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Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
It couldn't have been easy for N.W.A. to succeed after Straight Outta Compton, an indisputable landmark moment in rap history. So after three years of enormous controversy, inner strife, and anticipation, it wasn't exactly a surprise when the group's follow-up, Efil4zaggin, found N.W.A. a much different group. The departure of Ice Cube, the group's primary and most talented lyricist, surely made a difference, but there was more. Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, MC Ren, and prolific ghostwriter the D.O.C. weren't out to rouse people anymore à la "Fuck the Police"; they were out to shock. By mostly devoting the first half of this album to racial belligerence and the second half to merciless misogyny, N.W.A. successfully made a truly disturbing, if not horrifying, album. Unfortunately, in its effort to create one of the most shocking albums ever, the group forsook some of its talent. For instance, some of Dre's most ominous productions ever often lie buried beneath nearly inaccessible lyrics. Occasionally, such as in "Automobile" or "I'd Rather Fuck You," Eazy manages to at least integrate some ill-advised humor, but not everyone will share his twisted sense of humor. Taken as a whole, Niggaz4life exemplifies just how distraught the group members were with each other and also why their collaborations would quickly come to an end. They had taken their music as far as it could go with this album -- too far for its own good, perhaps -- yet there's a certain vicarious pleasure here if you view Niggaz4life as anti-establishment exploitation rather than sincerity. N.W.A. pushed the limits of social acceptability here in every way imaginable in hopes of offending everyone. You may not agree with the shocking result, nor advocate it, but you can't help admiring the rebellious (and perhaps even self-parodying) intent, particularly when you keep in mind that this album amazingly debuted atop the Billboard album chart. [The 2002 reissue adds the 100 Miles and Runnin' EP, which marked the time between Straight Outta Compton and Niggaz4life.]
