Anthony Hamilton
Beginning late last year, there was a buzz building about the N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton. N.W.A. came to prominence when I was younger and heavily into the club scene, so there was definitely a strong interest for me to dig deeper into their story, and REALLY find out what caused the “F**k tha Police” song. I must say, after having seen the movie it didn’t disappoint.
The story begins in 1986, set in Compton, CA, with a brief look into what each of the members were doing BEFORE the group was formed, as well as how they met and actually formed the group.
The founding members of the group were Eric “Eazy-E” Wright, and Andre “Dr. Dre” Young. They came up with the group idea after listening to mutual friend O’Shay “Ice Cube” Jackson perform some lyrics he had written at a local club and seeing the reception he received from the crowd.
N.W.A. began to really take off after a chance meeting between Eazy-E. and Jerry Heller as Eazy was picking up a shipment of his records to distribute. Heller convinced Eazy that he could make them huge, and Eazy bought in, with Heller ultimately delivering on the promise to make them huge stars, but not without more than their share of problems.
The group caught fire quickly. Their songs about the climate at that time resonated well with their target audience, and they went on to being huge celebrities, with all the spoils that go with that. Although the media seemed to be focused on their seemingly violent persona, songs like “Express Yourself”, and “Dope Man” had strong underlying messages in them. “Express Yourself” spoke of never being afraid to speak your mind, even if it’s unpopular with the masses. “Dope Man” spoke on the many ways dope dealers end up exploiting the communities where they sell their product.
The boiling point of their existence, before beginning to crumble, was an incident outside the recording studio where they were brutalized by police while on a break from recording their album. The song “F**k tha Police” was born from that encounter. They will always be remembered for that song, and all the attention it garnered them from the F.B.I and the government, as well as the backlash from ordinary citizens who had never experienced that level of police brutality.
This was the height of their N.W.A. career. First Ice Cube, then Dr. Dre, figured out that Jerry Heller was ripping them off, and subsequently, they left the group and went on to form their own companies and ultimately become huge solo artists. By the time Eazy-E figured out the truth, it was too late for him. While in the planning stages for an N.W.A. reunion minus Heller, Eazy found out he had HIV. The movie ended on a sad note with his death from AIDS.
After all the buzz leading up to this movie, I found it very entertaining, and it brought back memories of my younger days, and the good times I had. It’s one of those movies that I could see again. It’s MUST see if you’re an N.W.A. fan, or just a fan of old school rap. As Gene Siskel used to say, I give it two thumbs up. I hadn’t been to the movies since I saw Notorious, and I must say it was an afternoon well spent.
Straight Outta Compton is playing at the Cinemark 14 theater in Texarkana, TX.
