N.W.A. Legacy 1 1988-98 [Explicit Lyrics]

N.W.A. | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 23, 1999)
• Original Release Date: March 23, 1999
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Label: Priority Records
• ASIN: B00000I9AU
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,953 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Straight Outta Compton

2. Boyz-N-Tha Hood [Remix]

3. It Was a Good Day [Remix]

4. Dead Homiez

5. Steady Mobbin'

6. Guerillas in tha Mist

7. Westside Slaughterhouse

8. Bow Down

9. The Gangsta, The Killa and the Dope Dealer

10. Only in California

See all 13 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Westsyde Radio Megamix

2. We Want Eazy

3. Trust No Bitch

4. Fuck tha Police

5. Alwayz into Somethin'

6. No One Can Do It Better

7. California Love

8. Keep Their Heads Ringin'

9. Let Me Ride

10. Natural Born Killaz

See all 13 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Random censoring and some glaring omissions, October 31, 2004

By 

Jason Harland - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: N.W.A. Legacy 1 1988-98 (Audio CD)

At first glance this is a good CD set, though what you won't find out until you buy the CD and listen to it is that some tracks are "radio freindly" edits while other songs remain true to the "Explicit Lyric" stickers designed back in the day especially for artists like NWA.

To me it's an injustice to NWA to put censored versions of their songs on a compilation CD labeled as their legacy. If you're going to come, come correct and put the real versions of EVERY NWA song on the CD, don't mix and match Radio Edits and Explicit content, NWA was not, and is not a radio friendly band. If you want to put out an all clean version of the CD that's fine, but then put out an all explicit version of the CD as well to truely show those too young to remember exactly what the legacy of NWA is. It was groups like NWA and 2 Live Crew that prompted the record industry to create explicit lyric stickers as the profanity spewed on albums such as "Straight out of Compton" was unheard of at the time. To make a long story short you can't do the legacy of the first gangsta rap band justice by censoring the raw emotions invoked by the profanity in their lyrics.

There were also a lot of tracks I'd have liked to see on this two disc set that didn't make it. "Automobile" and "100 Miles & Runnin'" form the CD with the aforementioned name would have been welcome additions. Would have been nice too to throw on "Panic Zone" or anything from "NWA and the Posse" which featured The Arabian Prince when he was still a member of NWA.

This 2 CD set left me with a sour taste in my mouth, mostly due to the censorship of some of the songs included. Case in point: the remix of "It was a good day", I loved the disco beat in the background but it was completely ruined the second I heard Ice Cube swerve off to the clean version of the song.

Avoid this set, and buy NWAs released CDs, then you can relive their legacy as it was meant to be remembered.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Have for Fans of Gangsta Rap, December 4, 2001

By 

B. Foster "thamacdaddy" (Olathe, KS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: N.W.A. Legacy 1 1988-98 (Audio CD)

In the historical context of hip-hop, N.W.A. should be as celebrated as Run-DMC, the Sugarhill Gang and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5. Where the latter's "The Message" was the first cut to speak to its unintended audience (suburban white kids) about what they didn't see on television regarding urban life, N.W.A. pioneered a prideful disdain of the establishment, and of urban dwellers to simply "accept" the caste system in which they lived. The most significant track, "(...)Tha Police", was never as honored as "The Message", but was just as poignant. I only wish they had included more bona-fide hits, but otherwise a good buy. "California Love" is a good add, as is "Steady Mobbin", but where's "EZ Duz It"? The exclusions are what forces me to rate this as less than a '5', but I still highly recommend this 2-CD package.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Off Da Hook. This is a great collection of old tracks., April 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: N.W.A. Legacy 1 1988-98 (Audio CD)

N.W.A is the best when it comes to gangsta rap. No one has made an impact with this genre of rap than N.W.A. This Cd brought back a lot of memories.