‘Straight Outta Compton’: The story of NWA unfolds

Straight Outta Compton is a film that had been in works since 2002. In speaking to Dr. Dre, Corey Hawkins got the advice “don’t worry about looking like me or sounding like me”.

‘As far as a purist in hip-hop? Coming full circle, the “Straight Outta Compton” narrative sacrifices their bodies on the altar of black masculine triumph and American dream-style redemption, signifying that the only occupying violence black America should really be concerned about is that perpetrated by the police. In the album’s rat-a-tat opening lines, Ice Cube delivers a blistering salvo of pent-up frustration from the “gang called Niggaz With Attitude”.

“The weirdest part was seeing my character for the first time”, he says. Eazy is the star of the movie and that’s just the way it is. “I wanted the story and the music to become part of them – we needed that authenticity”.

Like Dr. Dre, Ice Cube – born O’Shea Jackson – became a successful solo artist after leaving N.W.A. The rapper has sold more than 10 million albums over the last quarter century. “They were like, ‘Why didn’t you come in?’ Because I was doubting myself, sort of the insecurity that actors go through”.

Jason Mitchell: Well, by me not being from California, the first thing I had to do is transform to be able to understand the culture. But at the same time, I had my guys around me. The way I do my hands, he said, ‘When you’re in interviews you do this, you lean this way, ‘ and all this. I don’t want to have like volume one, volume two.

DJ Yella also talks about what it was like to see himself portrayed on screen.

There’s at least four Fridays in a month, are we getting another? Corey even had to learn how to DJ, I had to learn how to move mechanically like Eazy-E, and, of course, Shea had to bring a level of energy that’s from the ’80s.

“Straight Outta Compton” backs N.W.A. s accusations that Heller scammed the group out of money by manipulating Eazy-E, an allegation which Heller has continually denied.

Wisdom wrapped his words, and then Ice Cube shared, “So, whenever you beef in public you give real enemies – people that might be the enemies of both of y’all – you give them opportunity to do something to you without being blamed; it’s unsafe”. “I had to pinch myself, like, ‘Am I dead or something?’ It was weird seeing him, ’cause he’d studied me so much that he does everything I did”. What will be the impact of Straight Outta Compton 20 years from now? He just owned it. I’m just proud of the production. In 2013, singer and Dre’s ex-girlfriend Michel’le alleged the producer used to beat her when they were dating in the ’90s, though she never brought any legal action against him.