"Straight Outta Compton" is the debut studio album by American gangsta rap group N.W.A, which formed in Compton, Los Angeles County, in early 1987 under the leadership of Eazy-E. Released by Ruthless Records on August 8, 1988, the album was produced by N.W.A members Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, and Arabian Prince, with lyrics penned by Ice Cube and MC Ren, along with contributions from Ruthless rapper The D.O.C. The album's lyrics depict and often threaten to lead street violence, including attacks on peers and police, most notably in the track "Fuck tha Police," which prompted a warning letter from an FBI agent and bolstered N.W.A's notoriety as "the world's most dangerous group."
Despite limited radio play outside the Los Angeles area, "Straight Outta Compton" received gangsta rap's first platinum certification in July 1989, selling over a million copies. That year, it peaked at number 9 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and at number 37 on the Billboard 200. The album's success and media attention significantly influenced the rap genre's shift towards hardcore, gangsta rap.
A remastered version of the album was released in September 2000 with four bonus tracks, followed by another extended version in December 2007 near its 20th anniversary. In 2015, the biographical film "Straight Outta Compton" reinvigorated album sales, leading to a certification of 3x Multi-Platinum by the year's end. In 2016, it became the first rap album inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and in 2017, it was enshrined in the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
