NWA — Alwayz Into Somethin'

JUL 01 1991 · 12:00

NWA — Alwayz Into Somethin' (1991) Director: Mark Gerard Era: Golden Age / Gangsta Rap Apex (1991) - Peak N.W.A era coinciding with the release of Niggaz4Life and the embryonic emergence of G-funk from Compton, just prior to Ice Cube's acrimonious departure's full cultural fallout and Dr. Dre's solo pivot to Death Row. High curatorial value as a primary audiovisual artifact of N.W.A's final active period and an early documented instance of G-funk visual aesthetics. The video's street-realist narrative style, Southern California location photography, and rapid editorial grammar establish it as a key reference point for scholars of West Coast hip-hop, early 1990s music video production, and the visual culture of gangsta rap's commercial apex. Its inclusion in 'The N.W.A. Legacy: The Video Collection' (2002) confirms its canonical status within the group's official archive. Context: Released May 28, 1991 as the lead single from N.W.A's second and final studio album Niggaz4Life (also known as Efil4zaggin), 'Alwayz Into Somethin'' arrived at a pivotal rupture point for the group — following Ice Cube's acrimonious 1989 departure over royalty disputes. The music video embeds the song's themes in a narrative of Compton street life, depicting shoplifting, car theft, gang violence, police confrontation, arrest, and incarceration. This imagery was a direct visual articulation of gangsta rap's documentary-realist ambitions, functioning both as provocation and as social witness to over-policed Black communities in Southern California. The song is also documented as an early formal prototype of G-funk, the subgenre Dr. Dre would fully codify on The Chronic (1992), making this video a transitional artifact between N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton era and the post-N.W.A Death Row/G-funk era. The video's Southern California street locations, produced through Ruthless Records for Priority Records, are a direct visual record of the geography and aesthetics of early 1990s Compton hip-hop culture. Director notes: Gerard directed two N.W.A music videos for Priority Records: 'Alwayz Into Somethin'' (1991) and 'Appetite for Destruction' (1991). The 'Alwayz Into Somethin'' video was filmed on location in Southern California and produced through Ruthless Records. Per IMDb full credits, post-production supervision was handled by Chip Miller (post production supervisor) and Travis Miller (post-production coordinator). The video was later edited into 'The N.W.A. Legacy: The Video Collection' (2002). The production company credited is Ruthless Records.