ABSTRACT
Drawing from their experiences with law enforcement and the legal system, members of the Compton-based California rap group NWA recorded “F- tha Police,” which became one of the most controversial rap songs in the genre. Appearing on their 1989 debut album, Straight Outta Compton, the group’s vivid portrayals of resisting police brutality galvanized many Black Americans who turned the song into a slogan and an anthem for the 1992 Los Angeles uprising. Law enforcement, on the other hand, mobilized to censor NWA, to pressure them to not perform it at concerts, and to force their record label to remove the song from the album. However, with the rise of music-streaming services, and in the midst of a spate of police killings of Black people living in the United States, the song has re-emerged as a tool of resistance for many participating in the Black Lives Matter movement.
