NWA - Niggaz4life (18 tracks) +Album Reviews

If You Like "The Chronic"...

Dustin H. | Indpls, IN | 12/19/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you've never heard this album before, you are either only 15 or have been asleep since 1990, either way you missed out on one helluva ride. NWA made all the headlines with their first album, "Straight Outta Compton," but on "Niggas4Life," they nearly acheived perfection. Granted, had Ice Cube never left the group, this album would be considered one of the greatest of all time ,but that is a "what if." Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, MC Ren and Yella had their backs against the wall after Cube left, amid an array of diss songs, Dee Barnes beatings, etc. Quite simply, they came out swinging. Dre and Ren handle most of the lyrics themselves, spinning wild and gruesome tales of murder, pimpin', and how it relates to L.A., while Eazy provides the punchlines. This formula was masterful, despite the complaining that Eazy wasn't on the album enough. .... Dr. Dre and Yella provide the ultimate soundscape for their hardcore flows, and most of the album strongly hints at what was to come with the whole "g-funk" sound. Like it states above, if you like "The Chronic," pick up "Niggas4Life," it will not disappoint."

If this is trash then so is The Chronic by Dr. Dre

liveon14887 | 03/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Some of you people reviewing this album really makes me laugh my a** off the seat! Some of you people giving this album a negative look are really stupid, aren't you? Let me ask you a question, a question that's gonna get to you at one point- "if this is considered trash, why aren't classic rap albums such as The Chronic (Dr. Dre) and Grip it On that Other Level (Geto Boys) considered trash too?" I am not saying that they're trash (true rap classics, to be honest) but I'm trying to get a point across. You can't possibly say this album is rubbish and then go and praise the other 2 gangsta rap albums as classic because that just doesn't make sense. Whoever said this is more mean-hearted than The Chronic, what are you talking about? You must be listening to 2001 if you truly believe that. Have you ever heard of A Nigga Witta Gun, The Day the Niggaz Took Over, Wit Dre Day, B*tches Ain't Sh*t, Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat etc? What about the Geto Boys' releases, Let a Ho Be a Ho, Mind of a Lunatic, Gangsta of Love, Do it Like G.O. etc. were considered magnificent songs, but you can't say none of the songs here are good? Think about it.

Niggaz4life, to me, is a classic rap album. Songs like Real Niggaz Don't Die and Niggaz4life explores the world of the black man, while songs like She Swallowed It and Just Don't Bite It talks about prostitution, rape and sex. A "sequel" to F*ck tha Police is featured on this limited edition called Sa Prize 2, which has some EXTRAORDINARILY FUNNY SKITS. 100 Miles and Runnin', to me, is one of N.W.A.'s best songs, with its ruthless, run-away beat. Appetitite for Destruction and Approach to Danger are songs to look forward to here. Even though they're dark and violently sung, they are classic examples of what gangsta rap sounded like back then.

It's true when Ice Cube left the group, the group fell off but this album proved they could do it without Cube. If you want to witness Dre's best rhymes, they're featured here. His rhymes are ruthless and hard and he delivers them with much energy and life. Eazy and Ren have never sounded better and Yella is still on the instruments, giving 'em noise. The only bad point about this album is the disses against Cube. "We're gonna find you and f*ck you wit a broomstick, think about, punk ass muthaf*cka", funny but their disses against Cube went no where when Cube destroyed them with No Vaseline.

Many people have noted that when Cube left, N.W.A. died. Someone said it was like a T.V. without a remote, useless. Someone said he was the heart of N.W.A. I'm referring Cube to an arm, coz when he left, they were left with one strong arm (Dre, if Dre left with Cube, N.W.A. truly would have been destroyed) and still they stood on their own two feet. Peace."

Strongest album of all time

liveon14887 | 07/19/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Despite its comedy, Niggaz4Life is in many ways a sad album. Ice Cube had left, and the boys were doing their best to continue after being written off. The production on this album is superb and is coupled with some great rapping, especially from the late Eazy-E. The amount of coarse language may offend many people, but it acts as two things; comedy and impact. The album also features several scenes featuring a cameraman being shot at an NWA concert, the band shooting a prostitute and a guy who's been arrested swearing his head off. Excusing the vulgarity and the comedy, there are some really good rap numbers like "Real Niggaz Don't Die", "Findum, F***um and Flee" and "The Dayz of Wayback". NWA were the revolution, but by the end of the album, the wheels had fallen off and the group had stopped working as a unit. Eazy-E does not rap enough on the album and is left to two hilarious solo numbers including "Automobile" which resemble! s a bar-room singalong. The final track, "The Dayz of Wayback" is an indication that there wasn't going to be anymore. A great album, for those who are not easilly offended."

EFIL4ZAGGIN

Thomas Bryant Law | Dallas, TX | 07/02/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Even after loosing their premier lyricist Ice Cube, N.W.A. released another classic record before the group broke up for good. Without Cube's in-your-face political rymes the group was definately less threatening, but Dr. Dre truly upped his game to create some of the best production heard in that day making this album classic for completely different reasons than those that made STRAIGHT OUT OF COMPTON a classic. Dre was coming into his own more than ever with production that signified what was to come with his solo debut and legendary album THE CHRONIC. The beats are all alot smoother than the raw, Bomb Squad influenced sound of their previous work. With such excellent production the fact that MC Ren was no Ice Cube didn't even matter and Eazy E's unique vocals complimented the music and made it appealing to the ears. While the lyrics here are often refered to as parodic (and rightfully so) they are often quite entertaining succeeding the most when they are comedy based. In back to back to back sex tracks "Automobile", "She Swallowed It" and "I'd Rather F*** You" the guys narate sexcapades even Too Short and 2 Live Crew couldn't top that will make anyone laugh. "Automobile" actually sounds like a guy playing piano in a 1890's saloon and would seem extremely out of place on this album, but fits in perfectly due to it's lyrical content. Of course the guys don't hold back from taking shots at former partner Ice Cube either in the heat of the battle between them. This record may not be as groundbreaking as STRAIGHT OUT OF COMPTON, but it's another stepping stone forward toward the landmark LP THE CHRONIC and is still a very enjoyable listen today."

Essential listening

jo18_ | 12/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you thought that DMX was "hard" and Eminem was "shocking", then you aint heard nothing yet. Before them, stood the true masters and pioneers of gangsta-rap, causing more shockwaves, and controversy across America than any other rap group since. Niggaz with Attitudes were the guys who started it all, elevating hip hop into mainstream conciousness, marketing music about the realities of ghetto life, to white, middle-America. So much outrage, that even the FBI intervened to censor publication of their records. Beat that Slim shady!!!
This is an undeniable classic. Forget about NWA's much remembered "Straight outta Compton"-this followup surpasses the heights reached from the groups debut album. From the onset, "Niggaz4Life" has you gripped,with its raw intensity, and gangsta bravado. The music is dark, dangerous and threatening, bringing the listener into a world of chaos, despair, violence and misogyny. You can almost sense the security of your surroundings loosening, metamorphosising into a world, where pushers, thieves, pimps, hoes and gangsters, provide the only focus of reality. The sidewalks of South Central, are brought to you, with all the ferocity from the buckshot of a 12 gauge shotgun. The harshnest in voice from the likes of Ren and Dre, provides the perfect deliverance of unsanitised, explicit lyricism. What seperates this album from "Straight Outta Compton" is the way in which NWA have stepped up a gear, bringing the fans a combination of full on extremities, dark humour, and progression in musical accomplishment. Listen to "SOC", and you'll find the music incorporates the usage of the typical electronic keyboard sounds prevalent in the 1980s (which were kinda cheesy and non-threatening). In "Niggaz4Life", the background music has shifted into a more sinister, dangerous theme, providing the foundations for the West-coast G-funk sound of the early nineties. The instrumentals alone, for "N4L", could provide a musical score, within a horror movie.The standout tracks are "Real Niggaz Don't Die", "Niggaz 4 Life","Alwayz into Somethin" "Real Niggaz" and "The Dayz of Wayback"-probably the best one of the lot.Eminem's lyrics are supposed to be "shocking" in todays society. Pah!! The Marshall Mathers LP pales down to insignificance compared to "N4L". I feel the same energetic intensity today, which I felt seven years ago, every time I pick up this album. If you want to know what quality, genuine gangsta rap is about, without the thugged-out nonsense which seems to be defecating the charts today, then listen to this album. It is definetely one of the greatest rap albums ever made, regardless of the crudility involved. Possess it now."

Search - N.W.A. :: Niggaz4life

CD Details

Similarly Requested CDs

CD Reviews