Dr. Dre once feared that recording N.W.A’s “F* Tha Police” could make his weekend trips to jail even more difficult.
At the time, Dre was still reporting to county jail every weekend over traffic violations when Ice Cube, his fellow N.W.A member, brought him the idea for the controversial track.
Cube, who wrote the song, recalled that Dre worried about how the sheriffs would react if they found out he had helped produce a record aimed directly at police.
I do not want these sheriffs f—ing me up when they find out that I produced this record when I go in for the weekend.
That concern initially made Dre reluctant to work on the song.
After completing his weekend jail stint, he got involved and helped N.W.A turn Cube’s idea into one of the most provocative records in hip-hop history.
N.W.A recorded “F* Tha Police” in 1988 and included it on “Straight Outta Compton,” the rap group’s landmark debut album.
The song confronted police brutality and racial profiling and quickly became one of the album’s defining tracks.
The controversy only grew after its release.
The FBI later sent a letter to N.W.A’s record company expressing its disapproval of the song, bringing even more attention to the group and its message.
What began as a song Dre feared could cause problems during his weekend jail stays eventually became one of N.W.A’s most enduring records.