Before punk went crunk, Dynamite Hack took a bite out of rhyme with their cover of Eazy E’s “Boyz-N-The-Hood.”
Eazy E was very influential in the late 80s and early 90s when he helped pioneer gangsta rap with N.W.A.
“Boyz-N-The-Hood” encompasses everything about gangsta rap with the simple beat track, scratching, E’s flow and the subject matter. Many of the individuals in the neighborhoods that Eazy E took his inspiration from hadn’t been represented much in music until that particular point in time so songs about throwing up signs, carrying guns, crusin’ down the street and maintaining street cred became very popular. When you hear this song, you’re thinking, “I don’t want to mess with this fool!”
Dynamite Hack, on the other hand, put their own twist on the song. I love when bands make a song their own despite their fears of messing with perfection. It shows guts and originality and that’s precisely what Dynamite Hack pulls off. The intricate fret-board work on the acoustic guitar and Nigel P. Lee’s soft voice makes this song sound really sweet on the surface, but the themes and lyrics are exactly the same as Eazy E’s. It’s actually pretty amusing to hear a seemingly soft-spoken Texan sing about the mean streets of Compton.
Speaking of, when these songs were on the radio during the times that they were most popular, did you ever notice the difference that the FCC implemented in the censoring out of obscenities? Eazy E, an African-American artist who’s music played on such radio stations such as Los Angeles’ Power 106FM had “Boyz-N-The-Hood” censored down a great amount. Dynamite Hack, a group of White Texans being played on the likes of Los Angeles’ KROQ 106.7FM, were allowed to let words like pimp and ho slide. Does it have to do with status? Race? Culture?
Just a little something to think about!
You can find the song on Dynamite Hack’s album Superfast and on Take a Bite Outta Rhyme: A Rock Tribute to Rap.
“Boyz-N-The-Hood” by Eazy E
“Boyz-N-The-Hood” by Dynamite Hack