By David Jordan Jr
The recently released Straight Outta Compton is a must see movie for many reasons. Produced by F. Gary Gray this movie is a time machine to the start up of one of hip hop’s most iconic rap groups to how it’s impact transcended not only the music industry, but America.
One reason this movie is a must see is because it takes the viewers back to a time in hip hop when new music, new style and a new message was sweeping the airwaves and the world by storm. Those that were actually alive during the time of N.W.A. and witnessed their ascent to fame, scrutiny and history can be taken back to the late 1980’s and early 1990’s when Arsenio Hall, “Yo MTV Raps,” and “Yo” & Word UP” magazines provided fans and critics alike the only inside scoop to N.W.A.. The group comprised of Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, DJ Yella & M.C. Ren and their backgrounds, creativity, vision and originality was the recipe for success. Hailing from Compton, California and South Central Los Angeles respectively, each individuals life and experiences contributed to the music which would captivate its listeners, infuriate those that didn’t understand and pique the interest of those that had never experienced the harsh realities expressed in their songs. 
The cast of the movie was great in the fact that you were able to completely identify the people which were being portrayed. Being able to identify with each character on a personal level when watching a biopic is essential to a movie being successful or not being successful. Having grown up during the era depicted on screen I was able to relive each moment portrayed by the actors; memories of hanging N.W.A. and Eazy-E pullouts from Word Up and Yo magazine on my wall, watching the group perform on Arsenio Hall (Arsenio Hall provided the only mainstream platform for most hip hop acts during the late 80’s and early 90s) and also the eventual dissolving of one of Hip Hop’s most iconic groups. 
For the younger generation that is not completely familiar with N.W.A. this movie provided an avenue for a history lesson in not only rap music, but also in West Coast hip hop and it’s place in musical history. Being able to witness the the rise of N.W.A. and the difficulties they enocuntered on a daily bases for essentialy “Expressing Themselves (reference “Express Yourself” from the debut album Straight Outta Compton) enables the viewer to see hip hop and America and how things that are accepted in the world of music today were not accepted in the not so distant past of nearly 30 years ago.
One aspect of the movie which I was surprised to not see was the beef which developed between Eazy-E and Dr. Dre after Dre’s departure to the soon to be launched Death Row Records with Marion “Suge” Knight. “No Vaseline,” the Ice Cube diss to the entire group was played in the movie but no “Dre Day” (Dr. Dre) or “Real Compton City G’s |”Real Muthaphuckkin G’s” (Eazy-E) which could have possibly engaged the viewer even more into how hostile the once brotherly group members had become towards each other. The possible release of a director’s cut could possibly delve into these things which were left out and possibly even more. As with any biopic, when those being portrayed are actually able to be the main hands in the production, it provides for a completely authentic script; Ice Cube, Tomica Woods-Wright and Dr. Dre provided the insight that nobody NOT affiliated with N.W.A. could have provided, no matter how many old videos were watched, interviews were read or listened to or albums were listened to. Go see “Straight Outta Compton” to get the real and to develop an even greater appreciation for N.W.A. and the place in musical history.
