"Streiht Up Menace" is a song and the debut solo single by American rapper MC Eiht. It was released on May 31, 1993 through Jive Records as the second single off the soundtrack of 1993 film Menace II Society. Written and produced by Eiht himself together with fellow Compton's Most Wanted groupmate DJ Slip, it peaked at number 72 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 46 on the Hot R&B Singles. A remix to the song was also heard in the film, but was not included in the soundtrack album.
| "Streiht Up Menace" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by MC Eiht | ||||
| from the album Menace II Society (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
| Released | May 31, 1993 | |||
| Studio | Trax Recording Studio (Hollywood, CA) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:36 | |||
| Label | Jive | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| MC Eiht singles chronology | ||||
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| Menace II Society singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Streiht Up Menace" on YouTube | ||||
The track was later released on the 2001 Compton's Most Wanted compilation album When We Wuz Bangin' 1989–1999: The Hitz and on the 2010 MC Eiht compilation album The Best Of MC Eiht. The song is featured in the in-game radio station West Coast Classics in the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V.
Concept
editThe lyrics of the song focus on the life of the main character in the film, Kaydee "Caine" Lawson (played by Tyrin Turner), acting as a sort of plot summary for the film. Compton's Most Wanted previously used the same concept for the song "Growin' Up In The Hood" from the Boyz n the Hood soundtrack.[1]
The music video depicts MC Eiht alone in a slightly foggy bedroom and also features clips from the movie.
Legacy
editMontell Jordan's "Falling" from his 1996 album More... sampled "Streiht up Menace" as did Kool Savas in his 2009 song "Rapfilm". In 2010, Bruno Mars did a wedding remix of MC Eiht's "Straight Up Menace" on his debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans.
There are direct references to this track on the song M.A.A.D City by Kendrick Lamar from his album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City which feautres Eiht himself.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Streiht Up Menace" (Street LP Version) | 4:35 |
| 2. | "Streiht Up Menace" (Radio LP Version) | 4:35 |
| 3. | "Streiht Up Menace" (LP Instrumental) | 4:35 |
| 4. | "Streiht Up Menace" (Street Remix) | 4:37 |
| 5. | "Streiht Up Menace" (Radio Remix) | 4:37 |
| 6. | "Streiht Up Menace" (Instrumental Remix) | 4:37 |
Personnel
edit- Aaron "MC Eiht" Tyler — songwriter, vocals, producer
- Terry "DJ Slip" Allen — songwriter, producer
- William "Willie Z" Zimmerman — keyboards, saxophone (tracks: 4-6)
- Aaron Connor — recording (tracks: 1-3)
- Mitch Zelezny — recording (tracks: 4-6), mixing
- Tom Coyne — mastering
- Michael Miller — photography
Charts
edit| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[2] | 72 |
| US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)[3] | 46 |
References
edit- ^ Ma, David (April 18, 2021). "The Making of MC Eiht's "Streiht Up Menace"". Passion of the Weiss. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100 Singles". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 36. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. September 4, 1993. p. 84. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "Hot R&B Singles". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 34. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. August 21, 1993. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
External links
edit- Streiht Up Menace at Discogs (list of releases)
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