Niggaz4Life

Niggaz4Life
Studio album by
Publication (s)	May 28, 1991
admission	July 1990 - March 1991
Label (s)	Ruthless / Priority / EMI
Format (s)	CD · Vinyl · MC
Genre (s)	G-Funk · Gangsta-Rap
Title (number)	18th
running time	55:35
production	Eazy-E ( exec. ) · Dr. Dre · DJ Yella
Studio (s)	Audio Achievements, Torrance , California
chronology 100 Miles and Runnin ' (1990) Niggaz4Life -
Single releases 1991 Alwayz into Somethin ' 1991 Appetite for Destruction 1991 Approach to Danger

Niggaz4Life (also known as EFIL4ZAGGIN ) is the second and final studio album by the US West Coast rap group NWA . The group split shortly after the album was released after Dr. Dre and songwriter The DOC went to Death Row Records . On the album are Eazy-E , Dr. Dre, MC Ren and DJ Yella represented, Arabian Prince left the band in 1988, Ice Cube in the same year as well. Although the group no longer appeared here in the original line-up and with Ice Cube, a rapper important to the group left the band, the album was a success and debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 and then climbed to first place in the second week .

In 1992, a few months after the album was released, NWA published the documentary Niggaz4Life: The Only Home Video , in which the making-of of the album is documented, as well as the three music videos for the single releases Alwayz into Somethin ' , Appetite for Destruction and Approach to Danger on the video cassette or DVD.

Niggaz4Life was re-released in 2003 in two different formats. In addition to the original title list, both formats contained the EP 100 Miles and Runnin ' , another version was also released on the DVD Niggaz4Life: The Only Home Video .

content

Title of the album

The name of the album was already announced in the previously released EP 100 Miles and Runnin ' , but you can only hear this if you own a record of the EP. If you play the song Kamurshol backwards, you can hear Niggaz for life in the backward message . Because of the pejorative term " nigga " for people of color , the album was also referred to as Straight Out of Compton 2 in some places .

Cover

The cover of the album shows a crime scene with four corpses, all of which have been covered with a white sheet. There is a barrier around the corpses, which is guarded by police officers. Onlookers civilians stand at the barrier. DJ Yella, Eazy-E, Dr. Dre and MC Ren are portrayed as souls rising from the covered corpses. It is noticeable that the title of the album is shown in mirror writing due to political and financial reasons .

Controversy over the content and the album title

Compared to the previous album Straight Outta Compton , the lyrics were much harder in terms of misogyny , for which the album was notorious. The last nine songs on the album contain explicit sexist allusions and mentions of sexual practices. This provoked the PMRC as well as liberal and conservative politicians in the country, including the civil rights activist C. Delores Tucker .

The racist word "nigga" may have influenced the introduction of the censorship into the US music industry. After the album was released, it was removed from store shelves in the UK .

Track list

#	title	Performer (s)	length
1.	Prelude	MC Ren, Eazy-E, Above the Law	2:27
2.	Real niggaz don't die	Dr. Dre, MC Ren, Eazy-E	3:40
3.	Niggaz 4 Life	MC Ren, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E	4:59
4th	protest	(Interlude)	0:53
5.	Appetite for Destruction	Dr. Dre, MC Ren, Eazy-E	3:22
6th	Don't drink that wine	(Interlude)	1:07
7th	Alwayz into Somethin '	Dr. Dre, MC Ren, Admiral D	4:25
8th.	Message to BA	(Interlude)	0:48
9.	Real niggaz	MC Ren, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, DJ Yella	4:27
10.	To kill a hooker	(Interlude)	0:50
11.	One less bitch	MC Ren, Dr. Dre	4:47
12.	Findum, Fuckum & Flee	Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, CPO	3:55
13.	Automobiles	Eazy-E, Dr. Dre	3:15
14th	She Swallowed It	MC Ren	4:13
15th	I'd Rather Fuck You	Eazy-E	3:57
16.	Approach to Danger	MC Ren, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E	2:45
17th	1-900-2-Compton	(Interlude)	1:27
18th	The Dayz of Wayback	MC Ren, Dr. Dre, Admiral D	4:15

Number of appearances

Artist	Number of appearances
MC Ren	Appears in 11 songs
Dr. Dre	Appears in 9 songs
Eazy-E	Appears in 9 songs
DJ Yella	Appears in a song

Chart placements

album

Chart (1991)	Top position
Billboard 200	1
Billboard Top R&B / Hip-Hop Albums	2

Singles

year	song	Chart position
		Hot R&B / hip-hop songs	Hot rap songs
1991	Appetite for Destruction	45	2
1991	Alwayz into Somethin '	37	1

criticism

Professional reviews
Reviews
source	rating
Allmusic
Blender
Pitchfork Media	8.8 / 10
RapReviews	9/10
Robert Christgau	C−
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone

The album was largely positively received by critics. The sometimes extremely violent and, especially in the second half of the album, misogynistic music was criticized, but above all the work of Dr. Dre and DJ Yella, who, according to Jason Birchmeier from Allmusic, would skillfully mix funk elements with "tough beats" .

Tom Doggett of RapReviews wrote that the lyrics would reach a new "shock level" after the previous album Straight Outta Compton . It's like a "good horror movie" because it floats through your head and takes your breath away. The musical element of the album is overwhelming and creates a dense environment in which one would have a Wes Craven- like experience. As a piece of rap history, Niggaz4Life is inevitable and necessary.

Rolling Stone rated the album less positively . Arion Berger wrote on July 11, 1991 that the group had less to prove on their second album, but also had less to say. Listening to them is like "loud guys at a neighborhood barbecue," boasting and telling lies about sex. The first half of the album is about violence, the second half about misogyny. The musical style can be inspiring, but the lyrics about life on the street are "just exhaust gas" , which comes from Straight Outta Compton . For some, Niggaz4Life is something of a party, but not everyone is welcome.

Web links

• Discography at Discogs
• Discography at eazy-e.com

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Niggaz4Life at Allmusic (English). Retrieved February 1, 2017.
2. ^ Pitchfork Media Review
3. ↑ RapReviews Review
4. ^ Robert Christgau Review
5. ^ Rolling Stone Review
6. ^ Rolling Stone Review