N.W.A Honored with Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award

More than 30 years after being labeled the most dangerous group in America, N.W.A received well-deserved recognition for their groundbreaking contributions to music. Ice Cube, MC Ren, DJ Yella, The D.O.C., Lil Eazy (Eazy-E’s son), and others accepted the prestigious Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award during the Special Merit Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday (Feb. 3).

The iconic West Coast rap group rose to fаme with their debut album, “Straight Outta Compton,” released in 1988 via Eazy-E’s Ruthless Records. Cube credited their success to Eazy-E’s vision, stating, “He’s the one who allowed us to do this type of music.” Eazy-E, a pivotal figure in gangster rap, passed away in 1995 due to complications from AIDS and pneumonia at the age of 30.

Bоne Thugs-N-Harmony introduced N.W.A at the ceremony, with their Һit “The Crossroads” paying tribute to the late Hip Hop star. Cube reflected on the group’s journey, expressing their early awareness that winning a Grammy was unlikely given the controversial nature of their music. “We knew when we started to do music in 1985, ’86, ’87 that a Grammy was not in the cards for us with the type of music we were doing. We actually didn’t think we would ever even get on the radio. We were cool with that,” Cube stated. Despite not having the vocal prowess of Gladys Knight or The Clark Sisters, they aimed to express themselves and make sense of their surroundings through their music.

Dr. Dre, a crucial member of N.W.A, was also honored, although he couldn’t attend. Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. conveyed Dre’s sentiments in a message, expressing regret for missing the ceremony to celebrate his daughter’s birthday.

N.W.A now joins the esteemed ranks of rap groups recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy, standing alongside Run-DMC, Public Enemy, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, and Salt-N-Pepa. The ceremony also honored other notable figures like Gladys Knight, Laurie Anderson, The Clark Sisters, Donna Summer, and Tammy Wynette, along with recipients of the Trustees Award, Technical Grammy Awards, and the Best Song for Social Change Award.