Straight Outta Compton (2015)

The American epic biographical drama film directed by F. Gary Gray, Straight Outta Compton (2015), tells the story of the rise and fall of N.W.A., a hip hop group. Set in 1986, Compton, California is depicted as a chaotic dystopia overrun by street gangs, drug dealers, and police brutality. One night, Eazy-E narrowly escapes a police raid at a crack house. The following day, Dr. Dre is at a crossroads in life and is confronted by his mother for missing a job interview. Meanwhile, high school senior Ice Cube dreams of becoming a rapper. When Dre hears Cube’s ‘reality raps’ about the struggles faced by African Americans with crime, gang violence, and police harassment, he convinces Eazy to use their funds to start Ruthless Records and become their record producer. After their song ‘Boyz-n-the-Hood’ is rejected by a New York rap group, Dre persuades Eazy to perform it instead. The song becomes a local hit and marks the formation of N.W.A (“‘Niggaz Wit Attitudes’) with members Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, DJ Yella,and MC Ren.

Eazy agrees to Jerry Heller’s offer to manage N.W.A and co-run Ruthless, while Priority Records presents them with a record deal. While creating their first album, Straight Outta Compton (1988), the band experiences harassment from the police due to their race and appearance. This prompts Cube to write a diss track called ‘Fuck tha Police’ directed towards the law enforcement. After witnessing the altercation and being appalled by the officers’ actions, Heller readily approves the track. The album gains attention for its explicit lyrics and is labeled as gangsta rap by the media. During a concert tour in 1989, the FBI demands that ‘Fuck tha Police’ not be performed because it promotes violence against law enforcement. Despite being banned from performing it by police in Detroit, the group still chooses to include it in their setlist.