The gangsta-rap group made hardcore music with a message, even if it led to controversy. Ice-T set the stage for them with the first hip-hop album to merit an explicit-content sticker, filling it with hyperreal L.A. narratives like “6 ‘N the Mornin'”. N.W.A.'s inspirations trace back to funk, as they sampled Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band's “Express Yourself” for their anti-censorship ode with the same title.