N.W.A., Straight Outta Compton (20th Anniversary Edition) 2LP

The debut album by N.W.A, Straight Outta Compton is now best remembered as the pioneering record of gangsta rap; with its ever-present profanity and violent lyrics, it helped to give birth to this then-new sub-genre of hip hop. It has been considered groundbreaking by music writers and has had an enormous impact on the evolution of West Coast hip hop. Straight Outta Compton redefined the direction of hip hop, which resulted in lyricism concerning the gangsta lifestyle becoming the driving force in sales figures. It also helped to shift the power to the West Coast from the East Coast, which had enjoyed a period of prominence in hip hop for most of the 1980s.

Despite not being a success at first and the lack of airplay, Straight Outta Compton sold over three million copies, thanks to the hits Straight Outta Compton, Gangsta Gangsta and Express Yourself. The album itself reached number 37 in the Billboard Top 200 in the spring of 1989, while it reached number 9 on Billboard's Top Soul LPs.