Born as Eric Wright in Compton, California on September 7, 1964, Eazy-E founded the record label, Ruthless Records, with the money he obtained from selling drugs as he decided to abandon that lifestyle once his cousin was killed. Working out of his parents' garage before pairing up with manager Jay Heller, he used Ruthless Records to discover other rappers who aligned with his style- the first two being Dr. Dre and Ice Cube who helped write Eazy E's first hit, "Boyz in the Hood." Dubbed the "Godfather of Gangsta Rap," Eazy-E's legacy has impacted the rap genre since the start of his career, and even after his tragic death at the hands of AIDS in 1995. However, his record label's legacy has been tainted as it caused animosity among many group members, such as Arabian Prince, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre, who later left the group after disputing royalities with Eazy-E and Ray Heller. (Heasman, Eazy-E's tragic real-life story 2020). 

Born as O'Shea Jackson on June 15, 1969, in South Central, Los Angeles, Ice Cube got his name from his older brother who would always threaten to shove him in the fridge until he turned into an "ice cube." His parents arranged for Ice Cube to attend a suburban high school in an effort to allow Ice Cube to escape the gangs and drug violence that plagued his hometown. However, Ice Cube found himself wondering why the drug and gang violence in his hometown was not being discussed and he started rapping in high school with a small group, CIA, who later gained the attention of  Dr. Dre who later recruited him, alongside Eazy-E, to join N.W.A.  In the midst of his primal career with N.W.A., Ice Cube obtained a degree at the Phoenix Institute of Technology to have a backup plan in case his musical career was not successful. After a dispute between him and the group's manager and Eazy-E over royalties, Ice Cube left the group and began his solo career path in which he proved to be highly successful in (Editors, Ice Cube 2020).  

Born Andre Romelle Young on February 18, 1965, in Compton, California, Dr. Dre's high school days consisted of him attending the club, The Eve After Dark, to watch rappers and DJs perform. Through this club, he met DJ Yella, a future member of N.W.A., and he explored his musical interest, dubbing himself the "Master of Mixology," and later joining World Class Wreckin' Cru' in 1984. However, he would then go on to join N.W.A. after meeting Ice Cube in 1986. Following Ice Cube leaving the group in 1989, Dr. Dre is credited with the production of the group's second album, but he also left the group among disputes with Eazy-E and joined Deathrow Records at the recommendation of The D.O.C. and Suge Knight who was able to help him leave his contract with N.W.A. Through his solo work, Dr. Dre has become well-known for his lyricism, collaborations with artists such as Snoop Dogg, and his production work for other artists (Wallenfeldt, Dr. Dre 2008). 

Born as Kim Renard Nazel on June 17, 1965, in Compton California. His entertainment and musical background come from his father, Joseph "Skippy" Nazel Jr., an author and radio host, and his mother, a musician and music teacher. Early in his music career, Nazel took the stage name, DJ Prince (inspired by the musician Prince), and sold mixtapes at school. He later changed his name to Arabian Prince in 1980 at the Skateland USA. In 1987, Prince joined the N.W.A. and collaborated on the album Straight Outta Compton (1988). However, in 1988, Prince left the group due to royalty and contract disagreements. Prince returned to his solo career and released his first album Brother Arab (1989) and later his second album, Where's My Bytches? (1993). Prince was not featured in the N.W.A. biopic, Straight Outta Compton, nor was he inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with N.W.A.

Born as Lorenzo Jerald Patterson on June 19, 1969, in Compton, California. As a native Compton resident, Patterson joined the gang, Kelly Park Compton Crips along with Eazy-E. In 1983, Patterson formed a rap group, Awesome Crew 2, with MC Chip and DJ Train. Four years later, Jerald was signed to Eazy-E's record label, Ruthless Records, as a solo artist. At that time, N.W.A. was already formed (1987). Now with a label and new stage name, MC Ren, he was asked to write songs for Eazy-E's debut album, Eazy-Duz-It. After Ren's collaboration on the album, he was added to the N.W.A. group in 1987. Ren wrote lyrics for the Straight Outta Compton album. 

Born as Lacy Lynn Curry on June 10, 1968 in Dallas, Texas. Prior to his move to Compton, California, Curry was a member of the rap group The Fila Fresh Crew and named himself Doc-T.  When the group disbanded in 1988, Doc-T changed his name to The D.O.C. and joined N.W.A. In addition to working on the Straight Outta Compton album, The D.O.C. worked with Eazy-E on his debut album, Eazy-Duz-It. After leaving N.W.A., he pursued a solo career and released his debut album, No One Can Do It Better (1889). His album reached No. 1 on the U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop charts and went platinum five years after its release.

Born as Antoine Carraby on December 11, 1961, in Compton, California.As a teenager, Yella was a DJ in Los Angeles clubs where he eventually met Dr. Dre. Dre and Yella formed the World Class Wreckin’ Cru in 1983, a six-member rap group. Financial problems led Dr. Dre to leave Bella with the Wreckin’ Cru and work with Eazy-E. When the song “Boyz in the Hood," was rejected by a group signed to Ruthless Records, Dr. Dre brought Yella to collaborate. Dr. Dre and Bella produced and convinced Eazy-E to continue rapping. DJ Bella and others worked on the single-promotions aspect of the group, while recording Straight Outta Compton.