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Hip Hop at 50: Holla If Ya Hear Me: N.W.A.

N.W.A.

Sepia-toned photo of a music video shoot showing three African American men. One of the Men, rapper Eazy-E, is shown in the middleground, looking off-camera.Unexpected. Shocking. Flawed. Revolutionary. Worthy.

N.W.A.'s improbable rise from marginalized outsiders to the most controversial and complicated voices of their generation remains one of rock's most explosive, relevant, and challenging tales. From their Compton, California, headquarters, Eazy-E (Eric Wright), Dr. Dre (Andre Young), Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson), MC Ren (Lorenzo Patterson), and DJ Yella (Antoine Carraby) would – by force of will and through unrelenting tales of street life – sell tens of millions of records, influence multiple generations the world over, and extend artistic middle fingers to the societal barriers of geography, respectability, caste, authority and whatever else happened to get in their way. More on rockhall.com...

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