12/16/2023 0 Comments Straight outta compton eazy e“I’ve always been very intrigued by the story,” says Universal chief Donna Langley. “That’s the great thing about being in this country, is to be able to speak your mind and not be censored.” “It was always about free speech, being able to express yourself, whether people like it or not,” recalls Cube of N.W.A’s early raps (the group made four albums before they broke up in 1991). If hip-hop had one Big Bang-like birth, an explosive moment when it first emerged as a serious, sustainable art form, this was it. Still, their first album, 1988’s Straight Outta Compton, managed to sell 3 million copies and go triple platinum. Their incendiary lyrics (“a young n-a on the warpath, and when I’m finished, it’s gonna be a bloodbath of cops, dyin’ in L.A.”) landed N.W.A (which stands for “N-az With Attitude”) on FBI watch lists, incurred the moral wrath of media crusaders like Tipper Gore and got their music banned from scores of radio stations and record stores. (Cube) and Eric Wright (Eazy-E), were inventing gangsta rap in South Central clubs, creating a wholly new form of music made up of shockingly raw stories of police brutality and other urban blights. But in Compton, Calif., five black kids, including Andre Young (Dre), O’Shea Jackson Sr. Bill Cosby was the most beloved TV star in the country. Ronald Reagan was in the middle of his second term. It’s definitely going to keep this situation in people’s minds and make sure that everyone out there knows that this is a problem that keeps happening still today.” “And now, it’s just like, ‘OK, we understand.’ This movie will keep shining a light on the problem, especially because of all the situations that are happening in Ferguson and here in Los Angeles. “It’s crazy how we were getting criticized for this years ago,” says Dre of N.W.A’s provocative songs about inner-city life. How it went through two studios, overcame decades-old feuds, underwent countless rewrites - not to mention an alleged vehicular homicide (“a really tragic incident,” says Dre) - and still was filming in North Hollywood as little as three weeks ago to finally emerge intact for its Aug. With the only flicker of light coming from Dre’s gleaming Rolex, the producers and stars of the film talk thoughtfully - sometimes angrily - about the difficult 13-year journey it took for Straight Outta Compton to get to the screen. (also known as Cube’s son) and Jason Mitchell (as Eazy-E) - takes place entirely in the dark. Which is how my interview with Dre and Cube and some of the actors who star in Straight Outta Compton - Corey Hawkins (who plays young Dre), O’Shea Jackson Jr. It will remain so for the better part of an hour. It turns out a transformer has blown on nearby Cole Street, and the whole block is without power. A few others are picking around the Caesar salad with grilled chicken at a snack table when suddenly - wham! - there’s a loud popping sound and the place goes completely dark. Cube, now a 46-year-old comic action actor-producer ( Ride Along, 21 Jump Street), is leaning against a wall, sipping a cappuccino with extra sugar. Thirty years ago, he was producing N.W.A’s signature song, “F- tha Police” today, he’s a headphones tycoon who lives in Tom Brady‘s former mansion in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles. Dre, now 50, is sitting on a comfy sofa, fussing with the cuffs of his designer jeans. We’re in a photo studio in Hollywood in mid-July, a month before the release of Universal’s $29 million movie telling the (mostly) true story of N.W.A, the groundbreaking hip-hop group that Dre, Cube and three other rappers - Eazy-E, MC Ren and DJ Yella - formed during the 1980s. Dreand Ice Cube about the slaying that happened during the shooting of a Straight Outta Compton trailer - about the day in January when Suge Knight turned up on the set and allegedly plowed his pickup truck over two men, including a technical adviser on the film - when the lights go out. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. This story first appeared in the July 31 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |