A Legacy, Vol. 1: 1988–1998	Released: March 23, 1999 Label: Ruthless, Priority Formats: CD, LP, CS	77	—	—	42	—	—	—	—	RIAA: Platinum[13] BPI: Silver[14] MC: Gold[15]
The N.W.A Legacy, Vol. 2	Released: August 27, 2002 Label: Ruthless, Priority Formats: CD, CS	154	—	—	38	—	—	—	—
The Best of N.W.A: The Strength of Street Knowledge	Released: December 26, 2006 Label: Ruthless, Priority Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL	72	6	—	47	33	—	—	—	BPI: Gold[14]
N.W.A and Their Family Tree	Released: September 30, 2008 Label: Ruthless, Priority Formats: CD, DL	—	—	—	38	—	—	—	—
Icon	Released: June 3, 2014 Label: Ruthless, Priority Formats: CD, DL	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
'—' denotes a release that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Extended plays[edit]

List of extended plays with selected chart positions and certifications

Title	Details	Peak chart positions					Certifications
		US [3]	US R&B [3]	AUS [8]	NZ [11]	UK [12]
100 Miles and Runnin'	Released: August 14, 1990 Label: Ruthless, Priority Formats: CD, LP, CS	27	10	33	32	38	RIAA: Platinum[13]

Singles[edit]

List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Peak chart positions										Certifications	Album
		US [3]	US Dan. [3]	US Dig. [3]	US R&B [3]	AUS [8]	CAN [3]	IRL [10]	NZ [11]	UK [12]	UK R&B [16]
'Panic Zone'	1987	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	N.W.A and the Posse
'Straight Outta Compton'	1988	38	—	33	13	—	45	63	—	66	—	RIAA: Platinum[13] BPI: Silver[14]	Straight Outta Compton
'Gangsta Gangsta'		—	45	—	91	—	—	—	—	70	—
'Express Yourself'	1989	—	38	—	45	96	—	—	—	26	13	BPI: Silver[14]
'100 Miles and Runnin'	1990	—	—	—	51	33	—	—	32	38	—	100 Miles and Runnin'
'Alwayz into Somethin'	1991	—	—	—	37	—	—	—	—	60	—	Niggaz4Life
'Appetite for Destruction'		—	—	—	45	—	—	—	—	—	—
'The Dayz Of Wayback'		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
'Chin Check' (featuring Snoop Dogg)	1999	—	—	—	71	—	—	—	—	—	—	Next Friday
'—' denotes a release that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Other charted songs[edit]

List of songs with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Chart peaks				Certifications	Album
		US R&B [3]	AUS [8]	UK [12]	UK R&B [16]
'Fuck tha Police'	1988	25	49	97	22	BPI: Silver[14] MC: Gold[15]	Straight Outta Compton

Videos[edit]

Video albums[edit]

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List of video albums

Title	Album details
Niggaz4Life: The Only Home Video	Released: November 2, 1992 Label: Ruthless, Priority Format: VHS, DVD

Music videos[edit]

List of music videos, showing year released and director(s)

Title	Year	Director(s)	Ref.
'Straight Outta Compton'	1989	Rupert Wainwright	[17][18]
'Express Yourself'			[19][18]
'100 Miles and Runnin'	1990	Eric Meza	[20]
'Appetite for Destruction'	1991	Mark Gerard	[21]
'Alwayz into Somethin'
'Approach to Danger'		DJ Yella, Donovan Smith

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abcErlewine, Stephen Thomas. 'N.W.A Biography'. AllMusic. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
2. ^Henderson, Alex. 'N.W.A and the Posse'. AllMusic. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
3. ^ ^{abcdefghijklmnopqrs}'N.W.A Awards'. AllMusic. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
4. ^ ^ab'Top Five Most Wanted'. Billboard. Vol. 120 no. 32. Nielsen Business Media. August 9, 2008. p. 38. ISSN0006-2510.
5. ^'Gold & Platinum Searchable Database'. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 9, 2015. Note: User must manually search for N.W.A.
6. ^Birchmeier, Jason. 'Niggaz4life - N.W.A'. AllMusic. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
7. ^'N.W.A.: Efil4zaggin - The Only Home Video (1992)'. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
8. ^ ^abcde'Discography N.W.A.'australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
   • The Strength of Street Knowledge: Ryan, Gavin (August 29, 2015). 'ARIA Albums: Disturbed Debuts At No 1 In Australia'. Noise11. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
9. ^'Discographie N.W.A.'germancharts.de (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
10. ^ ^abc'Discography N.W.A.'irish-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
11. ^ ^abcd'Discography N.W.A.'charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
12. ^ ^abcde'N.W.A.'Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
13. ^ ^abcdefg'Certified Awards'.
14. ^ ^abcdefg'Certified Awards'. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 9, 2015. Note: User must manually search for N.W.A.
15. ^ ^abc'Canadian certifications – Nwa'. Music Canada. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
16. ^ ^ab'Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40: 11 September 2015 - 17 September 2015'. Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
17. ^'NWA - 'Straight Outta Compton''. mvdbase.com. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
18. ^ ^ab'Music Videos'. Rupert Wainwright. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
19. ^'NWA - 'Express Yourself''. mvdbase.com. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
20. ^'NWA - 'Hundred Miles and Runnin''. mvdbase.com. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
21. ^Niggaz4Life: The Only Home Video (Media notes). N.W.A. Ruthless Records, Priority Records. 1992.CS1 maint: others (link)

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External links[edit]

• N.W.A at AllMusic
• N.W.A discography at Discogs
• N.W.A discography at MusicBrainz

The new biopic of iconic West Coast rap group N.W.A., Straight Outta Compton (in theaters Friday), may come as a shock to younger viewers. Is that really the Ice Cube who starred in mainstream comedies like Ride Along and Last Friday? Is this the same Dr. Dre who designed my headphones? It’s hard to think of a more stark illustration of how rap went from being the protest music of an angry, marginalized subculture to the multi-unit-selling mainstream genre it is today than the rise and rise of N.W.A.’s two biggest surviving stars.

Twenty-four years ago the idea that Ice Cube would one day wrestle a talking deer in Are We There Yet? would have been unfathomable. This, after all, was the man whose fierce opening verse in 1989’s ‘F—k the Police’ helped prompt the FBI to send a letter to the group’s record distributor advising them that “advocating violence and assault is wrong.” By 1991, N.W.A. was reveling in its self-described role as the World’s Most Dangerous Group, condemned by politicians and law enforcement authorities alike. Straight Outta Compton had sold some 2 million copies, and its hotly anticipated second full album Efil4zaggin (read it backwards) brought the group fresh infamy when it was released in June of that year.

The album’s cover showed N.W.A. — now without Cube, who had left to start a solo career in 1989 after falling out with manager Jerry Heller — as ghosts rising from gunned-down corpses, and its content was no less violent or nihilistic. Songs about violence and sex were punctuated with skits that were just as extreme; the band used the N-word some 249 times. Having been roundly condemned as a menace to society, the group was doing its best to live up to the label. And it worked; the album was banned from some record chains in the U.S., and British authorities, under the authority of the Obscene Publications Act, seized 25,000 copies of the album upon its release. Critics weren’t impressed. TIME’s Jay Cocks branded the album “grotesque” in a July 1991 review, not for its threat to the moral order but for its relentless negativity and misogyny:

N.W.A.’s runaway success was driven not by “street-seasoned bloods,” Cocks wrote. Instead, he continued, the group appealed to white, middle-class teenage boys thousands of miles from South Central L.A. who were looking for a way to rebel (boys like this writer, who remembers listening to a bootlegged tape in late 1991 with a mixture of disgust and riotous glee). Little surprise then that the moral majority believed the hype about N.W.A. being so dangerous. To Cocks, however, they were a danger only to themselves — the threat of being “stifled”, he wrote, by their own “ravening sexism.” It’s a charge that hip-hop has never quite managed to shake even as it moved further into the mainstream, with jiggling booties still common in music videos and female rappers often treated with disrespect or outright hostility.

But a quarter century on, as a new generation prepares to learn about the rise of N.W.A. and the lure of its music, the absence of a truly disruptive band or musician of the moment is striking. Plenty of artists still express their anger at society, especially as the world becomes increasingly aware of inequality, but the top of the pop charts is not usually where those people end up. So who are today’s preteen boys listening to in their private moments of rebellion, who is upsetting the nation’s parents, who is riling up the critics — and who will perhaps sell us headphones in a decade or two?

Read the full 1991 article about N.W.A., here in the TIME Vault: A Nasty Jolt for the Top Pops

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