Over at Detour, our man Johnny Loftus takes a look back at NWA’s classic “Straight Outta Compton” video:
“Ren’s a ruthless villain and we know this, but so is Officer Cliche driving around LA there, right? If he’s looking for something to arrest, he should start with Cube’s haircut.”
To answer Johnny’s “Where were you when you first heard it?” query: Freshman year of college, some sporty dude in my dorm made me a tape with Straight Outta Compton on one side and Eazy Duz It on the other. My life was never the same. This would eventually lead to me scouring the used bins for everything sampled on every hip-hop album I would ever hear.
And to this day, every single time I hear anyone utter the simple phrase, “Me neither,” I can’t help but thinking — and if I’ve had enough to drink, shouting out loud — HO, GO HOME AND WASH OUT YOUR BEAVER! Yeah, that’s me.
Where were you when you first heard NWA?
I first heard NWA in 1988 while driving to Grand haven, Michigan in Bob Powers’ Cutlas (with T-Tops).
And Jake, the first time you heard Eazy lyrics was when I rapped “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt” in a tent in Grand Haven later that summer. Yes, ’cause when the shit hits the fan it’s outta my mouth!
I remember that. I was in my extreme Morrissey phase wherein I despised all other contemporary music — especially “urban” music, even though just a few years before I discovered the Smiths, I was a huge Fat Boys fan and even saw them in concert with New Edition and UTFO! — and you told me about this hilarious rap song that you actually liked. I probably scoffed. But clearly, it sunk in…