- Fuck tha Police
Infobox Song
Name = Fuck tha Police
Artist =N.W.A
Album =Straight Outta Compton
Released = 1988
Format =
Recorded = 1988 inMenlo Park, California
Genre =Gangsta rap Protest song
Length = 5:43
Label = Priority/Ruthless
Writer =Ice Cube ,MC Ren ,Eazy-E
Producer =Dr. Dre ,DJ Yella
track_no = 2
prev = "Straight Outta Compton"
prev_no = 1
next = "Gangsta Gangsta"
next_no = 3Audiosample
Upper caption = Music sample
Name = Fuck tha Police
Audio file= N.W.A - Fuck Tha Police.ogg:"This article is about the
N.W.A song. For theJ Dilla song of the same name, seeFuck The Police (J Dilla song) .""Fuck tha Police" is a
protest song by thegangsta rap groupN.W.A on the album "Straight Outta Compton ". Despite not being a single, it ranked #417 onRolling Stone 's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and is the group's only song on the list.Inspiration
N.W.A was inspired to write the song after
Dr. Dre andEazy-E were stopped bypolice officers, arrested and held at gunpoint for carrying out a series of drive-bypaintball shootings.Dr. Dre and the later Eazy-E were so disgusted by what they thought was mistreatment at the hands of the police, that they immediately went to the studio to record the song which became an instant
gangsta rap anthem .Dre recalls: "It was me and Eazy riding around. He had this paintball gun, and he was shooting people at bus stops. The cops caught us and we were face down on the freeway with guns pointed at us. We thought it was bullshit. So we went to the studio and created the song. So we said fuck the police cuz cops are fuckin pigs who think everything's a god damn crime!"Fact|date=October 2008
Content
"Fuck tha Police" is a mock court scene, in which the "Police Department" is put on trial, with
Ice Cube ,MC Ren , andEazy-E playing the role of the prosecution. Judge "Dre" is presiding and the trial is described as being "N.W.A versus the police department". Rapped "testimonies" expressing anger at perceivedracism andpolice brutality in abrasive, violent language are delivered by Ice Cube, the following are the most crass lyrics to the song.Cquote|Ice Cube:: "Fuck tha police comin straight from the underground: "A young
nigga got it bad 'cause I'm brown": "I'm not the other color so police think": "They have the authority to kill a minority"MC Ren:
: "Lights start flashin' behind me.: "But they're scared of a nigga so they mace me to blind me": "But that shit don't work, I just laugh": "Because it gives 'em a hint not to step in my path"
Eazy-E:
: "Without a gun and a badge, what do you got: "A sucker in a uniform waiting to get shot": "By me, or another nigga": "And with a gat it don't matter if he's smaller or bigger."
At the end of the song, "Judge Dre" delivers the verdict: "The jury has found you guilty of being a redneck, white bread, chickenshit
motherfucker " —— "you" referring to a police officer who represents theLos Angeles Police Department . The police officer's reaction is: "But wait, that's a lie! That's a goddamn lie! I want justice! I want justice! Fuck you, you black motherfucker...!" as he is apparently being dragged out of the courtroom.Impact
The song "Fuck tha Police", containing N.W.A's trademark inflammatory lyrics, stood out in particular from many of the songs on "Straight Outta Compton." It highlights many of the tensions between black urban youth and the police (widespread resentment towards the LAPD boiled over 3 years later, in the
1992 Los Angeles riots following theRodney King incident). The song also alleged that minorities in the police department betrayed their race, with lyrics such as:Cquote| "And on the other hand, without a gun they can't get none: "But don't let it be a black and a white one": "Cause they'll slam ya down to the street top": "Black police showing out for the white cop"
Especially controversial were the areas of the song that appear to condone violence towards police authorities; lines such as "I'm a sniper with a hell of a scope/Taking out a cop or two, they can't cope/with me" and "A sucka in a uniform waitin' to get shot/by me, or anotha nigga" directly reference the murder of police officers. The FBI and the U.S. Secret Service sent a letter to
Ruthless Records informing the label of their displeasure with the song's message, and N.W.A were banned from performing at several venues. The controversy around the single helped propel sales for the album and, ultimately, helped make it go double platinum.This song has proven popular enough to be covered by such acts as
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony , Public Enemy, as well as gaining popularity with rock bands, including Dope,Soulfly andRage Against the Machine .This song was included on "N.W.A's Greatest Hits".In
1989 , Australian radio stationTriple J had been playing "Fuck tha Police" for up to six months, before gaining the attention ofAustralian Broadcasting Corporation management who subsequently banned it. As a reaction the staff went on strike and put N.W.A's "Express Yourself" on continuous play for 24 hours, playing it roughly 360 times in a row.In1996 , during massive opposition street protests inBelgrade , Serbia "Fuck tha Police", along with Public Enemy's "Fight the Power " was continually played for 2 days on a Belgrade radio station B92. This was a form of expression of most people's feelings towards police and state regime.References
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