"Boyz-n-the-Hood" is the debut single by Eazy-E, then leader of a new rap group, N.W.A. Released in March 1987, the single was a local hit, reissued, by year's end on the unauthorized compilation album N.W.A. and the Posse.
Background
Eric Wright, who founded Ruthless Records in 1986, had tasked the Ruthless songcrafting team—record producer Dr. Dre, aided by DJ Yella and Arabian Prince, and ghostwriter Ice Cube—to draft the song in line with Wright's vision. But once a rap group signed from New York City rejected it, Wright rapped it himself, dubbed Eazy-E. In 1988, having gained rapper MC Ren, N.W.A released its official debut album, Straight Outta Compton.
While N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton album spurred the Los Angeles area's hip hop to drop electro and rapidly go hardcore, the rappers still called it "reality rap", whereas news media would soon call it "gangsta rap".[citation needed] Meanwhile, also in 1988, a "Boyz-n-the-Hood" remix arrived on an N.W.A companion album cheekier, Eazy's debut album Eazy-Duz-It. After N.W.A's disbanding in 1991, Eazy's EP titled It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa, released in 1993, brings another remix, "Boyz N tha Hood (G-Mix)".
In 1986, in Compton, a city in Los Angeles county, Eric Wright, a local drug dealer, founded Ruthless Records via industry knowledge and connections of music manager Jerry Heller and via musical talent and recording facilities brought by Dr. Dre and Arabian Prince, two DJs, record producers, and recording artists successful locally. The team drew Ice Cube, member of the local rap trio C.I.A., to ghostwrite lyrics. In early 1987, Wright invited the recently NYC-signed rap group “H.B.O”, or Home Boys Only, to the Audio Achievements recording studio in nearby city, Torrance, to record the Ruthless songcrafting team's song "Boyz-n-the-Hood".
With a rough instrumental draft already recorded by Dr. Dre, assisted by DJ Yella and Arabian Prince, H.B.O., appraising the lyrics still on paper, rejected the song and walked out. Left sitting in the studio without Ice Cube present to start with, Dre and Yella encouraged Wright to rap the song himself.[9] To get each line rapped in timing with its bar, they recorded line by line across two days, recalls DJ Yella.[10][11] Still, the first-time rapper, dubbed Eazy-E, brought a distinctive voice and persona. As released, the single musically samples rap group Whodini's song "I'm a Ho". And it vocally samples rap group the Beastie Boys' song "Hold It, Now Hit It" as well as two soul classics, Jean Knight's song "Mr. Big Stuff" and, in closing, The Staple Singers' song "I'll Take You There".
Content
In the "Boyz-n-the-Hood" lyrics, Eazy-E is the protagonist and tells a story of an ordinary day “in the hood.” The song details E seeing a friend KeyLow-G after KeyLow-G has stolen a car. KeyLow-G brags to E about committing grand theft auto. E then relates a story of a prior friend, JD who became addicted to crack and attempted to steal E's car radio. E chases JD to call a truce, but JD pulls a .22 calibrepistol on E. Unbeknownst to JD, E has a 12 gauge and he ends up killing JD. Eazy, "bored as hell", went to a spot where his friends gather. There E drinks alcohol and then goes to get his girlfriend for sex. At her home, they get into an altercation and E slaps his girlfriend. Her father witnesses this and jumps up yelling at E. E then hits her father knocking him unconscious.
Later, Eazy wrecked his own car and as he was walking witnessed the arrest of KeyLow-G. E attempted to bail KeyLow-G out, but bail was denied due to a riot KeyLow-G started while he was in lock up. At his trial, KeyLow-G was given a six-year sentence for his crimes as this was KeyLow-G's fourth offense. Probably anticipating a long jail sentence, Kilo had planned to have his girlfriend Suzy help him to escape. At the code word “fire” which KeyLow-G yelled out, Suzy entered the court room with a "sub machine Uzi". The plan did not work and Suzy was shot. KeyLow-G and Suzy were then both charged with attempted murder.
Versions
The original version of the song, which was released on 1987's N.W.A. and the Posse contained only the five verses, starting with the line 'Cruisin down the street in my six-fo'. Slight lyric changes are also present in the album version.
The remix version, which was released on Eazy-E's 1988 debut album Eazy-Duz-It, contains a prologue that has Eazy-E describing playing "Gangsta Gangsta", a track from N.W.A's 1988 album Straight Outta Compton, then announcing he will be playing his own song, which is in fact the rest of the song "Boyz-n-the-Hood", and the song continues.
Both the original version and the remix versions of "Boyz-n-the-Hood" appear on the 1989 12" maxi-single. They are featured on side A, while the original and remixed versions of "Dopeman" appear on side B.[12]
The song was played on the Up In Smoke Tour. Dr. Dre played this song as a tribute to Eazy-E, with the crowd singing the chorus.
Critical reception and legacy
Jeff Chang describes "Boyz-n-the-Hood" as "an anthem for the fatherless, brotherless, state-assaulted, heavily armed West Coast urban youth" and Eazy-E's rap style as "a deadpan singsong...perhaps as much a result of self-conscious nervousness as hardcore fronting."[13]
Rolling Stone ranks the song as among the 20 greatest West Coast rap songs that preceded N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton. Critic David Drake commented: "It was a day-in-the-life record that was less concerned with commentary or critique than simply conveying a lifestyle."[14] Also writing for Rolling Stone, Brian Hiatt compares the subject matter in "Boyz-n-the-Hood" to "6 in the Mornin'" by Ice-T and "P.S.K. What Does It Mean?" by Schoolly D.[15]
In 2004, the song was re-imagined and sampled by rapper Jim Jones on his debut album On My Way to Church. His version was called "Certified Gangstas", and featured Bezel and Cam'ron.[16]
Hispanic rap group Brownside did a remake to the song called "Vatos in the Barrio" on their 1999 album Payback. The instrumental of the original is remade, and the lyrics are slightly different but keep the main structure of the Eazy-E version.
Shwayze uses one of the lines from "Boyz-n-the-Hood" in his song "Lost My Mind" on his album Shwayze; the line he uses is "Woke up at about noon just thought that I had to be in Compton Soon".
Track 8 (Disc 2) on DJ Screw's album "The Legend" has the same song style as Boyz-n-the-Hood.
Yelawolf made a song called "Boyz-n-the-Woodz" for his 2008 mixtape, Ball of Flames: the Ballad of Slick Rick E. Bobby. The song interpolates the original chorus but is made to have a "white trash" feel.
