Straight Outta Compton

Straight Outta Compton is the debut studio album by American hip-hop group N.W.A, released on January 25, 1989, through Priority and Ruthless Records. It was produced by N.W.A members Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, and Arabian Prince, with lyrics written by Eazy-E, Ice Cube and MC Ren, alongside contributions from Ruthless rapper and N.W.A affiliate the D.O.C. The album's lyrics depict the conditions of life in Compton, California, while also expressing hostility toward rival groups and law enforcement. The song "Fuck tha Police" prompted a warning letter from an FBI agent, which contributed to N.W.A's notoriety and the group's self-description as "the world's most dangerous group."

In July 1989, despite receiving limited radio airplay outside of the Los Angeles area, Straight Outta Compton became the first gangsta rap album to earn platinum certification, signifying over one million copies sold. The album reached number nine on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 37 on the Billboard 200 that same year. It attracted extensive media attention and is widely credited with accelerating the rise of hardcore gangsta rap in mainstream hip-hop. Although initial critical reception was mixed, the album has since been recognized as one of the most influential and acclaimed works in hip-hop history.

The album was reissued in September 2002 with four bonus tracks, and again in December 2007—shortly before its 20th anniversary—with several "tribute remixes" and a live recording of "Compton's n the House." In 2015, a red cassette reissue and the release of the biographical film Straight Outta Compton led to renewed commercial success, with the album later certified triple platinum. In 2016, it became the first rap album inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and in 2017, it was added to the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry, for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".