N.W.A. is a legendary gangsta rap group from the United States, which had a huge impact on the hip-hop industry as a whole. The collective was founded in 1987, but it didn’t exist for long. Its original lineup included such famous rap artists as Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Eazy-E. N.W.A. is considered to be the group that invented the canon of gangsta rap.
Meaning and history
In early 1987, Compton native Eric Lynn Wright, who had made a decent amount of money selling drugs, something he had been doing since high school, decided to use the capital to start his own business and create a hip-hop label, Ruthless Records.
Subsequently, Wright met Andre Romell Young, aka Dr. Dre, rapper O’Shea Jackson, aka Ice Cube, rapper MC Ren, DJ Yella, and Arabian Prince. For a complete “set” in the newly formed group called N.W.A., Wright himself stood behind the microphone, taking the pseudonym Eazy-E. The band’s name stood for Niggas Wit Attitudes.
Initially, the group did not define their music as “gangsta rap”, because in order to get popularity, it was necessary to meet the requirements of the music market and write music that would be played on the radio and TV. But things didn’t go according to plan.
The group N.W.A. made a colossal impact on hip-hop, and few dared to deal with these guys because of their hard-hitting lyrics. In fact, N.W.A. actually became hip-hop’s first banned group. N.W.A. songs were not played on the radio, music videos were not shown on MTV, and concerts were canceled time and again. At those rare concerts that did take place, the band was refused protection by law enforcement agencies, and in general, the band was forbidden to perform their most protesting and popular hits.
However, their first album Straight Outta Compton went double platinum despite the unthinkably harsh content of the time. The album was released on August 8, 1988, and took the gangsta rap genre to a new level.
In terms of visual identity, the legendary rap group was sharp and dramatic. The intense color and uneven contours of the lettering made the super simple composition look creepy and violent.
1988 – 1991
The main part of the gangsta-rap band logo was composed of just three blood-red letters N.W.A. The cover of the band’s first album, Straight Outta Compton, was written on top of the photo with six grumpy band members, staring into the camera, leaning over a man lying on the floor. At the bottom of the image, there was the name of the album was spray-painted.
Incidentally, the first Parental Advisory warning label in American music history. Explicit Content was featured on this very cover.
Font and color
The bloody-red hue of the hand-drawn lettering of the official N.W.A. logo perfectly represents the spirit of the band and the mood of their lyrics, just like the shapes of the uppercase characters. Blood, guns, harsh language, and violence — those are the main associations with the gangsta rap genre in general and the iconic hip hop band in particular.