N.W.A Scores First Top 40 Hit on Hot 100

 Straight Outta Comptoncontinues to pave the wayfor an N.W.A resurgence. With the filmraking inmoney at the box office and Dr. Dre’s unofficial soundtrackComptonmaking a stir, it’s no surprise that a younger generation is rediscovering the oldhits of the legendary group.How else to explain the fact that N.W.A just made its first-ever appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, for a song that came out in 1988. “Straight Outta Compton” debuts at No. 38, which makes it the first top 40 hit ever for the hip-hop collective.

If you’re wondering how a song that’s almost 30 years old can “debut” at all,Billboardexplains that “older songs are eligible to chart if ranking in the top 50 and showing notable gains in sales, streaming and/or airplay.”The film has made$111.5 millionat the U.S. and Canada box office through Aug. 23, while “StraightOutta Compton” sold 35,000 downloads in the week ending Aug. 20 and garnered 5.7 million domestic streams.Meanwhile, Dr. Dre’s albumComptonis sitting at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 51,000 units in its second week, followed by N.W.A’sStraight Outta Compton, which jumps 30-4 (44,000).