C.I.A., a name short for Cru' in Action!, replacing the earlier name Stereo Crew, was a rap trio,

K-Dee Darrell L. Johnson, also known as K-Dee, formerly Kid Disaster and D-Rock-D, (born May 24, 1969), is an American rapper most known for his album ''Ass, Gas, or Cash (No One Rides for Free)''. His first two singles were released under the name ...

Sir Jinx Anthony Wheaton, professionally known by his stage name Sir Jinx, is an American hip hop producer and rapper from Los Angeles. He is a cousin of multi-platinum producer Dr. Dre. He began his career as a member of the C.I.A. in the mid-80s with ...

, and

Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...

, on the Los Angeles rap scene in the 1980s. The trio debuted at parties thrown by Sir Jinx's cousin

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...

. Dre was in one of the Los Angeles area's leading DJ crews, the

World Class Wreckin' Cru World Class Wreckin' Cru was an American electro music, electro group, during the 1980s in the Los Angeles area, that contributed to rap's development. Two of its members, Dr. Dre and DJ Yella, attained greater fame as members of N.W.A, which pion ...

, whose core members, including Dre, doubled as a successful electro rap group. In 1986, the Stereo Crew's single "She's a Skag" arrived on

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

, which soon dropped the group for poor sales. The Stereo Crew then signed with Kru Cut Records—a sublabel run by Grandmaster Lonzo, who, leading the World Class Wreckin' Cru, had formed it for the WCWC's early releases—while the trio changed its name to C.I.A. The trio did backing vocals on the WCWC song "Cabbage Patch," while C.I.A.'s only release, "

My Posse ''Cru' In Action!'' is the only release by rap group C.I.A. (Cru' in Action!). The record has received more than one pressing by record companies Macola and Kru-Cut. Alonzo Williams was credited for executive production of the 12" single. Personne ...

," produced by Dre in a classic,

Roland TR-808 The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, commonly known as the 808, is a drum machine manufactured by the Roland Corporation between 1980 and 1983. It was one of the first drum machines to allow users to program rhythms instead of using preset patte ...

manner, arrived in 1987. Meanwhile, Eric Wright, soon dubbed

Eazy-E Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1964 – March 26, 1995), known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. He is often referred t ...

, having a new label,

Ruthless Records Ruthless Records was an American record label founded by Eric "Eazy-E" Wright and Jerry Heller in Compton, California in 1986, where all of the Ruthless trademarks have been owned by Comptown Records, Inc. since 1997. Several artists on the la ...

, formed with Cube and Dre the pioneering

gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...

group

N.W.A N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip hop group whose members were among the earliest and most significant popularizers and controversial figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, and the group is widely considered ...

and

would later go on to form

Da Lench Mob Da Lench Mob was an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California, associated with Ice Cube. The group consisted of rappers Shorty, T-Bone, J-Dee, Maulkie, and Ice Cube. Their Islamic religious and social politically inspired-lyrics garn ...

Discography

Singles

*"She's a Skag" (1986) (as ''Stereo Crew'') *"

" (1987)

References

N.W.A Hip hop groups from California Ice Cube Musical groups from Los Angeles American musical trios African-American musical groups {{US-hiphop-band-stub