Today in Hip-Hop: N.W.A’s ‘N*!gaz4Life’ Album Hits No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Chart

On this day, June 22, in hip-hop history...

1991: Though it had been a long time coming for the genre, in 1991, the explosive Compton crew N.W.A. made hip-hop history when their sophomore album, Niggaz4Life became the No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart.

When the remaining members of N.W.A released Niggaz4Life on May 28, 1991, it seems like they offered up everything musical they had in the canister. MC Ren, Dr. Dre and Eazy-E attacked the mic on the 18-track album and did so without a feature from any artist outside their clique. Niggaz4Life gave way to two huge singles for the group: “Alwayz into Somethin” and “Appetite for Destruction” and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 before reaching No. 1 on June 22. At the time, the LP was only the fifth ever rap album to ever reach the top spot on the charts, after the Beastie Boys' Licensed To Ill in 1987, Tone Loc's Loc'ed After Dark in 1989, MC Hammer's Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em and Vanilla Ice's To The Extreme in 1990.

Though the album would go on to be certified platinum later that same summer on August 8, 1991, it was the last album N.W.A ever put out. Shortly after Niggaz4Life's success, the group disbanded.

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