The Interpretation of an Anti-Police Brutality Song (and It's Not Rock)
Rock and hip hop have been intertwined for quite some time now. What today is considered classic hip hop was popular about the time classic rock was born. In essence, while classic rock was born to provide something for listeners who prefer classics over the modern rock of the day, today classic hip hop has emerged for the very same reason.
What set the hip hop of that time apart from today's hip-hop is the fact that many of the songs told stories and had messages. Issues covered included teenage pregnancies, the economy, and many issues prominent in the black community - most noteably, racial profiling and police brutaility.
With the recent George Floyd death, I felt it'd be a good idea to veer off course and actually talk about something else.
The image above depicts the band Ni**az Wit Attitudes (N.W.A.). Formed in 1987, they issued their debut album Straight Outta Compton. The album sold well but included a song that while not released as a single, caught national (and even international) attention for its strong lyrics against police brutality.
The FBI Spoke
Parts of the song's lyrics were contraversial as they were thought to condole violence against members of law enforcement. It was these lyrics that actually prompted the FBI to send a letter to Ruthless Records addressing the issues.
However, MC Ren responded shortly thereafter stating that the song's goal was not to condole violence against police, but to make people aware of the issue with police brutaility.
Aussies React:
To add more heat, Australian Top 40 radio station, Triple J Radio, was one of the FEW stations to actually have a RARE copy of the song. As such, they played it for a few months. It was then that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC much like our American Broadcasting Association), took notice and banned the song. To get even, Triple J elected to play N.W.A.'s third single from Straight Outta Compton, Express Yourself, over a 24-hour period.
After the fact
F***k that Police was only the start of the gangsta hip hop era. Three years later, Tupac's self-titled debut album, 2Pacalypse Now, came under fire as it was perceived that violence against police was condoled again after four Houston area police officers were assassinated.
Apart from N.W.A. and Pac, many other rappers made songs addressing police brutality in the black community such as Jay-Z, and Chamillionaire.
What set the hip hop of that time apart from today's hip-hop is the fact that many of the songs told stories and had messages. Issues covered included teenage pregnancies, the economy, and many issues prominent in the black community - most noteably, racial profiling and police brutaility.
With the recent George Floyd death, I felt it'd be a good idea to veer off course and actually talk about something else.
The image above depicts the band Ni**az Wit Attitudes (N.W.A.). Formed in 1987, they issued their debut album Straight Outta Compton. The album sold well but included a song that while not released as a single, caught national (and even international) attention for its strong lyrics against police brutality.
The FBI Spoke
Parts of the song's lyrics were contraversial as they were thought to condole violence against members of law enforcement. It was these lyrics that actually prompted the FBI to send a letter to Ruthless Records addressing the issues.
However, MC Ren responded shortly thereafter stating that the song's goal was not to condole violence against police, but to make people aware of the issue with police brutaility.
Aussies React:
To add more heat, Australian Top 40 radio station, Triple J Radio, was one of the FEW stations to actually have a RARE copy of the song. As such, they played it for a few months. It was then that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC much like our American Broadcasting Association), took notice and banned the song. To get even, Triple J elected to play N.W.A.'s third single from Straight Outta Compton, Express Yourself, over a 24-hour period.
After the fact
F***k that Police was only the start of the gangsta hip hop era. Three years later, Tupac's self-titled debut album, 2Pacalypse Now, came under fire as it was perceived that violence against police was condoled again after four Houston area police officers were assassinated.
Apart from N.W.A. and Pac, many other rappers made songs addressing police brutality in the black community such as Jay-Z, and Chamillionaire.
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