Panic Zone

"Panic Zone" is the 1987 debut single by American hip hop group N.W.A, whose songs were later featured on the compilation N.W.A. and the Posse, which was a reissue of 12" EPs and singles released by Macola Records, the then manufacturer and distributor of Ruthless Records, N.W.A's label. Despite its independent release, the tape has sold over 1,000 copies. The single introduced rap artists Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre.

Contents

• Track listing
• Personnel
• References

Apart from the title track and "8 Ball", the record also included "Dope Man", a song about a local drug dealer who is waited on hand and foot by frequent clients whose lives have been ruined as a result of their consumption of his products.

This track was also the B-side of a split single release with Eazy-E's "Boyz-n-the-Hood", which was released in 1989, following the commercial success of Eazy-E's solo debut Eazy-Duz-It and the group's first album proper, Straight Outta Compton, on which a remix of "Dope Man" was included. Both the original version and remix version of "Dopeman" appear on side B of the split, while the original version and the remix version of "Boyz-n-the-Hood" appear on side A.

The song later appeared on The Best of N.W.A. - The Strength of Street Knowledge. It contains a sample of "Funky Worm" by the Ohio Players.

Despite its notoriety and popularity, "Dope Man" was never released as a single proper. At 0:58 the song contains a reference to Scarface: "To be a dopeman, boy, you must qualify - don't get high off your own supply."