100 Miles and Runnin'
100 Miles & Runnin' | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
EP by N.W.A | ||||
Released | August 14, 1990 | |||
Recorded | 1989–1990 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 23:17 | |||
Label | Ruthless/Priority | |||
Producer | Eazy-E (exec.), Dr. Dre, DJ Yella | |||
N.W.A chronology | ||||
|
100 Miles & Runnin' is the only EP by hip hop group N.W.A, released on August 14, 1990 on Ruthless Records. Reviews were positive and by September 1992, it had reached Platinum status in the United States.
Background
Prior to recording the EP, MC Ren, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, & DJ Yella had signed a long-term contract with the Ruthless Records label to be an official "N.W.A." group for $75,000 USD for work on Straight Outta Compton, this EP, advance & for their future work for Niggaz4life. However, member and lead vocalist Ice Cube refused the contract's terms and consequently separated himself from the group, which kicked off his solo career. It is the first record the group released after he left. This EP contains negative references towards him.
The title track "100 Miles and Runnin'" was the group's first track to gain radio airtime and appear on TV with its music video. Dr. Dre, who had just finished working with The D.O.C. and Above the Law, added atypical funky beats and the slow synth groove on "Just Don't Bite It". "Sa Prize, Pt. 2" is a sequel to the controversial "Fuck tha Police" from the Straight Outta Compton album.
The group makes a number of references to Ice Cube. On the title track, Dre states: "It started with five but yo, one couldn't take it / So now there's four 'cause the fifth couldn't make it". In "Real Niggaz" he is likened to Benedict Arnold, the proverbial American traitor, and MC Ren says, "Only reason niggaz pick up your record is cause they thought it was us", referring to Ice Cube's first solo album AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, which had been released earlier that year. Ice Cube responded to these attacks on Death Certificate (1991) on a song named "No Vaseline".
Three songs from the EP, "100 Miles and Runnin'", "Just Don't Bite It", and "Real Niggaz", were later released on N.W.A's Greatest Hits. "Real Niggaz" also appears on N.W.A's final studio album, Efil4zaggin, a year later; the 2003 remastered edition of the album appended the rest of the EP to the track listing. "Just Don't Bite It" was later sampled in Eazy-E's solo track "Gimme That Nutt" as well as Sublime's song "Let's Go Get Stoned."
Reception
Professional ratings | |
---|---|
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Entertainment Weekly | (C+)[2] |
RapReviews | (6.5/10)[3] |
Robert Christgau | (C-)[4] |
Although the album was released as an EP, it nevertheless hit the charts and sold over 500,000 copies, reaching Gold status on November 16, 1990, before reaching Platinum certification on September 16, 1992, for over 1 million copies sold.[5]
Track listing
All songs produced by Dr. Dre and DJ Yella.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "100 Miles and Runnin'" | MC Ren, The D.O.C., Cold 187um | MC Ren, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E | 4:32 |
2. | "Just Don't Bite It" | MC Ren | MC Ren, Eazy-E | 5:28 |
3. | "Sa Prize (Part 2)" | MC Ren, The D.O.C. | MC Ren, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, The D.O.C. | 5:59 |
4. | "Real Niggaz" | MC Ren, The D.O.C. | MC Ren, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, | 5:27 |
5. | "Kamurshol" | 1:56 |
Personnel
- Eazy-E – Executive Producer
- Dr. Dre – Producer
- MC Ren : songwriter
- The D.O.C. - Songwriter
- Brian Kilgore – Tambourine
- Mike Sims – Bass, Guitar
- Donovan Sound – Engineer
- Yella – Producer/DJ
- Steve Huston – Artwork
- Kevin Hosmann – Art Direction
- David Provost – Photography
Charts
Chart positions
Chart (1990) | Peak position[6] |
---|---|
US Billboard 200 | 27 |
US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 10 |
Year | Song | Chart positions[7] | |
---|---|---|---|
Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Chart | ||
1990 | "100 Miles and Runnin'" | - | #51 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA)[8] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
*sales figures based on certification alone |
See also
References
- 1 2 Jason Birchmeier. "Allmusic review". Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2010-11-24.
- ↑ Sandow, Greg (August 31, 1990). "100 Miles and Runnin':Music Review:Entertainment Weekly". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
- ↑ "rapreviews.com review". Retrieved 2010-11-25.
- ↑ "Robert Christgau review". Retrieved 2010-11-25.
- ↑ "RIAA searchable certification database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2010-11-25.
- ↑ "100 Miles and Runnin' chart positions". Rovi Corporation/Billboard. Retrieved 2010-11-25.
- ↑ "100 Miles and Runnin' song chart positions". Rovi Corporation/Billboard. Retrieved 2010-11-25.
- ↑ "American album certifications – NWA – 100 Miles and Runnin'". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH