Ice Cube Responds To ‘Straight Outta Compton’ Oscar Snub

Many Twitter users voiced their opinions using the hashtag #Oscarssowhite, which originally debuted previous year when Oscars host Neil Patrick Harris commented that they were honouring the “best and whitest” at the 2015 ceremony.

April S. Reign created the hashtag last year, and she noted it’s worse this year. While both “Straight Outta Compton” and “Creed” – two movieshelmed by black actors and directors – did earn nominations, those nods went to white screenwriters and a white actor (Sylvester Stallone), respectively.

Straight Outta Compton, a major player in the Oscar-precursor guild awards and considered a fairly certain Best Picture nominee, was also left out, with no directing or acting nominations for F. Gary Gray and lead actors Jason Mitchell, O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Corey Hawkins.

Many are perplexed in the decision making – once again denying people of colour this platform after giving society critically acclaimed quality and the slap in the face being that the only black person represented is comedian Chris Rock who will be hosting said event. A member of the acting branch of the academy told the Los Angeles Times anonymously, “I don’t see how you can nominate another group that doesn’t include any actor of color and think you’ll be taken seriously”. Just ask the folks who made “Straight Outta Compton” for $28 million and, so far, have grossed more than $200 million.

Will Smith, who stars in football injury drama “Concussion”, and Idris Elba from “Beasts of No Nation” were among the black actors who were not nominated this year. President of the Academy Cherryl Boone-Isaacs, a black woman, said she is well-aware of the poor state of diversity in film and that diversifying the field is important. Oscar darling Helen Mirren was also snubbed in her bid for a Best Supporting Actress nod for her part in Trumbo, as was Kristen Stewart for her Cesar Award (the French equivalent of Oscar)-winning role in Clouds of Sils Maria.

Let’s really break this down: Only white actors were nominated for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.

Another journalist, Charles M. Blow, wrote, “And Oscars wonder why their viewership was down 18% a year ago!”

One year after #OscarsSoWhite, little seems to have to changed.

At the time she made a speech which went viral.

Ricky Gervais called out the Academy Awards for their continued lack of diversity following Thursday’s Oscar nomination announcement. “You can not win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there”.

“In a year with an extraordinary number of great performances by black actors that were embraced by audiences and embraced by critics, for them all to get ignored is tragic”, he said.