When N.W.A. (Niggaz Wit Attitudes) first formed, it was a small collective of friends and mutual pals who were looking for something fresh and from their city. Heavily influenced by the legend that ice Ice-T (real name Tracey Morrow), individuals such as Eazy-E and Ice Cube wanted to continue the rapper’s work by giving LA its own sound.
Originating in Compton, the crew was a merger of the trio C.I.A and the World Class Wreckin’ Cru. C.I.A comprised of Sir Jinx (Dr Dre’s cousin), Ice Cube (real name O’Shea Jackson) and K-Dee. However, through Jinx, the emcee would get recruited to become an official member of N.W.A. around 1986.
As part of N.W.A., Ice Cube achieved a tremendous amount of success. Jackson quickly became a LA household name and a gangsta rap pioneer. However, by 1990, he felt the crew were being exploited and financially duped by their manager Jerry Heller of Priority Records. Jackson saw straight through the industry leech. However, the already fragmented collective remained loyal to Heller.
As his frustration turned into anger, in 1991, Jackson turned to his long-time friend, producer Sir Jinx to get a beat on which he could vent and get some pressing things off his chest. This would result in ‘No Vaseline’. The aforementioned is one of rap music’s most savage diss tracks and is so for many reasons.
On the track, Jackson undermines Dr Dre. He viciously tells him to give up rapping and “stick to producing”, insinuating he was a subpar emcee. The Compton act then goes for the jugular and (multiple times) accuses the crew members of sodomy. It’s a hard-hitting song. However, the nail in the coffin is when he tells his former chums, “you’re gettin’ fucked out your green (money) by a white boy with no Vaseline!”
‘No Vaseline’ hit the airwaves of LA in 1991, and the crew began to disintegrate following its release sadly. Tired of the creative restrictions being placed on him by Heller and recognising he saw little financial gain from being a part of the collective, Dr Dre left shortly after the diss track’s release.
As many hip-hop heads know, ‘No Vaseline’ effectively prompted Dre to take up Suge Knight’s offer of forming a new LA-based label—Death Row Records. Eazy-E remained salty about the crew’s dissipation and began disrespecting Dr Dre following this. ‘No Vaseline’ was the beginning of the end for N.W.A.
The savage diss track was legendary and contained 16 samples one of which is ‘Vapours’ by Juice Crew’s Biz Markie. Explore all of the rest below.
The hidden samples of the savage ‘No Vaseline’ by Ice Cube:
- ‘Dazz’ by Brick
- ‘It’s My Thing’ by Marva Whitney
- ‘Hit By A Car’ by Eddie Murphy
- ‘To Da Break Of Dawn’ by LL Cool J
- ‘Prelude’ by N.W.A.
- ‘Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today)’ by The Temptations
- ‘Vapours’ by Biz Markie
- ‘Atomic Dog’ by George Clinton
- ‘Dopeman’ by N.W.A.
- ‘Better Off Dead’ by Ice Cube
- ‘Message To B.A.’ by N.W.A.
- ‘Turn Off The Radio’ by Ice Cube
- ‘Real Niggaz’ by N.W.A.
- ‘8 Ball’ by N.W.A.
- ‘Alwayz Into Somethin’ by N.W.A.
- ‘A Bitch Is A Bitch’ by N.W.A.
