STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON

Plot:

During the mid 80's the streets of Compton, California was rough for young black teens as they were victims to the drug dealings, gang related crimes and police brutality on a routine basis. So five teens tired of the constant struggles of being black and hassled in the hood, decided to take to music so that they could voice what it was like growing up in the gritty city of Compton. Ice Cube (Jackson), Dr. Dre (Hawkins), Eazy E. (Mitchell), DJ Yella (Brown) and MC Ren (Hodge) formed the rap group N.W.A. which is an abbreviation for "Niggaz Wit Attitudes" that performed under the label Ruthless Records formed by drug money earned by Eazy E. Their hardcore rap style about being black in the hood caught the attention of longtime music manager Jerry Heller (Giamatti) who was able to get them a record deal with Priority Records and shooting them to superstar status. But it would not last forever as contract disputes and money issues would eventually lead to the breakup of the group causing them to take to different solo projects and leaving some bitter feelings among the boys who used to be good friends.



Reel Talk:

This is one great movie....flat out!!! Growing up and actually experiencing the impact that this group had in the rap genre and hearing the stories behind their demise, it was good to see the story as told by the actual group members because it was produced by Ice Cube and supported by Dr. Dre and the other members. For a movie that was filmed with a pretty much unknown cast with the exception of the versatile veteran actor Paul Giamatti, the performance were great, especially from Giamatti as Jerry Heller, O'Shea Jackson Jr. who plays his dad Ice Cube and Jason Mitchell as Eazy E. who really put it down. Director F. Gary Gray who has worked with Ice Cube before on the cult classic Boyz N The Hood and who is also a Compton native himself knew just how to capture the essence of the city as the backdrop for this great depiction for the group N.W.A. the originators of gangsta rap. I will not lie, this is one of the best movies that I have seen all year and one that I strongly recommend. Definitely go out and cash out to support this movie...you will not be disappointed, especially if you grew up as a fan listening to their music.

Starring: O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown Jr., Aldis Hodge, Marlon Yates Jr., Paul Giamatti and R. Marcos Taylor
Directed by: F. Gary Gray
Rated: R

I give it 5 corn dogs and a soda on the side.

By: The Reel Hustler