Editorial / rileysbest

NWA For A New Generation

Have you taken a look at the Billboard charts this week? If not, don’t feel bad, most people usually don’t! Well, if you did, you may have noticed some anomalies – namely the extremely high number of copies of Eazy-E, Ice Cube and Dr.Dre albums that have been moving off of (virtual) shelves since the release of the record-breaking biopic Straight Outta Compton. Interesting, no one is rushing out to cop any Mc Ren solo joints, but I’ll leave that alone. How cool is that, though?

Aside from the obvious NWA sales, it’s interesting to see a mix of old and new heads discovering – and rediscovering – albums like the polarizing Niggaz4LifeIce Cube’s Amerikka’s Most Wanted, and Eazy’s EZ Duz It, which was actually charting this week (serious – number 42!). This movie is shining a spotlight on the expanding catalogue of the Compton institution (and its offshoots). I’m down. Not so much with everyone suddenly draping themselves in Raiders gear but encouraging heads to start delving into hip-hop history is golden.

It makes me hungry for the Tupac biopic by John Singleton, or perhaps a Wu-Tang flick. How about a Gangstarr movie? If it takes a slew of well-made Hollywood movies to keep classic back-catalogues alive for another generation, then so be it! What ever happened to the Juice Crew movie, though?

Riley About Author

Riley here — father, artist, videographer, professional writer and SERIOUS hip-hop head. I'm a member of the Universal Zulu Nation, and I think everything is better on vinyl. Add me on Twitter! @specialdesigns