"Boyz-N-The-Hood" by Eazy-E and N.W.A. is arguably one of the most iconic gangsta rap songs of all time. Released in 1987, it was a raw, gritty depiction of life on the streets of Compton that popularized terms like "GTA" and left a lasting impact on hip-hop. As a hip-hop head and gaming enthusiast, I wanted to take an in-depth look at the history and meaning behind the line "It‘s all about makin‘ that GTA."
The Origins and Criminal Context of “GTA”
Long before Eazy-E name-dropped GTA, “grand theft auto” had an established definition in criminal codes. According to legal history records, motor vehicle theft was codified as "grand theft auto" in the 1920s in California, New York, and elsewhere. This made it distinct from petty auto theft or joyriding.
By the 1980s and 90s, “GTA” had emerged as common slang among street gangs and criminals in LA, particularly referencing stealing cars. For instance, Sanyika Shakur, a notorious LA Crip, used “GTA” extensively in his 1993 memoir Monster to refer to carjackings, as seen below:
“We started getting into major GTA’s [grand theft autos] — European cars, Cadillacs, Chryslers, Oldsmobiles. Anything we wanted we took. And not just stole them, see, but robbed them on top of that.”
So when Ice Cube wrote the line “It‘s all about makin‘ that GTA” for Eazy-E in 1987, the target audience of Compton gang members would have instantly recognized the reference to stealing cars and general outlaw activity.
As their music entered the mainstream, N.W.A essentially publicized the insider slang of LA streets nationwide.
Analyzing the Context and Meaning of GTA in “Boyz-N-The-Hood”
Let’s look at the full verse containing the GTA reference:
Cruisin‘ down the street in my six-fo‘
Jockin‘ the bitches, slappin‘ the hoes
Went to the park to get the scoop
Knuckleheads out there cold shootin‘ some hoop
A car pulls up, who can it be?
A fresh El Camino rollin‘ Kilo G
He rolled down his window and he started to say
It‘s all about makin‘ that GTA
Here, “that GTA” refers to stealing cars as part of the gangster lifestyle. The “fresh El Camino” referenced is likely a car they stole through grand theft auto. When the character rolls down the window to boast “It’s all about makin‘ that GTA,” he’s bragging about their criminal exploits of jacking cars.
For gang members, GTA signifies earning status and respect. The characters in “Boyz-N-The-Hood” use the money and cars gained through theft and drug dealing to cruise around swaggering and asserting their gangsta reputations. Their GTA activities represent their self-image of toughness and hustle.
GTA and Gang culture in LA: The Crips Connection
Interestingly, “grand theft auto” had special relevance among LA’s infamous Crips gangs.
The Crips gained national attention in the 1970s and 80s for their frequent car thefts, armed robberies, and drug operations. According to law enforcement reports from that era, stealing cars was “one of the initiating rites, tests, and employment opportunities for thousands of Crip members.”
With Eazy-E and other N.W.A members having ties to the Kelly Park Compton Crips, it’s likely that the GTA reference in their breakout single stemmed directly from Crip culture. Carjacking was ingrained as part of the identity and crimes of LA gangs like the Crips at the time.
The Legacy: How N.W.A Mainstreamed GTA
While “grand theft auto” had long existed in criminal codes and street slang, it entered the widespread public lexicon mainly through gangsta rap music. N.W.A were the first to push it into popular knowledge.
The song’s success brought the grim realities of Compton gang life into pop culture. As “Boyz-N-The-Hood” gained fame, millions of mainstream music fans found themselves singing along to lyrics about making “that GTA” without knowing the grim implications.
This reveals the cultural impact of gangsta rap – it exposed middle America to the unvarnished tales of the streets at a visceral level. Even decades later, the genre’s blunt language continues to resonate. Modern LA rappers like YG and Nipsey Hussle follow in N.W.A’s tradition by name-dropping “GTA” to stress their authenticity.
And of course, when the landmark Grand Theft Auto video game franchise launched in 1997, it inherited the term from the streets via gangsta rap. N.W.A‘s raw and real music of the late 80s cemented “GTA” as a shorthand for urban crime that still rings familiar today.
So in just a few bars, “It’s all about makin’ that GTA” encapsulated a uniquely LA experience that reverberated in culture for years to come. As an N.W.A fan, hearing that sinister synth line kick in as Eazy spits that line will always get me hyped!
Let me know if you have any other thoughts or questions on this hip-hop history topic. As a long-time head, I’m always down for an in-depth debate on the classics!
