After being nominated four times, American hip-hop group N.W.A. (short for N—-s With Attitude) is being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The group, consisting of members Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Easy-E, DJ Yella and MC Ren, was highlighted in a 2015 film, Straight Outta Compton — a reference to the area of California where the rappers are originally from.
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Performing from 1986 to 1991, the group was controversial because of their music’s explicit lyrics, which were often thought to be disrespectful of women and vocally oppositional to the police system in the United States (as highlighted in one of the band’s most popular songs, “F–k Tha Police”). N.W.A. also glorified gangs, drugs and crime in their lyrics.
Many radio stations banned the group’s songs, but it still managed to sell over 10 million albums in the U.S. alone.
“This means that the group’s mark is solidified,” Ice Cube said to Rolling Stone. “We got some of the most creative, talented people in N.W.A that’s ever been compiled in one group. It’s just exciting that the group as a whole gets recognized by the whole industry as Hall of Fame-worthy.”
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Iconic rapper Dr. Dre shared that sentiment: “When we started N.W.A, I couldn’t have imagined this. I never thought the type of music we were making would receive such a high accolade. I have always done what I love to do, so to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is unreal. I am humbled to be included in such an amazing group of great artists.”
Other musical groups to be inducted include Cheap Trick, Chicago, Deep Purple and Steve Miller. The inductees will be entered into the Hall of Fame on April 8, 2016.