Niggaz4Life | |
---|---|
Studio album by N.W.A | |
Released |
28 May 1991 |
Recorded |
September 1990 - March 1991 |
Genre |
Hip hop, West Coast hip hop, gangsta rap, horrorcore, hardcore hip hop |
Length |
55:33 |
Label |
|
Producer |
N.W.A chronology | |
---|---|
Previous |
100 Miles and Runnin' (1990) |
Next |
Greatest Hits (1996) |
Niggaz4Life is the second studio album by American gangsta rap group N.W.A, released in 1991 by Ruthless and Priority Records. Released three years after their 1988 debut album Straight Outta Compton, the album features only four members of the original line-up, as Arabian Prince and Ice Cube had left the group in 1988 and 1989 respectively. In comparison to its predecessor, the album was heavier on misogyny, for which it became notorious. The album's final nine songs were laden with more sexist profanity and references to various sexual acts, provoking attacks from the IRC, liberal and conservative politicans, and civil rights activist C. Delores Tucker. It was the group's final album, as they disbanded later the same year after the departure of Dr. Dre and songwriter The D.O.C. for Death Row Records.
Niggaz4Life debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, but in its second week reached No. 1. In 1992, several months after the release of the album, N.W.A released a video entitled Niggaz4Life: The Only Home Video, which chronicled the making of the album and its three music videos, "Alwayz into Somethin'", "Appetite for Destruction" and "Approach to Danger". In 2003, the CD was re-released in two formats. Both had the EP 100 Miles and Runnin' appended to the end of the original track listing, but one was available with a DVD copy of Niggaz4Life: The Only Home Video.
Release and reception[]
Critical reception[]
Accolades[]
- Ranked #1 in The Source's Top 15 Albums of 1991 list in 1991[16]
- Ranked #7 in MTV's Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time list in 2005[17]
Commercial performance[]
The album debuted number 2 on the US Billboard Top LPs chart.[18] The second week it climbed up to number 1, making it the first hardcore rap album ever to do so. The album has sold over 2 million copies in the US alone.
Track listing[]
All songs produced by Dr. Dre & DJ Yella.
No. | Title | Performer(s) | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Prelude" | Dr. Dre, MC Ren, Above the Law | Patterson, Young | 2:27 |
2. | "Real Niggaz Don't Die" | Dr. Dre, MC Ren, Eazy-E | Carraby, Curry, Patterson, Wright, Young | 3:40 |
3. | "Niggaz4Life" | MC Ren, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E | Curry, Patterson, Young | 4:58 |
4. | "Protest" | - | - | 0:53 |
5. | "Appetite for Destruction" | Dr. Dre, MC Ren, Eazy-E | Curry, Long, Patterson, Young | 3:22 |
6. | "Don't Drink That Wine" | - | - | 1:07 |
7. | "Alwayz into Somethin'" | Dr. Dre, MC Ren, Admiral D | Curry, Patterson, Young | 4:25 |
8. | "Message to B.A." | - | - | 0:48 |
9. | "Real Niggaz" | MC Ren, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E | Carraby, Patterson, Wright, Young | 4:27 |
10. | "To Kill a Hooker" | - | - | 0:50 |
11. | "One Less Bitch" | MC Ren, Dr. Dre | Curry, Young | 4:47 |
12. | "Findum, Fuckum & Flee" | Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, CPO | Carraby, Patterson, Wright, Young | 3:55 |
13. | "Automobile" | Eazy-E, Dr. Dre | Wright | 3:15 |
14. | "She Swallowed It" | MC Ren | Patterson | 4:13 |
15. | "I'd Rather Fuck You" | Eazy-E | Carraby, Wright, Young | 3:57 |
16. | "Approach to Danger" | MC Ren, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E | Carraby, Curry, Patterson, Wright | 2:45 |
17. | "1-900-2-Compton" | - | - | 1:27 |
18. | "The Dayz of Wayback" | MC Ren, Dr. Dre, Admiral D | Curry, Patterson, Young | 4:15 |
Sample credits[]
|
|
Appearances[]
Artist | Notes | MC Ren | performs on 11 tracks |
---|---|---|---|
Dr. Dre | performs on 9 tracks | ||
Eazy-E | performs on 9 tracks | ||
DJ Yella | performs on 1 track |
Charts[]
Album[]
Charts (1991) | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard 200 | 1 |
U.S. Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | 1 |
Singles[]
Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | "Alwayz into Somethin'" | U.S. Hot 100
U.S. R&B U.S. Rap |
--
37 1 |
1991 | "Appetite for Destruction" | U.S. Hot 100
U.S. R&B U.S. Rap |
--
45 2 |
Certifications[]
Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) | 2x Platinum | 2,500,000 |