Eazy-E STR8 Off Tha Streetz Of Muthaphu**In Compton CD

Personnel includes: Eazy-E, Gangsta Dresta, B.G. Knocc Out, Sylk, M.C. Ren, Dirty Red, Menajahtwa, Roger.
Producers: Yella, Bobcat, Stone, Naughty By Nature, Tony G., Roger.
Personnel includes: Eazy-E, Gangsta Dresta, B.G. Knocc Out, Sylk, M.C. Ren, Dirty Red, Menajahtwa, Roger.
Producers: Yella, Bobcat, Stone, Naughty By Nature, Tony G., Roger.
Personnel: Mike Sims (guitar).
Audio Mixer: Donovan Sound.
Recording information: Audio Achievements.
Photographer: Peter Dokus.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Donovan Sound; Eazy-E; Menajahtwa; B.G. Knocc out & Dresta; Sylk.
At the time of his death, Eazy-E was completing a comeback album that was intended to restore his street credibility, which had taken a savage beating in the early '90s. Str8 Off tha Streetz of Muthaphu**in Compton, the album he left unfinished, does show more ambition than his previous It's On, but it's unlikely that it would have made him a star again. Collaborating with his former N.W.A partners MC Ren and Yella, Eazy-E sounds revitalized, but the music simply isn't imaginative. Instead of pushing forward and creating a distinctive style, it treads over familiar gangsta territory, complete with bottomless bass, whining synthesizers, and meaningless boasts. The occasional track, like the surrealistic "Tha Mutha******in Real" and the menacing "Ole School ***t," illustrate what Eazy-E could have done if hadn't been tied to his pedestrian production, but the majority of Str8 Off tha Streetz is depressingly by the book. Sadly, the album is the farthest thing from a graceful departure. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
At the time of his death, Eazy-E was completing a comeback album that was intended to restore his street credibility, which had taken a savage beating in the early '90s. Str8 Off tha Streetz of Muthaphu**in Compton, the album he left unfinished, does show more ambition than his previous It's On. Collaborating with his former N.W.A partners MC Ren and Yella, Eazy-E sounds revitalized, but the music treads over familiar gangsta territory. Although the majority of Str8 Off tha Streetz is by the book, occasional tracks like the surrealistic "Tha Mutha******in Real" and the menacing "Ole School ***t" illustrate Eazy-E's greater potential. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Re-Issue

Entertainment Weekly (2/2/96, pp.54-56) - "...Sadly, it's his most musically varied and enjoyable album....On STR8 OFF THA STREETZ, he leaves our consciousness the same way he entered--rough, raunchy, embattled, and utterly unapologetic." - Rating: B
Entertainment Weekly (2/2/96, pp.54-56) - "...Sadly, it's his most musically varied and enjoyable album....On STR8 OFF THA STREETZ, he leaves our consciousness the same way he entered--rough, raunchy, embattled, and utterly unapologetic." - Rating: B
The Source (2/96, p.87) - 3.5 Mics - Dope - "...eerie descent into the cryptic underworld is one of the major themes on STR8 OFF THA STREETZ OF MUTHAPHUKKIN' COMPTON, a collection of songs recorded before Eazy died....more celebratory than substance..."
Melody Maker (1/13/96, p.29) - "...fairly dope; nice thunking beats, smoky crepuscular loops, suggesting that even the West Coast can't ignore the Wu-Tang forever..."
Melody Maker (1/13/96, p.29) - "...fairly dope; nice thunking beats, smoky crepuscular loops, suggesting that even the West Coast can't ignore the Wu-Tang forever..."