With the release date set for August 14th,
we were finally treated to the first look at the upcoming biographical drama Straight Outta Compton, a film that will
portray the story of the legendary Californian rap group N.W.A.
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| The movie poster for the upcoming biopic. |
If you’ve never heard of N.W.A before, you will no doubt
have heard of some of the founding members such as Easy-E, DJ Yella, Ice Cube
and Dr. Dre. The film will show their rise and subsequent fall from the top of
the hip hop genre and being one of the biggest rap groups commercially, but
more importantly, it will outline a dramatized version of the prejudice the
black community of Compton faced during the late 1980’s-1990’s and their notorious
conflict between the group and various law enforcement agencies.
Biopic. Drama. Rap group. To some of you, you’re probably
reading this thinking “so what?” or “why should I even be interested in
something like this?” Well, not only should you be interested in this film but,
this could potentially be among one of the most significant films of 2015.
Now, I consider myself to be a major cinephile, so to come
out with a claim like that, when this year will see the likes of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Furious 7, Jurassic
World and of course, Star Wars VII
hitting the big screens, it is a big deal…
So what is my reasoning behind that claim? If you’ve seen
any news in the last eight months or so, you might have heard about the recent
riots and shootings happening in America. What do they all have in common?
Race.
Straight Outta Compton,
while it could be a cinematic masterpiece in its own right – given the rich
story behind it and an impactful first trailer – this film will provide a sharp
social commentary on contemporary life in America, where racial tensions are unfortunately
still running high.
Back in August last year, 18 year-old Michael Brown, an
African-American male was shot to death after an altercation with a white
police officer, after he was considered to be a suspect in a robbery hours
before. The response of the police to the shooting was heavily criticised and,
after a further escalation of events, a number of riots began to break out
across Ferguson, Missouri. The unrest sparked a vigorous debate about the law
enforcement’s relationship with African-Americans, and police use of force
doctrine in Missouri and nationwide.
Flashback to the late 1980’s where the streets of Compton,
California were filled with a number of black youths outraged at the judicial
system and the relentless discrimination and racial profiling by the
authorities. It was at this time that N.W.A translated this into honest music
that rebelled against abusive authority, giving an explosive voice to a
silenced generation. This later led to the Rodney King riots of 1992, a period
of civil unrest following the acquittal of a number of police officers on trial
regarding a videotaped incident of police brutality, beating King – an
African-American – after a high speed pursuit.
Are you seeing any similarities here?
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| A walk that says fuck tha police... |
Back in the late 80’s, despite Compton being one of the most
prominent locations for gang violence, drugs and police brutality, it also became
one of the fundamental pillars for gangsta rap and the hip hop scene largely
due to N.W.A. The group’s lyrics alone had a number violent profanities
directed towards governmental institutions and departments like the LAPD and
the FBI with songs like ‘Fuck tha Police’, this can be argued that their songs only
added further fuel to the fire.
However, the Compton group were only providing a social
commentary on the events happening on the streets all while marking the
beginning of a revolutionary change within the hip hop genre itself. Back to the
future (casually dropping another film reference) and we’re here in 2015; the
year where the biopic Straight Outta
Compton will be released, the year where the hip hop genre will coincidently
explode once again and, it is the year where a social reflection and change regarding
racial profiling in certain areas is unquestionably needed.
The release of Straight
Outta Compton this year is monumental when looking at current issues, especially
with an uncanny echoing of the N.W.A-era, with Compton-born rappers The Game
and Tyga beginning to break into the mainstream’s vision as well as the lyrical
genius Kendrick Lemar – who makes a brief cameo in the extended trailer for
this film – releasing his highly anticipated album this year too. Not only
this, the film will be released a year after the start of the Ferguson riots.
Coincidence?
So, despite this sounding like a history lesson, a sermon or
an article that perhaps belongs within the Music section of this magazine, I
think the main point to take away from this is the fact that, amidst all of the
major blockbusters hitting the screens this year, it’s worth to note some of
the lesser publicised films – such as Straight
Outta Compton – that will address social and political issues currently
developing across the pond. Because of this, Straight Outta Compton can undoubtedly be one of the most important
films of 2015.
Despite what Eminem proclaims, Dr Dre is not locked in his basement and will instead perhaps be a part of something that Slim Shady can never quite replicate.
