Straight Checkn 'Em

Straight Checkn 'Em is the second studio album by American gangsta rap group Compton's Most Wanted. It was released on July 16, 1991 through Orpheus Records and Epic Records. Recording sessions took place at Big Beat Soundlabs in Los Angeles from April 2 to April 19, 1991, except for the song "Growin' Up in the Hood" recorded and mixed at Trax Recording Studio in Hollywood on March 31, 1991. Production was handled entirely by DJ Slip and the Unknown DJ.

Straight Checkn 'Em
Studio album by Compton's Most Wanted
Released	July 16, 1991
Studio	Big Beat Soundlabs (Los Angeles, California) Trax Recording Studio (Hollywood, California)
Genre	West Coast hip hop gangsta rap
Length	46:22
Label	Orpheus Epic
Producer	The Unknown DJ DJ Slip
Compton's Most Wanted chronology
It's a Compton Thang (1990) Straight Checkn 'Em (1991) Music to Driveby (1992)
Singles from Straight Checkn 'Em
"Growin' Up in the Hood" Released: June 20, 1991 "Straight Checkn 'Em" Released: September 12, 1991 "Compton's Lynchin' / They Still Gafflin" Released: January 30, 1992

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Entertainment Weekly	A−[2]

The album spawned three singles: "Growin' Up in the Hood", "Straight Checkn 'Em" and "Compton's Lynchin'"/"They Still Gafflin'". Its lead single, "Growin' Up in the Hood", made it to #1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart and was featured in 1991 film Boyz n the Hood and the film's soundtrack. The second single, a title track "Straight Checkn 'Em", peaked at #16 on the same Billboard chart. Along with the singles, music videos were directed for the songs "Growin' Up in the Hood" and "Straight Checkn 'Em".

The album peaked at number 92 on the Billboard 200 and at number 23 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the United States.

Track listing

No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Intro"	T. Allen A. Manuel	1:02
2.	"They Still Gafflin'"	T. Allen A. Manuel I. Hayes	4:29
3.	"Growin' Up in the Hood"	T. Allen A. Manuel J. Simon	4:11
4.	"Wanted"	T. Allen A. Manuel B. White	4:14
5.	"Straight Checkn 'Em"	T. Allen A. Manuel	3:46
6.	"I Don't Dance"	T. Allen A. Manuel G. Clinton, Jr. G. Shider D. Spradley	2:29
7.	"Raised in Compton"	T. Allen A. Manuel	3:48
8.	"Driveby Miss Daisy"	T. Allen A. Manuel W. Zimmerman	4:26
9.	"Def Wish"	T. Allen A. Manuel	3:41
10.	"Compton's Lynchin'"	T. Allen A. Manuel J. Watson	4:42
11.	"Mike T's Funky Scratch"	T. Allen A. Manuel	2:34
12.	"Can I Kill It?"	T. Allen A. Manuel E. Noble C. Womack L. Womack E. Isley M. Isley O. Isley R. Isley R. Isley C. Jasper	4:30
13.	"Gangsta Shot Out"	T. Allen A. Manuel	2:32
Total length:			46:22

All lyrics are written by Aaron Tyler

Personnel

• Aaron Tyler – lyrics, vocals
• Terry Keith Allen – drum programming, scratches, producer, arranger
• Michael Bryant – scratches
• Andre Manuel – drum programming, producer, arranger, recording, mixing, executive producer
• William Fredric Zimmerman – piano (track 8)
• Mike "Webeboomindashit" Edwards – recording, mixing
• Brian Gardner – mastering
• David Provost – photography

Charts

Chart (1991)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[3]	92
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[4]	23

References

1. Wynn, Ron. "Straight Checkn 'Em - Compton's Most Wanted | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
2. Bernard, James (August 30, 1991). "Straight Checkn 'Em". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
3. "Compton's Most Wanted Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
4. "Compton's Most Wanted Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2016.

External links

• Straight Checkn 'Em at Discogs (list of releases)