Rudimentary yet undoubtedly cornerstone,
It's a Compton Thang brings together for the first time a talented group of
rap artists highlighted by future and former West Coast legends --
MC Eiht and
the Unknown DJ, respectively -- that would build upon the prototype
N.W.A had established two years earlier on
Straight Outta Compton.
Compton's Most Wanted follow that prototype very closely here, even going so far as sampling
N.W.A on the album opener,
"One Time Gaffled 'Em Up." It's a Compton Thang is more than simply a second-rate
Straight Outta Compton, though. In fact, it expands upon that prototype, specifically with late-album highlight
"Late Night Hype," a laid-back
G-funk ballad that would set the stage for a million others in the coming years. Beyond historical significance,
It's a Compton Thang doesn't quite measure up to what
CMW would do in subsequent years.
The Unknown DJ and
DJ Slip piece together some memorable productions from classic samples, among them
James Brown's
"Payback" on
"Final Chapter," and the rappers similarly deliver some uniquely old-school style, yet all of this is more novel than anything, particularly to contemporary listeners -- more reminiscent of the much-treasured
golden age than the much-criticized
gangsta age. And while that
golden age sense is precisely what's so much fun about this album, it's not what
CMW would embody thereafter, as they hardened both their production and their rapping, which are anything but hard here. All of that aside, the true beauty of
It's a Compton Thang is the initial synthesis of former
electro legend
the Unknown DJ with future
gangsta icon
MC Eiht as well as the pleasant reminder that West Coast
gangsta rap was once more about old-fashioned fun than cheap thrills. ~ Jason Birchmeier
