Straight Outta Compton was released on Aug. 14 and stars Neil Brown Jr.(DJ Yella), O’Shea Jackson Jr.(Ice Cube), Corey Hawkins (Dr.Dre), Aldis Hodge (MC Ren) and Jason Mitchell (Eazy-E).The movie follows the legendary hip-hop group N*ggaz Wit’ Attitude (N.W.A) and explores the racial injustice they faced. Image courtesy of Automotive Rhythms.
By KENNAE HUNTER – Staff Writer
Straight Outta Compton shows how N.W.A. rose to stardom and gives a glimpse of the police brutality and the hate African-Americans endured in the late ’80s.
Straight Outta Compton is the story of the legendary hip-hop group N*ggaz Wit’ Attitude (N.W.A.), whose members originally included Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, MC Ren and DJ Yella. N.W.A. was one of the first groups to introduce gangsta rap and West Coast hip hop into society.
Straight Outta Compton portrays the racial issues that N.W.A. faced. Many of their problems came from their controversial lyrics from songs like “F*ck The Police” and “Gangsta Gangsta”, which speak about racial profiling, police brutality and the lives of youth in Compton, Ca.
Although Straight Outta Compton’s setting is during the late ’80s and early ’90s, the film shows the issues African-American youth are faced with today.
For example, in the film N.W.A. would be casually hanging out on the streets and the police would come and harass them assuming they were gang members because they were African-American teenage boys with white T-shirts and jeans.
Currently in America, countless unarmed African-American males and females have been killed, harassed and/or treated unfairly because of their skin color. In 2012, George Zimmerman pursued and eventually shot Trayvon Martin, because he assumed Martin was “up to no good” because he had on a hood.
In June, there was the Charleston church shooting, which led to the death of nine unarmed African-Americans. This shooting is an example of racial violence because the shooter, Dylann Roof, allegedly plotted to attack African-Americans.
In August of 2014, unarmed Mike Brown was shot and killed by an officer while he had his hands up in the surrender position. The police officer was not indicted.
Straight Outta Compton gives people of other races a chance to see what African-Americans continue to endure. This movie gives all people an opportunity to get a visual idea of the hate and should people the struggles of having a skin color that’s not accepted by all.
