Hands down Straight Outta Compton is one of the best movies of the year. Not because from the beginning you are racing with adrenaline from the turn of events, or because the police barge through the door with a big-ass tank and run into a girl as they break through the walls. Not because the music will take you back to the ’80s and ’90s and have you jamming, saying, “Oh, I remember that,” but because this movie has heart! The movie, directed by F. Gary Gray, tells the story of the influential rap group N.W.A and its members Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre. The movie starts at the beginning with Eazy-E’s drug-dealing game, Dr. Dre a DJ, at a club, only wanting to play his hard-core rap, and Ice Cube, always loaded with the rhymes. The story showcases these boys living life in Compton, where they are surrounded by police brutality, harassment, violence, and drugs. Through lyrics, a dream, and a desire for a better life, they rise above the discrimination to create a movement. Thinking they would only be local rappers with street cred (street celebs) they become much more. They become a voice for boys living in the hood. Cube speaks his lyrical truth in the song “Fuck the Police,” which the government tries to ban. Eazy-E raps about a life of drugs, guns, and violence, while Dr. Dre spits fire on the beats side.
This movie will have you on an emotional roller coaster from start to finish; from joy for the boys’ rise to fame, to sadness at the unexpected turn of events, from bitterness as you see the shade that comes with working in the music industry, to anger as you watch a reenactment of the Rodney King verdict, concerning the young African American taxi driver who was brutally beaten to death by LAPD officers, all of whom were found innocent although the incident was caught on tape.
I am not a hip-hop head, but I was able to relate and understand what a major impact and platform N.W.A created for the likes of Tupac, Eminem, 50 Cent, Snoop Dog, Bone Thugs and Harmony, and others. Even with obstacle after obstacle these boys rose above and defied all expectations.
Eazy-E, Ruthless Records founder, rapper, and member of N.W.A, made his final statement telling the world he was diagnosed with AIDS, speaking about the importance of safe sex, and that AIDS was not a gay man’s disease.
Ice Cube, movie star, rapper, and movie producer, has blessed the screen with hits such as Friday and Boyz n the Hood, as well as Are We There Yet?, Lottery Ticket, and Ride Along, produced by his production company, Cube Vision. .
Dr. Dre, founder of Aftermath and Beats Electronics, as well as a rapper and actor, just closed the most lucrative deal in hip-hop history, selling Beats to Apple for $3.2 billion. Dr. Dre is also responsible for signing artists such as Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Jon Connor, 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, The Game, and Eve.
So this is not just another movie for black audiences. This is a story of history in the making, about how a group of boys whom the world considered hoodlums and gangbangers changed the music scene and took their freedom of speech to the next level. “Our words became our weapons,” says Cube. A story of encouragement and motivation for you to use your own voice and use it to say what you believe in. Stand up for yourself and for your rights—in business and in life!