Straight Outta Compton has been one of the most highly anticipated films of the summer. The biopic directed by F. Gary Gray, tells the story behind one of the most notorious rap groups in music history N.W.A. The group consisted of Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, MC Ren, and DJ Yella.
What made them stand out from that status quo of the time was their hard beats thanks to Dr. Dre, strong writing from Ice Cube, and very distinct delivery from Eazy-E. They can be credited as the first to put raw reality in their lyrics, including drug busts, gun violence, and constant abuse from the police. Another reason why this movie resonates with so many is because the problems they wrote about in the 1980s are taking place today.
If you’re doing a biopic on one of the most infamous rap groups of all time, then you can be pretty sure the soundtrack is going to be amazing. You’ll hear classics all throughout the movie such as “Straight Outta Compton,” “F*** the Police,” “Aint Nothin But a G thang,” and other West Coast classics.
Personally, I’ve always known about the group and their music but wasn’t familiar with their story. The film does an excellent job of giving moviegoers a behind-the-scenes look at how the group was formed, what broke them up, and many other mini-stories (because there’s 5 of them). It’s a film worth watching not just because of the names involved, but there’s an excellent story to be heard in this film. There are bits of humor throughout the movie which was refreshing, but with anything involving rap, you’ll have to get past the vulgarity. If you’re not one for overexposure to cussing then you definitely will not like this film.
If you can get past the cursing and the overuse of the “N-word” there’s an awe-inspiring experience waiting for you. Unlike the disaster of the Fantastic Four last week (which received a 9 out of 100 online), this won’t leave you disappointed. Because of that, I can confidently give it a 9 out of 10. A group of young men who changed the landscape of music; you’ll meet them, they’re N.W.A.
-Jon J.