Em’ & N.W.A stand a chance of being inducted into Songwriters Hall Of Fame
Eminem and N.W.A are part of 26 artists on the nominees list of the 2025 Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) which will see only six being inducted.
Usually, songwriters are inducted only if 20 years have passed since their commercial debut. .
The winners will receive their awards at the 2025 Induction & Awards Gala in New York City next June. As the nominees were unveiled, the SHOF gave commendation to five tracks that it indicated are a “representative sample” of the vast creative works of the artists, per Recording Academy.
Songs lined for Eminem include “Lose Yourself,” “Stan,” “Mockingbird,” “Houdini” and “Rap God,” while for N.W.A, the songs include: “Express Yourself, “Dopeman,” “Fuck Tha Police,” “Gangsta Gangsta” and “Straight Outta Compton.”
Around a decade ago, a mysterious blog shared a conspiracy theory claiming that back in the 90’s, a group of Hip Hop figures conspired to encourage black men and women to glorify crime in their music so as to set up young black people into prisons.
While the theory claims those involved were executives, it alleged that N.W A, a Rap group encompassing Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E and others, had direct knowledge of the plot.
This week, Cube ran into a tweet discussing the same and he responded writing: ” “Opinions are like assholes. Everybody has one and they all stink! What evidence do you have to make a statement like that?”
Opinions are like assholes. Everybody has one and they all stink! What evidence do you have to make a statement like that? https://t.co/uS9H7wEC0g
It’s no surprise musically, N.W.A. is a controversial gangsta rap group. On August 9, 1988, N.W.A. released their protest song Fuck tha Police, written by Ice Cube, the song sparked a lot of mixed reactions worldwide, even an Australian radio station, Triple J was banned from playing the song so they went on strike and played N.W.A’s “Express Yourself” continuously for 24 hours.
The controversy from the song made LAPD police decline to provide security at N.W.A. shows, and it got to the point where on August 1, 1989, Milt Ahlerich, then Assistant Director of the FBI office of public affairs to send a letter to Eazy-E’s label Ruthless Records, through the parent company and distributor Priority Records. The letter warned N.W.A. ‘Fuck tha Police’ was advocating for violence by stating; “advocating violence and assault is wrong and we in the law enforcement community take exception to such action.” and he made it clear his views also “entire law enforcement”.
I wanted you to be aware of the FBI’s position relative to this song and its message. I believe my views reflect the opinion of the entire law enforcement community.
Milt Ahlerich, August 1, 1989
Letter F.B.I. sent N.W.A.
The letter from the F.B.I. helped popularize N.W.A.’s Straight Outta Compton album and N.W.A. would later state that their music is not an advocation or promotion for violence but telling their stories and art. A lot of people saw this as the FBI trying to censor music and hinder art, which sparked a lot of pieces and more conversations worldwide on artist censorship. Dr. Dre responded to the FBI letter in N.W.A.’s 1990’s “100 Miles and Runnin’” single, rapping “my temper was too quick and now the FBI is all over my dick!” even relating the music video to the controversy. and the same year Eazy-E would do the same on “Amerikkka’s Most Wanted”, rapping “With a pay-off, cop gotta lay off, FBI on my dick, stay off”.
It’s funny that years later not a lot has changed. Some of the same things that inspired the protests back then were the same as the police brutality that inspired the Black Lives Matter movement today.
There was an all-female version of N.W.A, named H.W.A (Hoez With Attitudes) which consisted of members Jazz, Diva, and Baby Girl. The female rap trio was active from 1989 to 1994, then reformed in 2012. Diva was replaced by Go-Di for the recording of their second album and Ty James the daughter of Rick James, was a member of the female rap group H.W.A. (Hoez With Attitude).
H.W.A released their first album Livin’ in a Hoe House in 1990 with the label Drive-By Records. The group eventually signed to Eazy-E’s Ruthless Records.
August 9, 1988, N.W.A released “Fuck tha Police,” a protest song from their album Straight Outta Compton. Fuck tha Police was written shortly after the group was harassed by the Torrance Police Department, the song’s lyrics protested police brutality and racial profiling.
In 1989, an Australian government-funded radio station Triple J had been playing N.W.A’s “Fuck tha Police” on regular rotation for six months before it caught the attention of The Australian Broadcasting Corporation management. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation banned Triple J from playing N.W.A’s “Fuck tha Police” following a campaign by a South Australian Liberal senator. The Triple J radio staff went on strike and put N.W.A’s “Express Yourself” on continuous play for 24 hours, playing it roughly 360 times in a row.
