Niggaz4Life

Niggaz4Life (also known as Efil4zaggin, on-cover writing all caps and mirrored) is the second and final studio album by gangsta rap group N.W.A, released on May 28, 1991. It was their final album, as the group disbanded later the same year after the departure of Dr. Dre and songwriter The D.O.C. to form Death Row Records; the album features only four members of the original line-up, as Ice Cube and Arabian Prince had already left the group in 1989 and 1988 respectively. Niggaz4Life debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200, but in its second week peaked at number 1.

Niggaz4Life
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 28, 1991 (1991-05-28)
Recorded1990–91
StudioAudio Achievements, Torrance, California[1]
Genre
Length55:35
Label
Producer
N.W.A chronology
100 Miles and Runnin'
(1990)
Niggaz4Life
(1991)
Greatest Hits
(1996)
Singles from Niggaz4Life
  1. "Alwayz into Somethin'"
    Released: April 15, 1991
  2. "Appetite for Destruction"
    Released: May 18, 1991
  3. "The Dayz of Wayback"
    Released: 1991

In 1992, several months after the release of the album, N.W.A released a video named 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 2002, 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.

In comparison to its predecessor, the album was also heavier on misogyny, for which it became notorious. The songs on the album's second half featured more profanity, sexist themes, and references to various sexual acts, provoking the ire of the PMRC,[3] liberal and conservative politicians, and civil rights activist C. Delores Tucker.[4]

Accolades

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Blender[6]
Robert ChristgauC−[7]
Pitchfork8.8/10[8]
Los Angeles Times[9]
RapReviews9/10[10]
The Rolling Stone[11]
Washington Post(favorable)[12]
  • Ranked #1 in The Source's Top 15 Albums of 1991 list in 1991[13]
  • Ranked #7 in MTV's Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time list in 2005[14]

Commercial performance

The album debuted number 2 on the US Billboard Top LPs chart.[15]

Track listing

Songwriting credits are adapted from the CD liner notes.[16] All songs produced by Dr. Dre and DJ Yella.[16]

No.TitleWriter(s)Performer(s)sLength
1."Prelude"MC RenMC Ren, Above The Law2:27
2."Real Niggaz Don't Die"MC Ren, The D.O.C.MC Ren, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E3:40
3."Niggaz 4 Life"MC Ren, The D.O.C.MC Ren, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E4:58
4."Protest" (Interlude)  0:53
5."Appetite for Destruction"MC Ren, The D.O.C., KokaneMC Ren, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E3:22
6."Don't Drink That Wine" (Interlude)  1:07
7."Alwayz into Somethin'"MC Ren, The D.O.C.MC Ren, Dr. Dre4:24
8."Message to B.A." (Interlude)  0:48
9."Real Niggaz"MC Ren, The D.O.C.,MC Ren, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E4:27
10."To Kill a Hooker" (Interlude)  0:50
11."One Less Bitch"MC Ren, The D.O.C.MC Ren, Dr. Dre4:47
12."Findum, Fuckum & Flee"MC Ren, The D.O.C., CPO,MC Ren, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E3:55
13."Automobile"Eazy-EDr. Dre, Eazy-E3:15
14."She Swallowed It"MC RenMC Ren4:13
15."I'd Rather Fuck You"Eazy-EEazy-E3:57
16."Approach to Danger"MC Ren, Eazy-EMC Ren, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E2:45
17."1-900-2-Compton" (Interlude)  1:27
18."The Dayz of Wayback"MC Ren, The D.O.C.MC Ren, Dr. Dre4:15
2002 bonus tracks: 100 Miles and Runnin'
No.TitleWriter(s)Performer(s)Length
19."100 Miles and Runnin'"MC Ren, The D.O.C., Cold 187umMC Ren, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E4:32
20."Just Don't Bite It"MC RenMC Ren5:28
21."Sa Prize (Part 2)"MC RenMC Ren, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E5:59
22."Kamurshol"MC RenMC Ren, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E1:56

Sample credits

Appearances

ArtistNotes
MC Renperforms on 11 tracks
Dr. Dreperforms on 9 tracks
Eazy-Eperforms on 9 tracks
DJ Yellaperforms on 1 track

Charts

Charts (1991) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200[17] 1
U.S. Top Current Albums[18] 1
U.S. Top Album Sales[19] 1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[20] 1
UK Albums (OCC)[21] 25

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[22]
sales since 2002
Silver 60,000
United States (RIAA)[23] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. "N.W.A* - Efil4zaggin / 100 Miles And Runnin' (CD, Album)". Discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  2. https://hiphopdx.com, HipHopDX- (28 July 2015). "efiL4zaggiN: N.W.A.'s 4gotten Masterpiece". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  3. "Popular music restrictions in america in the late 1980s/early 90s (1991)". Ed Cox. 1990-06-09. Archived from the original on 2016-03-28. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  4. "Gangsta Misogyny by Edward G. Armstrong - JCJPC, Volume 8, Issue 2". Albany.edu. 1998-04-19. Archived from the original on 2012-09-20. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  5. Jason Birchmeier (1991-05-28). "Niggaz4life - N.W.A | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2016-09-24. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  6. Chairman Mao. "N.W.A: Straight Outta Compton/Efil4Zaggin". Blender. New York. Archived from the original on April 19, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  7. "Robert Christgau: CG: N.W.A". Robertchristgau.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  8. "N.W.A." Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2016-05-30. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  9. Gold, Jonathan (June 2, 1991). "Cringe a Minute (Again) With N.W.A". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 29, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  10. "N.W.A. :: Efil4Zaggin :: Ruthless/Priority Records". Rapreviews.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-04. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2007.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. "STRONG WORDS FROM ICE-T AND N.W.A." washingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2017-01-01.
  13. Admin (4 April 2010). "Rap Research Archive: The Source Awards for 1991". Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  14. "MTV.com". Archived from the original on 2006-12-15. Retrieved 2016-12-20.
  15. Brandon Gaille (5 February 2015). "25 Good Hip Hop Demographics". BrandonGaille.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  16. Efil4Zaggin [inside sleeve] (Media notes). N.W.A. Ruthless Records. 261 464.CS1 maint: others (link)
  17. "Niggaz4Life". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2019-12-17. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  18. "Niggaz4Life - Top Current Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2019-12-17. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  19. "Top Album Sales". Archived from the original on 2019-12-17. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  20. "N.W.A Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  21. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  22. "British album certifications – Nwa – Efil4zaggin". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  23. "American album certifications – N.W.A. – EFIL4ZAGGIN". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 7, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.