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Boyz-n-the-Hood

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This article is about the Eazy-E song. For works with similar titles, see Boyz n da Hood (disambiguation).
"Boyz-n-the-Hood"
Original 12" sleeve
Single by Eazy-E
from the album N.W.A. and the Posse
B-side
ReleasedMarch 3, 1987
Recorded1987[1]
StudioAudio Achievements (Torrance, California)
GenreGangsta rap
Length5:37
Label
Songwriter(s)Ice Cube
Producer(s)Dr. Dre[2]
Eazy-E singles chronology
"Boyz-n-the-Hood"
(1987) 		"Eazy-Duz-It"
(1989)
Alternative cover
Cover of the 1989 maxi-12" reissue.

"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

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Eric Wright, who founded Ruthless Records in 1986, had tasked the Ruthless songcrafting team — record producer Dr. Dre, aided by Arabian Prince, and ghostwriter Ice Cube — to draft the song in line with Wright's vision. But when the song was rejected by the New York-based rap group it had first been pitched to, Wright decided to rap it himself, under the name "Eazy-E". In 1988, having gained rapper MC Ren and producer DJ Yella, 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 1991, film director John Singleton borrowed this song's title for his film Boyz n the Hood.[citation needed] The song was released in August 2015, the film Straight Outta Compton had renewed interest in N.W.A when, on September 5, "Boyz-n-the-Hood" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100. That week, at #50, it was the chart's third-highest debut, behind the 1988 title track "Straight Outta Compton" (the other song being "Hit the Quan"),[3] originally too incendiary for wide radio play.[4][5][6][7][8]

Production

[edit]

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 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 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

[edit]

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 calibre pistol 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

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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

[edit]

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]

Cover versions

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Red Hot Chili Peppers often covered the song live as an intro jam to their own song, "Special Secret Song Inside" on their 1989-90 Mother's Milk tour and briefly as an intro to the same song in 1991 on their Blood Sugar Sex Magik tour. They would again cover it as an intro jam to their songs "Sir Psycho Sexy" in 1999, "Snow ((Hey Oh))" in 2007, "Suck My Kiss" in 2012 and most recently in 2024 as an intro jam to "Right on Time" and "Me and My Friends.

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]

Besides Jim Jones' song there have been many remakes, most notably a cover by alternative rock band Dynamite Hack, which hit #12 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks in 2000.

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.

Underground Memphis rapper Koopsta Knicca of Three 6 Mafia made his own version called "Back in da Hood".

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".

It is sampled in "Front Back" by UGK[17] (as well as its remix by T.I.),[18] "My 64" by Mike Jones (featuring Bun B, Snoop Dogg and Lil' Eazy-E),[19] "Pojat On Huudeilla" by Eurocrack, "Them Boys Down South" by Big Chance.[20]

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.

American rapper Megan Thee Stallion sampled the song in her 2020 single "Girls in the Hood".[21] Eazy-E's daughters Henree and Ebie Wright both supported the song.[22][23][24]

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart (2015) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[25] 69
US Billboard Hot 100[26] 50
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[27] 18
US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[28] 14

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[29] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Ben Zimmer (2019-04-30). "Why John Singleton Wanted the 'Z' in Boyz n the Hood". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  2. ^ a b "DJ Yella: Eazy E Wasn't a Natural Rapper, He Had to Be Coached". YouTube. 19 August 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Billboard Hot 100, September 5, 2015". Billboard.com. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  4. ^ "N.W.A Finally Cracked Billboard's Hot 100". Vulture. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
  5. ^ Keith Caulfield (2015-08-25). "N.W.A Takes Over Charts, Gets First Top 40 Hit on Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
  6. ^ "N.W.A Finally Has Their First Top 40 Hit". SPIN. 2015-08-25. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
  7. ^ "NWA charts on Billboard Hot 100's Top 40 for the first time with "Straight Outta Compton" single". Hip Hop Vibe. 2015-08-25. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
  8. ^ Zhinga, Zam (2015-08-26). "WebMag: #NWA scores 1st ever Top 40 HIT on #Billboard! Make HUGE strides BACK on the CHARTS!". The Gamutt. Archived from the original on 2016-06-30. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
  9. ^ Reeves, Marcus. Somebody Scream!: Rap Music's Rise to Prominence in the Aftershock of Black Power. Faber and Faber, inc. , 2008, p. 98.
  10. ^ "DJ Yella: Eazy E Wasn't a Natural Rapper, He Had to Be Coached". YouTube. 2015-08-19. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
  11. ^ Westhoff, Ben (2015-03-17). "20 Years After His Death, Eazy-E Deserves a Spot on Rap's Mount Rushmore". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
  12. ^ "Eazy-E / N.W.A* – Boyz-N-The-Hood / Dopeman (Vinyl)". Discogs.com. 1989. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
  13. ^ Chang 2005, p. 306.
  14. ^ Drake, David (August 12, 2015). "20 Greatest Pre-'Straight Outta Compton' West Coast Rap Songs: 1. Eazy-E, "Boyz-n-the Hood" (1987)". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  15. ^ Hiatt, Brian (August 27, 2015). "N.W.A: American Gangstas". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  16. ^ "Certified Gangstas – Jim Jones, The Game, Cam'ron, Lil Eazy". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
  17. ^ "Featured Content on Myspace". Littleredevil07.imeem.com. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
  18. ^ "Featured Content on Myspace". Alfer.imeem.com. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
  19. ^ "Featured Content on Myspace". Lyrik691.imeem.com. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
  20. ^ Eurocrack: "Pojat On Huudeilla" on YouTube
  21. ^ Brow, Jason; Boren, Jade (June 26, 2020). "Eazy-E's Daughters Feud Over Megan Thee Stallion's New Song 'Girls In The Hood'". Hollywood Life. Penske Business Media. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  22. ^ "Eazy-E's daughters beef over Megan Thee Stallion's new single 'Girls In The Hood'". 26 June 2020.
  23. ^ "Eazy-E's Daughter Says She Can't Sample Her Dad's Music After Megan Thee Stallion Gets Approved". Complex Networks.
  24. ^ "EAZY-E'S DAUGHTERS BEEF AFTER MEGAN THEE STALLION LANDS 'BOYZ-N-THA-HOOD' SAMPLE". 25 June 2020.
  25. ^ Ryan, Gavin (September 12, 2015). "ARIA Singles: Justin Bieber 'What Do You Mean?' Spends Second Week At No 1". Noise11. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  26. ^ "Eazy-E Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  27. ^ "Eazy-E Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  28. ^ "Eazy-E Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  29. ^ "British single certifications – Eazy-E – Boyz-n-the-Hood". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
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