Tha Dogg Pound has confronted Special Ed over claims that N.W.A introduced the age of destruction into Hip Hop.
Tha Dogg Pound and Special Ed recently gathered on Instagram to address the rapper-producer, renowned for hits like the oft-quoted “I Got It Made” and “Think About It,” following contentious remarks he made about N.W.A during a recent appearance on Drink Champs. The convo was captured by Forgotten Kingz TV.
“My point was basically N.W.A. was used for the era we’re in now,” began Special Ed, pointing to a what he characterized as a recent rise in violent crime among Black youth. “We’re in the era of destruction. We’re destroying ourselves as a Hip Hop community. Period. We’ve got teenagers out here killing each other, every state, every urban city over Hip Hop music, over tweets, over social media”
“So, that’s my point — none of this existed before the FBI got involved,” he concluded, asserting that N.W.A played a pivotal role in bringing Hip Hop to the attention of federal law enforcement.
The West Coast crew’s anti-law-enforcement stance in songs like “Fuck tha Police” inspired the FBI’s then-assistant director of the office of public affairs Milt Ahlerich to send them a letter in late 1989. The letter read, in part, “Law enforcement officers dedicate their lives to the protection of our citizens, and recordings such as the one from N.W.A. are both discouraging and degrading to these brave, dedicated officers.”
“You motherfuckin’ right they did [get the FBI’s attention],” Tha Dogg Pound’s Kurupt responded to Ed. “That’s what we do on the West Coast. We push that line.”
“Don’t be mad at us though, cuz. You say we ruined something — like ruined Hip Hop. We took Hip Hop to a different world,” he continued. “N.W.A took Hip Hop up top.”
Maintaining his stance, Special Ed said he wasn’t there to debate over “character.” Instead, his goal was to shine a spotlight on the concerning “change” in our culture. In particular, he wanted to highlight the various ways the government has negatively impacted the Black community.
“They brought the attention of the government. There was already an agenda. As we know, the FBI dismantled and destroyed the Black Panthers. They assassinated Malcolm X. They assassinated Martin Luther King. So, what you think they’re going to do to us? We low-hanging fruit.”
As the conversation unfolded, it became evident that Tha Dogg Pound and Special Ed shared similar views in that they agreed the government “been trying to kill n*ggas” by promoting unhealthy diets, escalating incarceration rates, and failing to address rising crime levels, all of which they believe have disproportionately affected Black communities.
Last week, Special Ed made headlines after an appearance on the set of Drink Champs, where he alleged N.W.A did more harm than good for the genre, ushering in an age of ruin.
“N.W.A came out, and their shit was hardcore. And I said, ‘See, they can say what they want,’” he said on the popular podcast. “But the label didn’t want to market me that way. And I had hard shit.”
He continued: “They didn’t want that. They wanted commercial music. We all wanted to be original. Now, it’s a bandwagon effect. Now, it’s all about cloning. These guys […] ushered in the age of destruction.”
Common never got anybody out here losing their mind over some music. I’m just saying, it can be done respectfully
Kurupt moved to LA when he was 16 aka damn near an adult. Dude folded under the pressure to ride w: LA instead of repping where he’s really from. Philly.
The Grampa’s are arguing
Unfortunately, you think it has nothing to do with where we are now. #Ageisim
Somehow I agree with Special Ed: somehow NWA’s glorified gangs lifetsyle and fxcking hundred bxtches whilst in that era heroin and AIDS spread like plague. I mean Eazy-E died off of it after all. And Dr. Dre’s music has always been about excess. Former affiliates of Death Row and Aftermath testified in interviews about the wild things that were going on behind the scenes: motherfxckers poppin pills and cocaine like they were candies and orgies with hood ratchets, video vixens and pornstars. Even Busta Rhymes looked physically different after he hanged out for a few years with Dre. Eminem went to rehab a couple of times. Dre lost a son over drug abuse. Etc. And Kurupt talks like a drunk dude now weighin 60 pounds without any teeth. Don’t tell me these guys were not influenced by their own music. It’s a vicious circle that bite them in the ass. And they still pretend it’s just music without any consequences on people’s lives SMH
Of course NWA is responsible for violence. Just like metal bands mesmerized millions to be Satanists. Just like reading a Sappho poem and turning gay from that. Or watching Tom and Jerry and trying to kill a flat-mate with a pan. Art is bad, kid.
The negative impact NWA had is nothing in comparison to what Southern trap music has done to decimate an entire generation through pills, strip club culture, lean, and unabashed ignorance. And they’re proud of it.
Respect to Ed for acknowledging. I love nwa but cannot ignore this fact.