This article is about the N.W.A. song. For the J Dilla song of the same name, see Fuck The Police (J Dilla song).

"Fuck tha Police" is a protest song by the controversial hip hop group N.W.A. on the album Straight Outta Compton, first released in 1988 as an exclusive song for the 1988 album, and later released in a 12" in 1989. It ranked #417 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and is the group's only song on the list. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 618 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (825 × 800 pixel, file size: 88 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Album cover scanned by myself This image is of a cover of an audio recording, and the copyright for it is most likely... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... This article is about the hip-hop group. ... This article is about the album. ... A CD single is a music single in the form of a compact disc. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Menlo Park is a city in San Mateo County, California in the United States of America. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For the Ice T album, see Gangsta Rap (album). ... A protest song is a song which protests problems in society such as injustice, racial discrimination, war, globalization, inflation, social inequalities, incarceration, and global warming. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Priority Records is an American based record label, owned and operated by EMI, and has made a name for itself dealing primarily in hip hop music. ... Ruthless Records was the name of two different record labels, a Chicago punk label, and a Los Angeles hip hop label. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... OShea Jackson (born June 15, 1969) better known by his stage name, Ice Cube, is an American rapper, actor and film director. ... Lorenzo Jerald Patterson (born June 14, 1969 in Compton, California, USA) better known by his stage name MC Ren. ... Eazy-E (Eric Wright) (September 7, 1963 - March 26, 1995) was an African-American rapper, record producer, and record executive who initially rose to fame as a member of the group N.W.A.. Born in Compton, California, Eazy-E dropped out of Compton High School while in tenth grade... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... DJ Yella is the stage name of Antoine Carraby (born December 11, 1967), a DJ, music producer, and film director from Holwin East, Nevada. ... This article is about the hip-hop group. ... Straight Outta Compton was the second of NWAs top selling songs (the first was Dopeman). ... This article is about the hip-hop group. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: J Dilla James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974–February 10, 2006), better known as J Dilla or Jay Dee, was an American hip hop producer and MC, who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip-hop scene in Detroit, Michigan. ... This article is about the J Dilla song. ... A protest song is a song which protests problems in society such as injustice, racial discrimination, war, globalization, inflation, social inequalities, incarceration, and global warming. ... For the Wikipedia policy regarding controversial issues in articles, see Wikipedia:Guidelines for controversial articles. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... This article is about the hip-hop group. ... This article is about the album. ... This article is about the magazine. ... ...

Content

Fuck tha Police is a mock court scene, in which the "Police Department" is put on trial, with Ice Cube, MC Ren, and Eazy-E playing the role of the prosecution. Judge "Dre" is presiding and the trial is described as being "N.W.A versus the police department". Rapped "testimonies" expressing anger at racism and police brutality in abrasive, violent language are delivered by Ice Cube: It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... OShea Jackson (born June 15, 1969) better known by his stage name, Ice Cube, is an American rapper, actor and film director. ... Lorenzo Jerald Patterson (born June 14, 1969 in Compton, California, USA) better known by his stage name MC Ren. ... Eazy-E (Eric Wright) (September 7, 1963 - March 26, 1995) was an African-American rapper, record producer, and record executive who initially rose to fame as a member of the group N.W.A.. Born in Compton, California, Eazy-E dropped out of Compton High School while in tenth grade... In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. ... Racism is the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior or inferior to members of other races. ... David Kirkwood on the ground after being struck by police batons Police brutality is a term used to describe the excessive use of physical force, assault, verbal attacks, and threats by police officers and other law enforcement officers. ...

Fuck tha police

Comin straight from the underground

A Young nigga got it bad cuz I'm brown

And not the other color so police think

They have the authority to kill a minority

MC Ren: Nigga is a term used in African American Vernacular English that began as an eye dialect form of the word nigger (which is derived ultimately from the Latin word niger meaning the color black). ...

Lights start flashin' behind me

But they're scared of a nigga so they mace me to blind me

But that shit don't work, I just laugh

Because it gives 'em a hint not to step in my path

and Eazy-E:

Without a gun and a badge, what do you got?

A sucker in a uniform waiting to get shot,

By me, or another nigga

And with a Gat it don't matter if he's smaller or bigger

At the end of the song, "Judge Dre" delivers the verdict: "The jury has found you guilty of being a redneck, white bread, chickenshit muthafucker" —— "you" referring to a police officer who represents the Los Angeles Police Department. The police officer's reaction is: "But wait, that's a lie! That's a god damn lie! I want justice! I want justice! Fuck you, you black motherfuckerrrrr!" as he is apparently being dragged out of the courtroom. A Browning 9 millimeter Hi-Power Ordnance pistol of the French Navy, 19th century, using a Percussion cap mechanism Derringers were small and easily hidden. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... This article is about a stereotypical description. ... A loaf of white bread White bread is bread constructed from wheat flour from which the bran and germ have been removed, in contrast to whole wheat bread made from whole wheat flour, in which these parts are retained and contribute a brownish color. ... Cowardice is a vice that is conventionally viewed as the corruption of prudence, to thwart all courage or bravery. ... Motherfucker (also existing in countless contracted forms e. ... “LAPD” redirects here. ...

Impact

The song "Fuck tha Police", containing N.W.A's trademark inflammatory lyrics, stood out in particular from many of the songs on Straight Outta Compton. It highlights many of the tensions between black urban youth and the police (widespread resentment towards the LAPD boiled over 3 years later, in the 1992 Los Angeles riots following the Rodney King incident). The song also alleged that minorities in the police department betrayed their race, with lyrics such as: For other uses, see Los Angeles riots (disambiguation). ... Rodney King Rodney Glen King (born April 2, 1965 in Sacramento, California) is an African-American taxi driver who was violently arrested by officers of the LAPD (Ofc. ...

And on the other hand, without a gun they can't get none

But don't let it be a black and a white one

Cause they'll slam ya down to the street top

Black police showing out for the white cop

Especially controversial were the areas of the song that appear to condone violence towards police authorities; lines such as "I'm a sniper with a hell of a scope/Taking out a cop or two, they can't cope/with me" and "A sucka in a uniform waitin' to get shot/by me, or anotha nigga" directly reference the murder of police officers. The FBI and the U.S. Secret Service sent a letter to Ruthless Records informing the label of their displeasure with the song's message, and N.W.A were banned from performing at several venues. F.B.I. and FBI redirect here. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Counter Assault Team. ... Ruthless Records was the name of two different record labels, a Chicago punk label, and a Los Angeles hip hop label. ...

Despite, or perhaps due to, its controversy the single achieved huge chart success. It topped the US Billboard 200 charts, and more surprisingly it also topped the UK Singles Chart.

This song has proven popular enough to be covered by such acts as Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Rage Against the Machine, dope, Public Enemy, and Soulfly, among others. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony is an American rap group from Cleveland, Ohio, best known for their high pace rapping style and harmonizing vocals. ... Rage Against the Machine (also Rage and RATM) is a Grammy Award-winning American rock band, noted for their blend of hip hop, heavy metal, punk and funk as well as their revolutionary politics and lyrics. ... Dope ordope (to fit their logo) is an Industrial rock/Industrial metal band originally from New York City, United States. ... Public Enemy, also known as PE, is a hip hop group from Long Island, New York, known for their politically charged lyrics, criticism of the media, and active interest in the concerns of the African American community. ... Soulfly is a heavy metal band started by Max Cavalera in 1997 after his decision to leave Sepultura. ...

This song was included on N.W.A's Greatest Hits. Greatest Hits (N.W.A) is an album originally released on July 2, 1996. ...

In 1989, Sydney radio station JJJ had been playing "Fuck tha Police" for up to six months, before gaining the attention of Australian Broadcasting Corporation management who subsequently banned it. As perhaps the only government-funded radio station in the world to play the song, as a reaction the staff went on strike and put N.W.A's song "Express Yourself" on continuous play for 24 hours, playing it roughly 360 times in a row. In 1996, during massive opposition street protests in Belgrade, Serbia "Fuck tha Police", along with Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" was continually played for 2 days on a Belgrade radio station B92. This was a form of expression of most people's feelings towards police and state regime. For other uses, see JJJ. Triple J is a nationally-networked, government-funded Australian radio station (a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation), mainly aimed at youth (defined as those between 12 and 25). ... The Australian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC is Australias national non-profit public broadcaster. ... Public Enemy, also known as PE, is a hip hop group from Long Island, New York, known for their politically charged lyrics, criticism of the media, and active interest in the concerns of the African American community. ... For the Isley Brothers song, see Fight the Power, Pt. ...