Parental Discretion Is Advised: The Rise of N.W.A and the Dawn of Gangsta Rap

by Gerrick Kennedy

Discover the stunning rise, fall, and legacy of N.W.A, one of America’s most revered and iconic enduring music groups, who put their stamp on pop culture, black culture, and who changed hip-hop music forever in this comprehensive and authoritative work of music journalism.

Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren, and DJ Yella caused a seismic shift in hip-hop when they decided to form N.W.A in 1986. Suddenly rap became gangsta and relevant on the West Coast. With their hard-core image, bombastic sound, and lyrics that were equal parts poetic, lascivious, conscious, and downright in-your-face, N.W.A spoke the truth about life on the streets of Compton, California—then a hotbed of poverty, drugs, gangs, and unemployment.

Their ’hood tales offered a sharp contrast from the cozy, comfortable images of thriving middle-class life emanating from television screens across America. For the group, making music was not about being nice or projecting a false reality. It was all about expressing themselves.

Going beyond the story portrayed in the 2015 blockbuster movie Straight Outta Compton, through firsthand interviews, extensive research, and top-notch storytelling, Los Angeles Times music reporter Gerrick Kennedy transports you back in time and offers a front-row seat to N.W.A’s early days and the drama and controversy that followed the incendiary group as they rose to become multiplatinum artists.

A riveting and illuminating work of music journalism, Parental Discretion Is Advised captures a special moment in rap music, when N.W.A made it altogether social, freaky, enterprising, and gangsta. They forced us all to take notice. For that alone, their story must be told.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Hip Hop, Biography, Pop Culture, Audiobook, History

288 pages, Hardcover

Published December 5, 2017

About the author

Gerrick D. Kennedy is an award-winning journalist currently covering pop music for the Los Angeles Times, where he’s profiled music's biggest players including Ice Cube, Nas, Sean Combs, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Mariah Carey, Usher, Jennifer Lopez, Brandy, Mary J. Blige, Sam Smith, Nicki Minaj, and the Weeknd.

His reporting has led to guest spots on "The Today Show," "Dateline," "20/20," "Entertainment Tonight," "The Michael Eric Dyson Show" as well as appearances on NBC, CNN, MSNBC, TVOne, Revolt TV and Fuse.

An Ohio native, he earned a Bachelor's Degree of Arts in Journalism from The Ohio State University, where he was a founding member of the campus chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists. In 2012, Kennedy was named Emerging Journalist of the Year by the National Association of Black Journalists and in 2014 the Advocate featured him in its annual 40 Under 40 list.

He currently lives in Los Angeles. Follow him on Twitter @GerrickKennedy

Reviews

[Kusaimamekirai · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 1980’s and 90’s were to say the least, a tumultuous time in America. From Reaganomics, to the crack epidemic, to the draconian welfare “reforms” of the Clinton years, it was a time where poor people, particularly poor Black people, felt besieged on all sides. It was in this environment that one of the most influential hip hop groups of all time in N.W.A was born.
I was in junior high school in 1988 and no particular fan of hip hop ( I was still finding my musical legs listening to the soundtrack from the movie Cocktail and Steve Winwood(!) and recovering from a Fundamentalist Baptist ban on all music enforced by my mom. But I’ll save that story for my own book) but even I was aware of the release of “Straight Outta Compton”. It was in many respects the aural version of an atomic bomb that shattered the invisible wall between what was happening in poor Black communities and the White community’s willful ignorance of it. Many now trace the awareness in the mainstream media of police brutality to the L.A. riots of 1995 but it was no coincidence that the words on the lips of many of the rioters were those of the most well known track from N.W.A’s album ten years earlier, “Fuck tha Police”
As Garrick Kennedy writes, this album was something entirely different than what came before it. Anger at the police for sure, social commentary via the stinging lyrics written by Ice Cube, but also a kind of gleeful hedonism centered around sex, drugs, and violence (often against women).

Kennedy takes us through the forming of the group, its very short time together, and its eventual acrimonious dissolution. More importantly, he does a wonderful job recreating America in the 1980’s and 90’s where an unarmed black teenage girl could be shot by a Korean shop owner without any repercussions but another Korean would be sentenced for three years for killing a dog. It was a time where in 1986, President Reagan helped usher in new drug laws where:

“Possession of at least one kilogram of heroin or five kilograms of cocaine was now punishable by at least ten years in prison, while selling five grams of crack carried a mandatory five-year prison term. Imposing the same penalties for the possession of an amount of crack cocaine as for one hundred times the same amount of powder cocaine placed a wide disparity between how minorities and whites were punished for the same exact drug. Under Reagan’s war, drug dealers and their clients were villainized. They were viewed as America’s most-wanted criminals, with drugs blamed as the sole reason as to why areas such as South Central were struggling.”

While this book is fascinating, it is extremely difficult to like many of the members of N.W.A. Easy-E often exploited and cheated band members out of money and royalties, leaving some who contributed to the massive financial success of the album with nothing while Dr. Dre was involved in multiple violent assaults on women during this era which he never really has shown contrition for. Kennedy doesn’t shy away from his condemnation of the actions while still showing admiration for their musical achievement. I suppose in a sense you don’t have to like the racist and anti-semitic Richard Wagner but can still marvel at the beauty of his operas. There is the artist and then there is their art. If you are someone who can appreciate the importance of N.W.A and how this seminal album changed America at the close of the 20th century than this is a book you will want to read. If you can’t separate the artist from the art, this is probably not the book for you.

[Steve H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very interesting, because it talked about many informational things relating to, and leading up to the explosion of racial tensions(I.E The L.A Riots) and how many people used their music as a way of escaping the harsh realities of the hood.And how they used it to tell people about the hard truths of where they came from, often being criticized. Which NWA speaks about often in their music. Mostly by the police and civil rights leaders that believed they were greedily taking advantage of the horrible things that were happening.It spoke a lot about the things that were embellished in the Biopic that was created in 2015, shedding the light on some other accusations that were never talked about in the movie.So I would recommend this to anybody looking to find out more about NWA and their internal struggles as a black rap group in the 1980's/1990's.

[Joshua Maxoball · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fascinating look into a very important time in the history of music in general.

[Kimberley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of Parental Discretion Is Advised: The Rise of N.W.A and the Dawn of Gangsta Rap, from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

If you're unfamiliar with the intricacies of the L.A. Rap Scene (in the late 70's and early 80's), have little-to-no understanding of the 1992 L.A. Riots (the catalyst, the under-current of animosity towards the LAPD, as well as the resentment held for South Central's Korean Community), or want a broader understanding of how ground-breaking it was to have a West Coast rapgroup make such a substantial impact on the genre, as a whole, as we know it today, then this is definitely the book for you.

While I was looking for a basic timeline: Eazy connects with Dre, and then the two combine with Ice Cube, Ren and, Yella to form what would become N.W.A, Kennedy expands the knowledge of his reader by digging deeper into the history of South Central and its residents. A foreknowledge that is certainly necessary in order to understand the "why" of it all.

I was a pre-teen when N.W.A released it's "Straight Outta Compton", so I was able to recall a good bit of the music and the times mentioned by Gerrick Kennedy. Even so, I learned a bit more about how Dre and Eazy came to be, as well as the forces that worked to separate them in the end--forces that likely would've been an issue with or without the infamous Jerry Heller.

Kennedy isn't trying to form opinions, so much as he hopes to better inform anyone who mistook N.W.A as just a bunch of thugs with bad mouths and violent tendencies.

Parental Discretion Is Advised: The Rise of N.W.A and the Dawn of Gangsta Rap is a great read for anyone just getting into the history of rap music, as it pertains to the West Coast's influence, but it may also send you down a rabbit hole of your own research as well...starting with the music that birthed Gangsta Rap and made Dr Dre. and Ice Cube household names.

[Scott Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I am not generally a rap fan, nor do I have any rap albums on my devices, but as of late, I find myself reading a bit more about the history of a relatively new form of music, especially since rap/hip-hop has become such an integral part of modern music/pop culture. Thus, I came across this book, which chronicles the emergence of one of the most significant rap/hip-hop groups in music history: N.W.A (Niggaz wit Attitudes) [which I did not know until I started reading this book]. It follows the lives of five young African Americans, who grew up in Los Angeles, all eventually finding themselves at the forefront of an emerging music form: rap/hip-hop.

As they come together, Kennedy describes how their music impacted not only the industry, but also the nation. Their lyrics and musical style shocked America to a degree that hadn't been seen since the 1960s. The themes of their music coincide with life in LA during the late 1980s/early 1990s (crack epidemic, gang warfare, policy brutality, racial tensions, the 1992 LA Riots). Yet, this work also describes the individual struggles and the group dynamics that ultimately split up the group as it was starting to come into its own. The individuals have all come to make their mark on pop-culture, and even those who don't listen to hip-hop have heard the names of artists such as Dr. Dre and Ice-Cube. The work does make an effort to describe the short life of Eazy-E, who passed away from AIDS in the early 1990s and was not able to evolve in his life as did his compatriots.

Kennedy adds a degree of academic rigor to this work, blending in the varied themes of music, personal struggle, and the bigger national picture that all came together to make N.W.A. one of the most influential music groups in modern music history. You don't need to be a hip-hop fan to enjoy this book, and I certainly learned a ton from reading this book. Will I go out an try to listen to a ton of hip-hop? Not sure, but this is a good, concise and detailed work about how gangsta rap started and how it still resonate today.

[Vnunez-Ms_luv2read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, informative book on NWA. It opens with the hologram of Eazy E performing and the book never lets up from there. If you were or were not a fan of NWA, this book is still interesting. Some have heard of the group from their first recording, some with the death of Eazy E, etc. This book touches on all the members of this historical group and is just very well written. NWA had a lot of talent,and maybe some things were done incorrectly but one thing is apparent, they did not give up and they did give back. I read this book in three sittings. I had to continue reading. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

[Torrie Tovar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughts

After reading Didn't We Almost Have it All I saw the same author wrote this book about NWA and I bought it right away.

I watched Straight Outta Compton but this gives a lot more details about not only NWA but how the genre came to be.

I was really young so I didn't listen to NWA but my older brother did and he loved Easy-E. I still remember all his cassette tapes of them. So, I was familiar but I didn’t know much. I think that is why I found it to be good and informative.

[Capricious_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great look into N.W.A. and even a few rappers I didn't know were connected to the group.

[Adam Cormier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great review of the rise and fall of N.W.A. Easily one of the most influencial rap groups of all time. Hifhly recommend for fans of Rap Music.

[Scott Holstad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really pretty interesting, while at the same time disappointedly disillusioning about many members of the group. It's funny, because I used to live near Compton in Long Beach, have driven through and stopped in Compton numerous times, gone through Watts, Inglewood, Carson, most of South Central frequently, usually on my way elsewhere as short cuts to avoid the freeways, and I've lived in several Long Beach Crip outfits' turf, as well as both M13 and the 18th Street Gang, and I've had my fair share of run ins with a number of shady people, including being robbed at gunpoint, being shot at multiple times in Long Beach, Koreatown, Phoenix and elsewhere, three attempted car jackings, being strong armed in Vegas by a couple of mobsters (who are no longer in business) and standing in Compton surrounded by five Crips with their bad ass 187, Six Shooter, holding a gun to my head telling me I wouldn't make it out alive. And actually a whole lot more. Yet here I am after all that, having used up more than my nine lives. So after reading about Andre and "Ice Cube," etc., I almost feel like I have more "street cred" than a couple of those guys. Which I doubt, but it sort of seems like it to me. Which is a bit disillusioning, like I said. Nonetheless, a pretty good book and I admit it was indeed fun to reminisce about how batshit nuts the "establishment" (especially law enforcement) went when their main album was released. Good times. Recommended.

[Kimberly Pinzon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned so much from reading this. This covers from the group's start (and a little before it for some background) to the present day, including discussing the movie Straight Outta Compton and Suge Knights trial which started in January 2018.

Considering I knew next to nothing about this group, gangsta rap, or the other people involved, it wasn't terribly difficult to follow along.

[Jeremy beer my hold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4 / 5 stars.

*TRIGGER WARNINGS*
-Graphic language and violence.
-Discrimination and graphic scenes.

Parental Discretion is Advised.
A biography that describes the rise and fall of the infamous Hip-Hop underground group from Compton, known as “N.W.A.” This group blew up and was mostly known for Its controversial lyrics that fired insults at LAPD officers, whom racially profiled people of color without any justification and got away with it. Gerrick D. Kennedy writes the story behind the adversity the group faced, the conflicts that erupted while earning its notable reputation as one of the most dangerous gangster groups in Hip-Hop’s history, highlighting the dangerous war between Crips n’ Bloods, along with the unpleasant policies President Ronald Reagan set in motion one year later after he stepped in the White House in 1981.

It all started when the war between Crips n Bloods took its toll on south central, soon after, President Reagan set in motion a war against drugs in 1982, creating every black neighborhood in South Central a bloody battleground.
A young man named Andre, known as “Dr. Dre,” connected with a gangster named Erick Wright, which then both connected with O’Shea Jackson, known as “Ice Cube,” Lorenzo Jerald Patterson, known as “MC Ren,” and Antoine Carraby, known as “DJ Yella”. Subsequently, they created a group called “N.W.A” which stands for “N*ggaz Wit Atittudes.” Soon after the group was formed, Erick Wright would be known as “Eazy-E,” after his flow became an instant hit in the group. Eazy-E became the face of N.W.A and attracted thousands upon thousands of fans thanks to his street cred and unique persona. N.W.A quickly became the realest gangster group in the country.

On one occasion, the group members got racially profiled by the police, they were searched without cause because of one single fact. They were colored. After the group reunited in their apartment they came up with an idea that soon turned gold, together they produced and recorded a national hit song known as “F*ck tha Police.” Its profane lyrics attracted the attention from authorities, and later the FBI would interfere with the group’s work, but they quickly retaliated stating that they were simply expressing their freedom of speech on a record. Twenty-thousand fans filled the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, during a concert in which various artists performed, including N.W.A. Once it was time for the group to perform, the crowd began chanting “F*ck tha police, F*ck tha police, F*ck tha police,” the group performed a different song instead. However, Same thing occurred afterward, the crowd chanted the same words. Dr. Dre signaled Ice Cube and in a couple seconds they performed their most controversial song, “F*ck tha Police.” The crowd went crazy, until a bunch of undercover cops, hidden among the crowd stepped on top of the stage and unplugged the amplifier cables.

The group grew powerful with fame and wealth, creating a sense of underappreciation on a couple of its members that thought they weren’t being paid enough, weren’t receiving the credits and recognition they felt they deserved. A dramatical dispute occurred between Eazy-E and Ice Cube, when cube confronted him saying that their manager stole from them behind their backs and they somehow allowed it, they had to fire their manager and get a new one, otherwise he’d leave the group. Eazy-E was a profound friend of their manager, he didn’t like the way Ice Cube talked about him, and since Eazy-E was the shot caller, the face of the group, he decided to let go of Ice Cube, instead of replacing his manager.
Ice Cube became a solo famous artist in the Hip-Hop industry. The group didn’t like, that and soon after, they began dissing Ice Cube firing insults at him on their tracks, Ice Cube felt wrong about it but fired back with his own diss records. A lyrical war broke out between the group and Ice Cube, creating a further divide between Ice Cube and the group. The beef didn’t last long, Ice Cube didn’t really care about children games and backed off later.
After some crucial events happened, the group broke apart because of the same reasons their former partner Ice Cube left, they felt they weren’t being treated right by Eazy-E and their manager.

Dr. Dre created a label of his own while still signed under Eazy-E’s label, he got sued by his friend, but Dr. Dre didn’t stand still without fighting back, he worked off a deal with Eazy-E, the deal was that every album copy Dr. Dre sold, Eazy-E would get 25-50 cents from it. Dr. Dre blew up and became famous after releasing one of his top albums called “The Chronic,” Known for, extremely dissing Eazy-E, its unique instrumental melodies and hard boom-bap hitting bass. Eazy-E made a fortune from Dr. Dre’s sales, and dissed him on one of his record tracks stating how he worked for him.
While the beef was going on between them, Dr. Dre produced “Doggystyle,” an album made famous by the artist known as “Snoop Dogg,” which would soon boost Dr. Dre up the industry ranks as one of the most famous and talented producers of all time.

The beef between Eazy-E and Dr.Dre calmed down, Eazy-E thought it was a good idea to reach out to the former members of the group to re-unite and create one last song, everyone agreed but with the condition of, now Eazy-E’s manager, to not be there. His manager agreed so that soon they could peacefully re-unite and end the beef they had. However, two weeks before they re-united, Eazy-E’s promiscuous lifestyle caught up to him. His health quickly deteriorated, he took several blood tests and was diagnosed positive with HIV and AIDS. Eazy-E knew the clock was ticking, so he did a last-minute good act, he talked live on a radio show telling people to take care of their health, sexual transmitted diseases are no joke and he wanted to be proof of it. Very soon after, Eazy-E laid unconscious in a hospital bed connected to life support, and as the days passed, he suffered a slow painful death.

After Eazy-E's death, thousands of people payed homage to him. They thanked him for all the things he did, all the lives he touched, for the way his music impacted the world, in a way where up today, we can still see how the Hip-Hop's industry influence the legacy of gangster rap, and how it has marked millions of lives.

[Kelly Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book for my brother for Christmas two years ago because he's a big rap fan. Me, not so much. However, I enjoyed this book. If you want to know about the beginnings of West Coast Rap (actually, it's South Central Los Angeles/Compton Rap), this is the book. Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Easy-E, Snoop Dogg, Suga Knight - it's all here. These men were not men of humble beginnings but survival of the fittest and meanest thugs this side of the 110 Freeway. What I liked about this book was that they showed everything - warts and all - about how Gangsta Rap got start and why it appealed to those who listen to it. Again, not a big fan of rap, but its history and its connection to LA was worth the read.

[Doctor Morbid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very recently got into gangsta rap and similar hip hop subgenres, especially N.W.A. There's something about Eazy-E and the group repeatedly exclaiming 'motherfucker!' and the n word that makes their songs so alluring. It was great seeing how the group came to be and the legacy it left behind, also I didn't know that Eazy was a dealer before being a musical artist and record label owner, also the influence 'Fuck tha Police' had on the Rodney King riots. I really liked how Kennedy told the story of N.W.A while not focusing on a specific member; Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, MC Ren, DJ Yella and even Jerry Heller got their story told. The only thing I'd criticize is that there's a few typos here and there, but overall, great read.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific, well written chronicle of NWA and gangsta rap, in particular a tribute to the relatively unsung founding father, Eazy-E. Dying so young (and not "heroically" in a shootout but from AIDS, and a time when the public had many uneducated misperceptions on the disease), it's not surprising that Eazy-E has been all but written out of the story of gangsta rap. This book helps restore him to the pantheon alongside Dre and Cube.

[Laronda · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review of the book is that it give you a thorough look inside the controversial rap group N.W.A and how they put gangsta rap mainstream. What I like about the book is that it tell you the rise and fall of the group and how their music is related to what is going on around the world today.

[Zoë · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook, but I actually ordered the physical copy so I could potentially reread in the future! What I found especially enlightening was the depth of historical context that led to the formation and popularity of NWA.

[Melanie Sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many great interview bits in there. Super thorough with the history of -- not only the group -- but of Compton and the music industry.

[Trevor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good book. Essentially it's the same story as the film "Straight Outta Compton" although it goes a little bit further into the careers of Ice Cube and Dre after NWA.

[Dwight Kincy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of good inside information.

[Corey Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read!

[Andris · Rating 5 out of 5]

As for a fan of the genre - very entertaining, also educating from the perspective of contemporary history.

[Selena Cate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read the other book “Original Gangstas” instead - it has more details and a better story teller. The narration on this book is choppy and sometimes robotic.

[hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

very great book chronicling the life of n.w.a and their contribution to hiphop, putting the west coast on the map, and their subsequent controversies in making gangsta rap famous. i really appreciated the author’s thoroughness and attention to detail in this. i am a huge fan of the biopic “straight outta compton” but it definitely left out some major aspects of n.w.a’s lifespan. i appreciate the author didn’t sugarcoat such things as their misogynistic lyrics or dre’s abuse of women, and included ruthless records having major female artists under their wing. obviously, the living members had a hand in the screenplay so of course they’d want to omit things that didn’t make them look like stars. but, that was all information, aside from the lyrics, that i was not familiar with. eazy made j. j. fad blow up with supersonic and he found bone thugs-n-harmony like that’s crazy information to not be put in a biopic i think. there was an og member named arabian price who was completely left out of the film. like man it really only told a small part of their story.

this book also gave great insight to eazy’s aids diagnosis and death. he’s one of the first aids death i was aware of aside from freddie mercury and for him to be a straight black male who was outside the stereotypes of aids patients was always interesting to me. it’s never determined how he contracted hiv or who gave it to him and there’s many conspiracies of how he contracted it (injections from acupuncture, someone injected him with infected blood, he was secretly closeted, etc). it’s a mystery to this day and i think it should stay that way.

i love n.w.a and eazy and cube and dre for their contribution to hiphop and making the genre what it is today. they are legends and every day i am thankful for their music. it’s not to say they’re perfect people, i’m fully aware of their lyrics lol. but if you’re a hiphop fan, this is required reading

AND FUCK SUGE KNIGHT!

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: I received an eARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review!

This was a very well researched, written, and structured account of the rise and fall of N.W.A. The author did hold on back when describing the lives of the Eazy-E, Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren, and DJ Yella, which was very refreshing. I appreciated that the story was gritty, honest, and true to the guys and where they came from. There was a lot of detail included that you don't really get in other mediums when hearing about N.W.A, such as on film, and it was nice that there were interviews and other information included to supplement the story.

The introduction of the book, about the hologram of Eazy-E at Rock The Bells in 2013, was very attention grabbing. It certainly sucked me in and made me want to read more. I really liked how the story focused on building up the lives of each individual group member too, before launching into the formation of the group and how they rose so quickly to fame. Reading about their decline is understandably not easy, especially as it peaks at the death of Eazy-E, but that just made it very gritty and real.

A must-read, I believe, for fans of the group or fans of early gangsta rap.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caricatures are formed and prejudices solidified when we engage people and events as if they exist and occur within a vacuum. Engaging a person in light of that person’s historical and sociological context is not an endorsement or excuse for the individual’s misdeeds, and refusing to do so virtually guarantees a misunderstanding of the person and his context. Parental Discretion Advised is the perfect example. Seeking to understand the rise of N.W.A. apart from the context of race, drugs, and violence in the last few decades, especially in California, would be impossible. Thankfully, as Gerrick Kennedy charts the rise of Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, DJ Yella, and Ice Cube, collectively and individually, he does so in the context of 1980s and 1990s Los Angeles. Extensive and engaging, unflinching and bold, if you have any connection to or interest in 80s and 90s hip-hop or just enjoy well-written bios about interesting people, this is a book worth reading.

ARC provided.

[The Sebbe · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10

It’s fine. I can’t help but feel a tad disappointed in the book and the information it sits on. I expected more from 250 pages focused predominantly on NWA than I got- the reason I read it to begin with is my existant interest in the group and I was hoping to learn something new but it pretty much mirrors the biopic + any basic article on the group you’ll find online. Much like the movie this book seems to skim over Ren and Yella quite a bit. I understand why but I expected perhaps a little more info on those guys considering. I’m also not sure what I think of the narration in this book.
I guess this might be a better book for somebody that likes reading- is familiar with NWA but doesn’t really know their story- and coincidentally stumbles upon this book somewhere. As for me, I’m happy to have saved ”Original Gangstas” by Ben Westhoff for future reading

[Wendi Manning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid surface level reporting. It’s deeper in the parts about the history of the times, but lacking in the parts about the band. It also repeats itself constantly. It’s like reading a high school essay that had a page count. The exact same facts were repeated three or four times, every time you’d see someone, their history was repeated.

The lack of accountability for their, especially Dre and Eazy, actions against women, friends, and people in general is a major flaw. That’s why I said it’s surface. You never learn anything deep about any of these people. Good for people who just want a quick lesson.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 Stars

So overall I really enjoyed this book. I grew up listening to NWA and all of the other rap groups in the late 80’s & early 90’s. This book went into a lot of detail about the group and the members individually. It was interesting to read about South Central and the other surrounding areas and how life was for NWA prior and during their rise to fame.

Overall I think the book was well written and anyone who grew up with or liked Rap music would enjoy reading Parental Discretion is Advised.

[Christopher Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best biography of the notorious Compton gangsta rap group I've come across.

Not only is each member of the group given substantial biographical attention, but the author also dives into the socio-politcal climate of the times in which NWA exploded.

Tremendous research pulled from hundreds of interviews and sources makes this a perfect all-in-one primer for fans of the group, or those interested in learning more about how NWA changed the culture forever.