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Peep this interview/mini-doc by Complex TV on Ice Cube. From his early days in N.W.A. to penning his magnus opus, "It Was a Good Day" - this is fantastic. Be sure to check out the vintage Dr. Dre footage @ 1:35.

Back in the day I used to memorize evey album I bought within days of the purchase. The particularly dirty raps (N.W.A., Geto Boys, etc) were stictly played in headphones to avoid my parent's wrath. But for tamer acts like the Beastie Boys, L.L. and Run DMC I was able to cover most obscenities with a well timed cough or by bouncing a basketball when my folks were within earshot. Found this video this morning of a thirty-something couple playing N.W.A for their son. Killer.

B. Dolan (Strange Famous Records) jacked an old N.W.A. beat and made a very relevent tune with the help of Toki Wright, Jasiri X and Sage Francis (directed by Buddy Peace).  Real talk?  I'm gonna film every police encounter from here on out.

Ice Cube defected from N.W.A. in 1989 over desputes with their manager (Jerry Heller) and founder (Eazy E).  In 1990 he dropped his stellar solo debut, Amerikkka's Most Wanted.  It's a gem (albiet a little misogynistic).  I heard this cut a few weeks ago and it's been dancing around my head since.

The cop busted in/I had a Mack 10
pointed at my dome/and I said to myself
once again it's on 

The year was 1989 and N.W.A. had taken the world by storm, especially white America. Conservatives were ready to run for the hills while those of us curious about the inner-city lifestyle were treated to a behind-the-curtain view courtesy of Dre, Eazy, Ice Cube, Ren and DJ Yella.  

In the song "Express Yourself", Dre professes "I don't smoke weed or sess" (around the 4:30 mark on the video below), which seems highly contrary to the message promoted on the rest of their album.

Fast foward to 2001 and we find Dre replacing Cheech & Chong as the official poster-boy of herb, releasing the iconic album The Chronic. I present Exhibit B - "The Roach".

Real Talk Tuesdays is all about exposing inconsistencies in lyrics (as well as praising good writing). That said, Dre remains one of the best producers in hip-hop today.  It's the sounds he gets. When you take away the marketing, the videos, the endorsements, the hype (the ghostwriting) - what you have is the sound. Listen. As a DJ, I usually have to pull back the faders a bit when I put on a Dre record because it bangs so much harder than the rest. Well done, Dre. Light one up.