Straight Outta Compton is bio-pic of what in 1988 was called, “The Most Dangerous Group,” Niggas With Attitude (N.W.A.) and their rise from the ghettos of Compton, CA into super stardom; allowing them to be the voices of the voiceless in the Los Angeles black communities that had been experiencing police harassment long before the 1965 Watts Riots.
The film focuses on five of the six founding members, Eric “Eazy-E” Wright (Jason Mitchell), O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson (O’Shea Jackson, Jr.), Andre “Dr. Dre” Young (Corey Hawkins), Lorenzo “MC Ren” Patterson (Aldis Hodge) and Antoine “DJ Yella” Carraby (Neil Brown, Jr.). As the teenagers were surrounded by drug dealers and gang bangers, they decided to revolutionize Hip-Hop by breaking away from the party scene that was Rap music and give it the edge that was missing.
Now, what you’re going to hear from hipster and fake liberals is that the movie is, “Riveting, poignant, N.W.A. was ahead of their time. They changed the face of Hip-Hop as we know it.” All that is true, the difference is, all those bastards that were alive in 1987 or the millennials that claim to be into, “old skool” would have no idea that “Panic Zone,” was their first single and would have been the same critics that thought their lyrics were dangerous and appalling.
[pullquote align=”left” citelink=” …it was pretty rough in the 1980s. It was the Reagan era, the economy was really bad and there was this huge shift in the culture on the streets.”] …it was pretty rough in the 1980s. It was the Reagan era, the economy was really bad and there was this huge shift in the culture on the streets.[/pullquote]Straight Outta Compton is sanitized for the BS critics protection. It downplays the real rivalry between Ice Cube and and the rest of N.W.A. as just beef to sell records. Although, Dee Barnes would disagree. It also ignored the real life beef between Eazy-E and Dr. Dre after the split of N.W.A. with his EP “It’s On,” that depicted Dre as a fake gangsta from his days spinning records with World Class Wreckin’ Cru.
However, the scrub down isn’t totally a bad thing, because it gives you just enough to know who the crew were and the ghettos of LA. Director F. Gary Gary grew up in South Central and was able to add the realistic feel of what was really going on during the rise of N.W.A.
“I grew up in South Central L.A., and it was pretty rough in the 1980s. It was the Reagan era, the economy was really bad and there was this huge shift in the culture on the streets. N.W.A just laid it out uncensored and unfiltered. At times, living life was good and at times it was dangerous, and they captured all of that in their songs. N.W.A and Compton are a historical bookmark,” said Gray.
N.W.A. did revolutionize Hip-Hop, shining the spotlight on the West Coast and the movie will be talked about for a long time to come. The two standout performers were Jackson and Hawkins, who allowed you to suspend disbelief that they really Cube and Dre. Brown was a bit of the comic relief as they made Yella out to be nothing more than a walking hormone…although, that could be true, he is credited with producing well over 300 adult films. This young cast has a lot going for them and will go places if given the right opportunities, especially when they can hold their own with Paul Giamatti whoplayed manager Jerry Heller.
There is so much more to the story of N.W.A. than the 2 hour and 20 minute movie allows for, but it will be just enough for those who will rush out and buy the old LPs claiming to have been fans for years — like the example found in this Stuff White People Like post.
Straight Outta Compton is a great flick that needs to be watched at least once. The soundtrack from start to end is amazing and will have you moving in your seats as you bump it from your cars longing for the days of an Alpine system.
Straight Outta Compton opens nationwide Friday, August 14, 2015
