Editing N.W.A (section)

===''100 Miles and Runnin''' and ''Niggaz4Life'' (1989–1991)===
Ice Cube left the group in December 1989<!-- Before changing the date to January 1990, please see [[Talk:N.W.A#Date of Ice Cube's departure]]. --> over [[royalties|royalty]] disputes;<ref name="allmusic" /> having written almost half of the lyrics on ''Straight Outta Compton'' himself, he felt he was not getting a fair share of the profits.<ref>Leigh, Danny. [http://film.guardian.co.uk/Feature_Story/feature_story/0,,140252,00.html "Chillin' With Cube"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018043451/http://film.guardian.co.uk/Feature_Story/feature_story/0,,140252,00.html |date=October 18, 2007 }}. ''[[The Guardian]]'', February 25, 2000.</ref> A lawsuit brought by Ice Cube against band manager Jerry Heller was settled out of court.<ref>Ice Cube: Attitude, Joel McIver, p.70, Foruli Classics, 2012</ref> He wasted little time putting together his solo debut, 1990's ''[[AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted]]'', but he avoided mentioning his former label mates. N.W.A's title track from their 1990 [[Extended play|EP]] ''[[100 Miles and Runnin']]'', however, included a [[wikt:diss|diss]] towards Cube:
''"We started with five, but yo / One couldn't take it—So now it's four / Cuz the fifth couldn't make it."'' The video for the song depicted the remaining members of N.W.A together in a jail cell, while an Ice Cube look-alike is released.

Also heard on the EP (which found its way on the ''[[Efil4zaggin]]'' album) was "Real Niggaz", a full-blown diss to Ice Cube where the remaining members accuse him of cowardice, and question his authenticity, longevity and originality: ''"How the fuck you think a rapper lasts / With your ass sayin' shit that was said in the past / Yo, be original, your shit is sloppy / Get off the dick, you motherfuckin' carbon-copy"'', and ''"We started out with too much cargo / So I'm glad we got rid of [[Benedict Arnold]], yo."''

The song "[[100 Miles and Runnin' (song)|100 Miles and Runnin']]" was Dr. Dre's final [[uptempo]] recording, which had been a common feature of late 1980s hip hop. After this, he focused on a midtempo, [[synthesizer]] based sound which became known as [[G-funk]], starting with "[[Alwayz Into Somethin']]" from ''Efil4zaggin'' in 1991. The G-funk style dominated both the West and East Coast hip hop music scene for several years to come.

N.W.A is referenced on Ice Cube's 1990 EP, ''[[Kill at Will]]'', where he name-checks his former group (likely in a mocking manner) on the song "Jackin' For Beats". On "I Gotta Say What Up!!!", Ice Cube gives shout-outs to his rap peers at the time, among them [[Public Enemy (band)|Public Enemy]], [[Geto Boys]], and [[Sir Jinx]]. At the end of the track, in what appears to be an on-the-phone interview, Ice Cube is asked, "Since you went solo, what's up with the rest of the crew?" and the phone is abruptly hung up on the interviewer.

The group's second full-length release, 1991's ''Efil4zaggin'' ("Niggaz4Life" spelled backwards), re-established the band in the face of Ice Cube's continued solo success. The album is considered by many Dr. Dre's finest production work, and it heralded the beginning of the G-Funk era. It also showed a clear animosity towards their former member, and derogatory references to Ice Cube are found in several songs. The interlude "A Message to B.A." echoes the beginning of his song "Turn Off the Radio" from ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'': Ice Cube is first addressed by the name Benedict Arnold (after the infamous traitor of the [[American Revolutionary War|American Revolution]]) but then named outright in a torrent of abuse from both the group and its fans: ''"When we see yo' ass, we gon' cut yo' hair off and fuck you with a broomstick"'' spoken by MC Ren.<ref name="Nuzum, p. 113">Nuzum, p. 113.</ref>

The N.W.A–Ice Cube feud eventually escalated, both on record and in real life. ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' had avoided direct attacks on N.W.A, but on ''[[Death Certificate (album)|Death Certificate]]'', Ice Cube's second full-length release, he retaliated. He sampled and mocked the "Message to B.A." skit before embarking on a full-blown tirade, the infamous "[[No Vaseline]]". In a series of verses, Ice Cube verbally assaulted the group: ''"You lookin' like straight bozos / I saw it comin' that's why I went solo / Kept on stompin' / When y'all Muthafuckas moved Straight outta Compton / You got jealous when I got my own company / But I'm a man, and ain't nobody humpin' me."''<ref name="Nuzum, p. 113"/>

He also responded to members MC Ren, Dr. Dre, and Eazy-E individually to "100 Miles and Runnin'", claiming ''"I started off with too much cargo / Dropped four niggaz and now I'm makin' all the dough"'', using homophobic metaphors to describe their unequal business relationship with Jerry Heller, who became the target of harsh insults:
''"Get rid of that devil real simple / Put a bullet in his temple / Cuz you can't be the 'Niggaz 4 Life' crew / With a white [[Jew]] tellin' you what to do."'' The song attracted controversy for its [[antisemitism]] (the beginning of such accusations against Ice Cube during his affiliation with the [[Nation of Islam]]), based on the bashing of Heller's religion.<ref name="Nuzum, p. 113"/>

The track was omitted from the UK release, and later pressings included a censored version of the song. In September 1990, members of hip hop act [[Above the Law (group)|Above the Law]] clashed with Ice Cube and his posse [[Da Lench Mob]] during the annual [[New Music Seminar]] conference, forcing the latter to flee the premises of [[Times Square]]'s [[New York Marriott Marquis|Marriott Marquis]], the venue of the event.<ref name="blackwell">Blackwell, Mark. "No More Rap Music At New Music Seminar?", ''Spin'', October 1990, p. 22.</ref> On January 27, 1991, Dr. Dre assaulted [[Dee Barnes]], host of the hip hop show ''Pump It Up'', after its coverage<ref>{{cite book| last = Rose| first = Tricia| title = Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America| publisher = [[Wesleyan University Press]]| year = 1994| location = Middletown, Connecticut| page = [https://archive.org/details/blacknoiserapmus0000rose/page/179 179]| isbn = 0-8195-6275-0| url = https://archive.org/details/blacknoiserapmus0000rose/page/179}}</ref> of the N.W.A/Ice Cube beef. According to ''Rolling Stone'' reporter Alan Light:
{{Blockquote|He picked her up and "began slamming her face and the right side of her body repeatedly against a wall near the stairway" as his bodyguard held off the crowd. After Dre tried to throw her down the stairs and failed, he began kicking her in the ribs and hands. She escaped and ran into the women's rest room. Dre followed her and "grabbed her from behind by the hair and proceeded to punch her in the back of the head."<ref name="light"/>}}

In response, Dre commented: "People talk all this shit, but you know, if somebody fucks with me, I'm gonna fuck with them. I just did it, you know. Ain't nothing you can do now by talking about it. Besides, it ain't no big thing—I just threw her through a door."<ref name="light">Light, Alan. "Beating Up the Charts". ''Rolling Stone'', August 8, 1991, p. 66.</ref>