The album “Straight Uutta Compton” is a very important album for its time and is even relevant today.  Through analyzing the cover, we can get a deeper understanding of the time and the emotions that were going on during this period, and how the people going through the struggle tried to deal with it.  The album cover is trying to convey the tough attitude the people had to have and the gun is the icing on the cake.  Even the name of the album has a profound meaning.  “Straight Ouuta Compton” has a deeper meaning as if they are coming out and ready to face the world and change it for better or worse.  Overall deeply analyzing “Straight Outta Compton”,  by N.W.A., though it is an older album could easily be relevant with today’s issues.  Comparing it to the issues of then and now could show how far we have really come in that time and see how much things have really changed.

The point of view brings  the viewer into the album cover.  The cover of the album shows six men menacingly standing over the viewer as if they are about to be executed.  The stern faces of all six men and Ice Cube holding a gun about to take your life away.  The situation the viewer is in sets the stage for the hard hitting music enveloped between the album cover.  This attitude and ruthlessness carries a deeper message as the time this album was released  there was deep unrest between African Americans and police.  Trying to bring attention to the violence of the time.  It shows it is a cut throat world out there and they are a gang that is united against the world.  The point of view holds the larger meaning of N.W.A. executing the prejudice of today and tomorrow.  They plan to prove that they are here to end it all and to be the judge jury and executioner.

The attitude of the men standing over the onlooker carries a lot of weight and shows the seriousness of the album.  As you are looking up at the six men you can see the angry faces looking down at you.  They are weathered faces that have seen a lot and have had to endure the struggle of the hood.  Their faces show people that have had to face adversity and break through it. They look tired as if they have had to fight for every inch and for what they have achieved and to be able to stand where they are today.  There attitudes still represent the attitudes of people today and the unrest and restlessness of all trying to solve the problems we have today.  Everyone is fed up with the way things are being handled including N.W.A. as you the viewer can see by the facial expressions on the cover. 

The gun symbolizes a lot, though it is just one piece of the picture. It holds a lot of weight to intensify the picture and intimidate the onlooker. The gun is pointed right at the viewer showing the ruthlessness of the rappers and that they are willing to kill.  This intensity proves the relevance of the picture for them and the violent times we live in and the connection between the two.  The gun represents more than being pointed at the onlooker of the album. It is pointed at everyone against N.W.A and all the people doing injustice against them.  

The title holds a lot of meaning towards the attitude of the cover.  The title “Straight Outta Compton” represents the six leaving the hood and poverty and moving on to better things.  Even the way it is spelled holds a lot of significance as it is spelled with slang as to reference their background.  Their title also gives the allusion that they have made it out of the slum they were born in and have been reinvigorated by breaking free.  It represents they are able to achieve the goals that they could previously not. 

This album still holds relevance today even by the cover alone.  The defiance shown on the cover can still be felt today. It still holds meaning to a lot of people’s feelings today. Everything from the point of view that is meant to intimidate the on looker, to the stern look on the rappers faces to make your heart skip a beat.  Though it is a very old album, it holds meaning even today as we are in a time of unrest between the police and the common citizen.  This album cover is twenty-eight years old but it is more relevant the most covers out there.         