Straight Outta Compton (film)

Last updated

Straight Outta Compton
Straight Outta Compton poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by F. Gary Gray
Screenplay by
Story by
Produced by
  • Ice Cube
  • Tomica Woods-Wright
  • Dr. Dre
  • Matt Alvarez
  • F. Gary Gray
  • Scott Bernstein
Starring
Cinematography Matthew Libatique
Edited by
Music by Joseph Trapanese
Production
companies
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release dates
  • August 11, 2015 (2015-08-11)(Microsoft Theater)
  • August 14, 2015 (2015-08-14)(United States)
Running time
147 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$28–50 million [2] [3] [4]
Box office$201.6 million [2]

Straight Outta Compton is a 2015 American epic biographical drama film directed by F. Gary Gray, depicting the rise and fall of the hip hop group N.W.A and its members Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, and DJ Yella. Members of N.W.A were involved in the production of the film, including Ice Cube and Dr. Dre as producers, as was Eazy-E's widow, Tomica Woods-Wright. MC Ren and DJ Yella served as creative consultants. Ice Cube is played by his real-life son, O'Shea Jackson Jr., who made his film debut. Corey Hawkins portrays Dr. Dre, Jason Mitchell is Eazy-E, Neil Brown Jr. is DJ Yella, and Aldis Hodge is MC Ren. Paul Giamatti stars as N.W.A's manager Jerry Heller.

Contents

Talks of an N.W.A biopic began in 2010 by New Line Cinema. Several directors were approached including Craig Brewer, Peter Berg, and John Singleton before Gray was eventually confirmed in April 2012. Much of the cast signed on in June 2014 and principal photography began that August, taking place around Los Angeles and Compton, California. The production faced several controversies, including casting call issues and several acts of violence on set. The film is dedicated to Eazy-E, who died from HIV in 1995.

Released on August 14, 2015, Straight Outta Compton received positive reviews from critics with praise for its performances (particularly Jackson's and Mitchell's), direction, screenplay and musical sequences, though many criticized the historical inaccuracies. The film was also a box office success, making over $201 million on a production budget of $28–$50 million.

Straight Outta Compton was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the top ten films of 2015 and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Additionally, the film won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Motion Picture at the 47th NAACP Image Awards. It inspired Dr. Dre's third studio album, Compton , which debuted at no. 2 on the US Billboard 200 album chart a week prior to the film's release. The soundtrack album, featuring music by N.W.A, debuted at no. 1 on the Rap Albums chart and reached no. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Heller filed a lawsuit against the filmmakers, protesting his depiction and claiming that parts were taken from his autobiography without permission.

Plot

In 1986, Compton, California has become a chaotic dystopia due to street gangs, drug dealers, and police brutality. One night, Eazy-E narrowly evades a police raid at a crack house. The following day, Dr. Dre is struggling with what he wants to do in life and is confronted by his mother for missing a job interview. Meanwhile, Ice Cube is a high school senior aspiring to become a rapper. Intrigued by Cube's "reality raps" reflecting on the crime, gang violence, and police harassment that they and other African Americans have endured recently, Dre convinces Eazy to fund a startup record label, Ruthless Records, with Dre as record producer. When their song "Boyz-n-the-Hood" is rejected by a New York rap group, Dre convinces Eazy to perform it instead. It becomes a local hit, and Eazy, Cube, Dre, DJ Yella, and MC Ren form the group N.W.A ("Niggaz Wit Attitudes").

Eazy accepts Jerry Heller's offer to manage N.W.A and co-run Ruthless, and Priority Records offers N.W.A a record deal. While recording their debut album, Straight Outta Compton (1988), the group is harassed by police due to their race and appearance, prompting Cube to compose a diss track—"Fuck tha Police"—towards the police. Heller, having witnessed the altercation and being disgusted by the officers, allows the track without hesitation. The album becomes a controversial hit due to its explicit lyrics, and the group's style is dubbed gangsta rap by the press. During a 1989 concert tour, the FBI demands that N.W.A not perform "Fuck tha Police" because it encourages violence against law enforcement. Police in Detroit forbid them from performing the song, but they perform it anyway. The concert stalls, and the police arrest the group, resulting in a riot.

Heller delays the individual members' contracts with Ruthless, and when he insists that Cube should sign without legal representation, Cube quits the group. His debut solo album, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990), is released, but when Priority Records is unable to pay him his advance on his next album, he wrecks the label head's office.

When N.W.A heavily insults Cube on their next record, 100 Miles and Runnin' (1990), he responds with the diss track "No Vaseline", criticizing them and Heller. This, combined with Cube's association with the Nation of Islam, outspoken criticism of the Los Angeles Police Department in the wake of the beating of Rodney King, and a starring role in the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood , make him even more famous and controversial.

Dre hires the imposing Bloods gang member Suge Knight as his manager after Knight proves that Heller has been underpaying him. Dre leaves N.W.A to form Death Row Records with Knight, who has his men threaten Heller and beat Eazy-E to pressure them to release Dre from his contract with Ruthless. Dre enjoys his newfound freedom and begins working with other rappers, including then-newcomer Snoop Dogg. His debut solo album, The Chronic (1992), sells over five million copies and is critically acclaimed, even as he becomes concerned about Knight's violent behavior and the community is rocked by the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

Eazy, whose fortunes and health have declined, is devastated by the comparative success of his former bandmates. Learning that Heller had been embezzling money from Ruthless from the beginning, he fires him and decides to rekindle his friendships with Cube and Dre, who agree to an N.W.A reunion. During the reunion, Eazy collapses and is admitted to the hospital, where he is diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Amid emotional visits from his bandmates, Eazy dies on March 26, 1995, and is mourned by fans.

Dre parted ways with Knight and Death Row a year later to form his own label, Aftermath Entertainment. Clips shown during the film's credits highlight Cube's subsequent roles as a film actor and Dre's career as a producer and entrepreneur. Several famous rappers credit Dre with helping to launch their careers, and Beats Electronics, which he co-founded, was bought by Apple Inc. in 2014 for $3 billion.

Cast

Production

Development

In March 2009, it was announced that the film was in development at New Line Cinema, with S. Leigh Savidge and Alan Wenkus writing, [12] and Tomica Woods-Wright, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre set to produce the film. [13] In May 2010, it was announced Andrea Berloff would write a draft of the screenplay. [14] In September 2011, John Singleton told The Playlist that he was in talks to direct the film, saying: "I can't talk about it too prematurely about the stuff I'm doing because nothing's come to fruition yet, but Cube and I are talking about doing the N.W.A story. The script is really, really good, and so we're just figuring it out. New Line really wants to make it." [15]

Also in September 2011, F. Gary Gray, Craig Brewer, and Peter Berg were in talks to direct the film. [16] In April 2012, Gray was selected as director. [17] Gray had worked with Ice Cube on the film Friday and Dre on the film Set It Off . He has also directed some of their music videos. By 2013 the film was picked up by Universal Studios, who, in December of that year, hired Jonathan Herman to write a new draft of the script and brought in Will Packer to executive produce, alongside Adam Merims, Alan Wenkus David Engel, Bill Straus, Thomas Tull, and Jon Jashni. [18] [19] [20]

Casting

Casting calls began in the middle of 2010. There had been rumors of Lil Eazy-E playing his late father Eazy-E, and Ice Cube's son and fellow rapper O'Shea Jackson Jr. playing his father as well. Ice Cube said of the movie, "We're taking it to the nooks and crannies, I think deeper than any other article or documentary on the group," he said. "These are the intimate conversations that helped forge N.W.A. To me, I think it's interesting to anybody who loves that era and I don't know any other movie where you can mix gangster rap, the FBI, L.A. riots, HIV, and fucking feuding with each other. This movie has everything from Daryl Gates and the battering ram." [21]

On February 21, 2014, director Gray announced a March 9, 2014 open casting call for the film in Gardena, California, via his Twitter account. [22] There were also open casting calls in Atlanta and Chicago. [23] [24] Rapper YG auditioned to play MC Ren in the film. [25] The project was scheduled to start filming in April 2014, but was pushed back due to casting delays. [26] [27] [28]

On June 18, 2014, Universal officially announced that the film would be released theatrically on August 14, 2015. It was also confirmed that Ice Cube's son, O'Shea Jackson Jr., would play a younger version of his father in the film. O'Shea Jr. joined Jason Mitchell and Corey Hawkins who portrayed group members Eazy-E and Dr. Dre respectively. [29] In early July 2014, casting directors for the film issued a casting call for extras and vintage cars in the Los Angeles area. The casting call release stated that filming would begin in August 2014. [30] In July 2014, it was confirmed Aldis Hodge would portray MC Ren and Neil Brown Jr. would play DJ Yella. [31] [32] On August 15, 2014, Paul Giamatti joined the cast to play N.W.A's manager Jerry Heller. [33] On August 26, 2014, LaKeith Stanfield joined the cast to play Snoop Dogg. [6]

On June 16, 2015, Ice Cube revealed that a "Tupac scene" had been shot for the film. [34] Entertainment Weekly reported that the role of Tupac Shakur in the film would be played by newcomer Marcc Rose who was once rumored to be cast by John Singleton in his unmade Tupac biopic. [35] Rose later reprised the role of Shakur in the first and only season of the true crime drama series Unsolved .

Casting of female extras

On July 16, 2014, a casting call for extras for Straight Outta Compton was released on the Sande Alessi Casting Facebook page. The casting call was looking for African-American girls for the film using an A-D ranking scale. Though the "A girls" category was looking for "classy" women of all colors, the "B through D" categories were very explicitly linked with skin-tone. As the women get less attractive, the casting call wants the women's flesh tone to be darker, with the lowest listing calling for "African American girls. Poor, not in good shape. Medium to dark skin tone." [36]

The casting call was accused of colorism, sexism, and racism in the categorizing of black women. [37] [38] A representative for Sande Alessi Casting said the ad was an "innocent mistake" and when it comes to casting "poor" people, they are also looking for women of various skin tones and body types. As for the A, B, C, D grouping system, Sande Alessi Casting says "it's the usual method [they] use to look for different types of people for any project and it wasn't meant to offend anyone." [39]

Filming

Straight Outta Compton was filmed in Compton and Los Angeles, California. Principal photography began on location in Compton on August 5, 2014. [40] In early September 2014, principal exterior shooting on a large post-riot set was observed on Laurel Canyon Boulevard in North Hollywood. [41] While shooting in California, the production spent $50 million in the state and received the California Film & Television Tax Credit. [42]

Costume designer Kelli Jones says "the script was literally changing the entire time we were shooting, I mean literally the entire time. There would be days where I would get a call on Friday and they were like 'oh by the way we've moved the pool party scene to Monday' and the pool party scene had like 400 people and I needed to get '80s bathing suits, so there wasn't a single weekend where me and my team[ sic ] were not working. It was insane!" [43] Production designer Shane Valentino said "We had 130 sets which is a lot of sets to try and deal with." [43]

Violence on set

Seven days into filming in Compton, a drive-by shooting took place directly in front of the cast and crew members while they were on the set. A group of men standing outside the Compton Courthouse flashed gang signs at a passing car and passengers in the car opened fire on the group. No one affiliated with the film was injured, but one other person near the set was shot. Despite the incident, filming continued to take place as planned in the city. [44]

On January 29, 2015, Suge Knight was involved in a hit-and-run incident that left one man dead and another hospitalized. [45] [46] After an argument on the Straight Outta Compton film set, witnesses claim that Knight followed the men to a burger stand parking lot in Compton, [47] and that the collisions looked intentional. [48] Security footage video was released online in early March showing Knight running over both men but which Knight's attorney said helps his client's self-defense claim. [49] Terry Carter, co-founder (along with Ice Cube) of Heavyweight Records and a friend of Knight, was the man killed. [50] [51] The second victim, filmmaker Cle Sloan, suffered a mangled foot and head injuries. [52] [53] Knight was arrested for the incident. In October 2018, he pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in the case in a Los Angeles courtroom and was sentenced to 28 years in prison. [54]

In October 2017, transcripts from a grand jury hearing earlier in the year indicated Knight allegedly gave multiple menacing warnings to director F. Gary Gray during filming. Although Gray would testify he did not recall any calls or texts threatening his safety (a move Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Barnes referred to as intentional perjury out of fear), Knight was allegedly angry at his depiction in the film and that he was not compensated for his portrayal. [55]

Release

Marketing

In December 2014, during a show in Sydney, Australia, Ice Cube gave concertgoers a sneak peek at a trailer for Straight Outta Compton. [56] [57] When an executive producer of the film, Will Packer, was asked if Cube told him he was going to show the trailer or did he "just put it out there?", Packer responded, "Cube does what he does." He added, "Cube is the man. We back him. And I love the fact that it's out there and it's getting the response that it's getting, that's what I'll say." [58]

On February 8, 2015, Universal released the first official trailer for Straight Outta Compton. The red band trailer was preceded by an introduction featuring N.W.A members Dr. Dre and Ice Cube. [59] A second global trailer for Straight Outta Compton was released on April 1, 2015, and was attached with theatrical screenings of Universal's Furious 7 . [60] [61]

On August 7, 2015, to help promote the film, Beats by Dre launched a new app through the website StraightOuttaSomewhere.com. The app allows users to create a meme by uploading a picture with the "Straight Outta" logo and fill in the blank with a location of their choice. [62] Some people did proclaim that they were "Straight Outta" a certain city or locale, while others uploaded funny images and phrases. [63] [64] In under 24 hours, over 78,000 "Straight Outta" images were downloaded on social media sites and over 6 million downloads were generated before the film's opening day. [65] Inquisitr.com proclaimed, "It's a successful viral photo campaign that is definitely bringing attention to the movie Straight Outta Compton." [66]

Security concerns

Straight Outta Compton premiered on August 10, 2015, at the entertainment complex LA Live in Los Angeles, California. An earlier report by LA Weekly said that the LAPD was "beefing up its presence" for the event; The Hollywood Reporter said that organizers had tripled security. [67] Due to concerns surrounding the violence in the film, it was reported that movie theaters hired extra security during the film's opening weekend [68] and Universal Studios would reimburse them. [69] [70] [71] Universal denied that it would reimburse them, but would partner with theaters seeking "support". [72] No major incidents were reported at showings during the film's opening weekend. Some critics said it was because of the extra security at some theaters, while others argued that it showed the extra security was unnecessary. [73]

Home media

Straight Outta Compton was released on Digital HD on January 5, 2016, by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and on Blu-ray and DVD on January 19, 2016. The Blu-ray and DVD includes both the theatrical version and an Unrated Director's Cut which featured 20 additional minutes of the film. [74]

Universal Pictures announced a 4K Blu-ray release including both cuts of the film to be released on February 6, 2018. [75] [76]

Reception

Box office

Straight Outta Compton grossed $161.2 million in the United States and Canada and $40.4 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $201.6 million. [2] Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $91.1 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues for the film. [77]

In the United States and Canada, the opening weekend projections were continuously revised upwards, starting from $25 million and going as high as $45 million. [78] [79] The film made $5 million from Thursday night shows, which began at 7 p.m. in 2,264 theaters. [65] [80] After its strong Thursday night showing, Universal was able to add nearly 500 theaters for the film's opening weekend. [81] Straight Outta Compton made $24.1 million on its opening day, the fourth biggest August opening in history. [82]

It finished first at the box office in its opening weekend earning $60.2 million from 2,757 theaters and ahead of the week's other new release The Man from U.N.C.L.E. 46% of its opening weekend audience was African American while 23% was non-Hispanic White and 21% Hispanic. Its opening weekend total was the fifth-best August opening weekend of all time (behind Guardians of the Galaxy , The Bourne Ultimatum , Rush Hour 2 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ) the highest in August for an R-rated film (surpassing American Pie 2 ) and the highest for a musical biopic. [83] [84]

It also set the record for best opening by a film with an African American director, until it was passed by Gray's own The Fate of the Furious in April 2017. [85] After a strong first full week showing ($84.7 million), Universal added the film to over 200 additional theaters. [86] The film grossed $26.4 million in its second weekend and again finished first at the box office, ahead of the week's new releases Sinister 2 , Hitman: Agent 47 , and American Ultra . [87]

On August 27, 2015, Straight Outta Compton became the highest grossing musical biopic of all time in the United States with $120.9 million, passing the 2005 Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line 's $119.5 million total [88] [89] [90] (it was then passed itself on December 1, 2018, by Bohemian Rhapsody 's $162 million). [91] The film grossed $13.1 million in its third weekend and, once again, finished first at the box office ahead of the week's new releases War Room , No Escape and We Are Your Friends . [92]

On September 18, 2015, the film's domestic gross crossed $157.5 million, surpassing Keenen Ivory Wayans' Scary Movie ($157 million) to become the all-time highest domestic grossing film from a black director in the United States. [93] [94] This record was surpassed by Gray's own The Fate of the Furious in April 2017. By September 21, 2015, the film had grossed $188 million worldwide to become the all-time highest grossing music biopic, surpassing Walk the Line's $186.4 million worldwide gross, again, past itself by Bohemian Rhapsody in November 2018. [95]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 89% based on 248 reviews with an average rating of 7.40/10. The site's consensus reads, "Straight Outta Compton is a biopic that's built to last, thanks to F. Gary Gray's confident direction and engaging performances from a solid cast." [96] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [97]

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film 3.5 stars out of 4, calling the film "enthralling" and "energized", praising the cast for delivering "strong, memorable work that transcends mere imitation." He called the film "one of the better musical biopics of the last 20 years". [98]

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone , also giving the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, praised the picture for its honesty in its portrayal of the group and complemented Jackson's performance as Ice Cube, as well as the supporting cast, finding Mitchell's Eazy-E "award-caliber". He did wish that the film elaborated more on the group's troubles involving misogyny, homophobia, and the media. [99] Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal found the group's musical performances to be "far and away the most appealing parts of the picture." However, he criticized the film for slowing down towards the end, particularly when it gets "ploddingly sentimental" once it focuses on the decline and death of Eazy-E. [100]

Scott Foundas of Variety praised director Gray for taking familiar biopic paces and bringing a "richness of observation to the table that transcends cliche." He also praised the film for its "high but never overindulgent" style and the attention to detail in the production, ranging from the "exhaustively researched" screenplay to the "meticulous care" involved in assembling the film's soundtrack. He stated, "if Compton is undeniably of the moment, it's also timeless in its depiction of how artists and writers transform the world around them into angry, profane, vibrant and singular personal expression." [101] Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune stated, "Straight Outta Compton at its best evokes the heady atmosphere of Crenshaw Boulevard and what the group's success meant to Compton, and vice versa. When the songs themselves take center stage the movie works. What remains in the wings constitutes another, fuller story." [102]

In a mixed review, Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times felt that the film attempted to take on more storylines than it could handle, also criticizing how bloated it becomes towards the end regarding Heller, though he did praise Giamatti's performance. [103] Jordan Hoffman of The Guardian also criticized the film's second half for being "cheesy" and "[playing] it too safe". [104] Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club gave the film a C, feeling it had to rely on its timeliness for its thematic weight, and saying the film "simplifies N.W.A.'s arc to a gangster-movie knock-off about three friends from way back when who are driven apart by bad influences." [105] Alyssa Rosenberg of The Washington Post noted the film's "lack of interest in process and personality" compared to the concurrently-released music biopic Love & Mercy , writing: "it's no contest as to which Giamatti picture is the better depiction of the actual music-making process." [106]

Accolades

The film received numerous award nominations, including one for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars. [107]

AwardCategoryRecipientsResult
AARP Annual Movies for Grownups Awards Best Intergenerational FilmNominated
Best Time CapsuleNominated
Academy Awards Best Original Screenplay Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff, S. Leigh Savidge and Alan Wenkus Nominated
African-American Film Critics Association Best PictureWon
Best EnsembleWon
Best Supporting Actor Jason Mitchell Won
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best Ensemble CastWon
American Film Institute Top Ten Films Won
Black Reel Awards Best Film Nominated
Best Director F. Gary Gray Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Jason MitchellNominated
Corey Hawkins Nominated
Best Breakthrough Performance (male) Jason MitchellNominated
O'Shea Jackson Jr. Nominated
Best Cast (ensemble) Victoria Thomas & Cindy Tolan (casting directors)Won
Best Original or Adapted Song "Talking to My Diary" - by Dr. Dre Nominated
Outstanding Original Score Joseph Trapanese Won
Casting Society of America Big Budget – DramaCindy Tolan, Victoria Thomas, Meagan Lewis, Beth Sepko, Carolyn Pickman, Lucinda Syson, Pat MoranWon
Critics' Choice Awards Best Acting Ensemble Nominated
Empire Awards Best Male Newcomer Jason MitchellNominated
Best Soundtrack Nominated
Florida Film Critics Circle Best EnsembleNominated
Hamptons International Film Festival Breakthrough PerformerJason MitchellWon
Keith Stanfield Won
Hollywood Film Awards Hollywood Breakout Ensemble AwardCorey Hawkins, O'Shea Jackson Jr. & Jason MitchellWon
MTV Movie Awards Movie of the Year Nominated
Best Breakthrough Performance O'Shea Jackson Jr.Nominated
True StoryWon
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Motion Picture Won
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Corey HawkinsNominated
O'Shea Jackson Jr.Won
Outstanding Writing in a Motion PictureJonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff, S. Leigh Savidge and Alan WenkusNominated
Outstanding Directing in a Motion PictureF. Gary GrayNominated
National Board of Review Top Ten Films Won
People's Choice Awards Favorite Dramatic MovieNominated
Producers Guild of America Awards Best Theatrical Motion Picture Ice Cube & Matt Alvarez, F. Gary Gray, Dr. Dre, Scott BernsteinNominated
San Diego Film Critics Society Best Use Of Music In A FilmNominated
Best EnsembleNominated
Satellite Awards Best Original Screenplay Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff, S. Leigh Savidge and Alan WenkusNominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Neil Brown Jr., Paul Giamatti, Corey Hawkins, Aldis Hodge, O'Shea Jackson Jr. and Jason MitchellNominated
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Best SoundtrackNominated
Teen Choice Awards [108] Choice Movie: Drama Nominated
Choice Movie Actor: DramaO'Shea Jackson Jr.Nominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Acting EnsembleNominated
Writers Guild of America Awards Best Original ScreenplayJonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff, S. Leigh Savidge and Alan WenkusNominated

Historical accuracy

Straight Outta Compton stays fairly close to the overall truth of how N.W.A. came together, while the exact details are sometimes re-arranged.[ citation needed ]

Reactions from the depicted

On June 10, 2015, MC Ren took to Twitter to voice his displeasure at the lack of exposure his character had in the Straight Outta Compton trailer, saying "Man fuck these bitches at universal pictures leaving me out the movie trailers tryin[ sic ] to rewrite history" and "When you have bitches work on a hip hop film that don't know shit about hip hop this is what happens. How the hell u[ sic ] leave me out after all the work I put into them records." [114] After the film's release, Ren tweeted, "True fans know my role in the group as far as lyrics are concerned, don't let the movie fool you about my contribution to the group." He later praised the filmmakers saying, "Congrats to the cast and crew. Great job of telling our story." [115]

Despite being a founding member, Arabian Prince's contribution to the group has been ignored in the movie, and his character has a brief, uncredited cameo in the film when the album cover for 'Straight Outta Compton' is shown momentarily. While going on record that he personally harbored no ill will towards the producers, Arabian Prince did note that it led to numerous inquiries and interview requests as to the possible reasons for such a revisionist approach. [116] According to Arabian Prince, "Maybe for 50% of the [movie] scenes, I was there in real life, on stage, or in the studio. A lot of N.W.A's early music production was done with my equipment." [116]

On August 24, 2015, Alonzo Williams referred to the film as "a great fusion of fantasy and reality", after admitting that he enjoyed the film. [117] He disputed the accuracy of the scenes where he forbade gangsta rap from being played at his club, saying that the members of N.W.A had not started gangsta rap at that point. [117] He also commented on the scene when Dr. Dre was bailed out of jail by Eazy-E, saying that Dr. Dre had been jailed several times for non-payment of parking fees and that he had an argument with Dre after having bailed him out of jail numerous times. [117] When Alonzo refused to bail Dre out another time, Eazy-E bailed him out instead. [117] Alonzo claimed that it was he who introduced Eazy-E to Jerry Heller [117] and that contrary to how it was depicted in the movie, he was supportive of Boyz-n-the-Hood, unlike most others at the time. [118]

Lawsuit from Heller

On October 30, 2015, Heller filed a 12-claim lawsuit in the Superior Court of Los Angeles against NBCUniversal, director F. Gary Gray, Legendary Pictures, the screenwriters of the film, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and the estate of Eazy-E. [119] As well as protesting his depiction in the film, Heller claimed that a significant amount of the film's content had been taken from his autobiography without permission. [119] The defendants countered with a request that Heller's defamation charges be dismissed. [120] In December 2018, two years after Heller's death, a judge dismissed the lawsuit. [121]

Omissions

On August 17, 2015, Michel'le, Dr. Dre's former girlfriend and mother of one of his children, did an exclusive interview with Vlad TV. In the interview, the former Ruthless and Death Row Records artist ponders her and Dre's abusive relationship and she states that she was aware she was not included in the Straight Outta Compton film. "Why would Dre put me in it? I mean 'cause if they start from where they start from I was just a quiet girlfriend who got beat up and told to shut up." [122]

On August 18, 2015, Gawker published an editorial by Dee Barnes titled "Here's What's Missing from Straight Outta Compton: Me and the Other Women Dr. Dre Beat Up." Barnes notes that Dr. Dre had repeated instances of physical abuse to female associates during his time in N.W.A, including the infamous January 1991 beating of Barnes in the bathroom of Po Na Na Souk nightclub. In the film, these incidents were never acknowledged. She further notes that important women from the era with close and historically important ties to N.W.A (J. J. Fad, Yo Yo, Tairrie B, etc.) were absent from the film. In the end, most women portrayed in the film are partying groupies, and Barnes felt that it could have also acknowledged the female MCs who contributed to N.W.A's and individual members' successes. [123]

Gerrick D. Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times revealed the Barnes incident was originally included in an earlier version of the film's script. [124] On August 21, 2015, Dr. Dre responded, apologizing to "the women I've hurt. I deeply regret what I did and know that it has forever impacted all of our lives." [125] The next day, Apple Inc., which bought Beats Electronics for $3 billion in 2014 from Dr. Dre and made him an executive, [126] weighed in on the abuse allegations to offer their support to Dre. The company said in a statement, "Dre has apologized for the mistakes he's made in the past and he's said that he's not the same person that he was 25 years ago." [127]

On August 26, 2015, Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times criticized the film for leaving out the story of the all-female rap group J. J. Fad and how some in the media claim the group was responsible for "forging a path for the breakout success of N.W.A". [128]

Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg dissing Eazy-E in "Dre Day", Eazy-E's retaliation "Real Muthaphuckkin G's" and its guest rappers Dresta and B.G. Knocc Out are never portrayed in the film. [113]

Music

Compton

On August 7, 2015, Dr. Dre released the album Compton: A Soundtrack by Dr. Dre exclusively on Apple Music and the iTunes Store at first and later released on other digital music platforms and in CD and vinyl form. Though not an official soundtrack to the film Straight Outta Compton, Dr. Dre said this album would be "inspired by the movie". [129] Dre said on The Pharmacy (his Beats 1 radio show) that during principal photography of Straight Outta Compton, "I felt myself going to the studio and being so inspired by the movie that I started recording an album." He added, "It's an 'inspired by' album. It's inspired by Straight Outta Compton." [130]

Part of Straight Outta Compton's successful opening has been attributed to Compton: A Soundtrack, Dr. Dre's first collection of original music since his 1999's 2001 album, [131] which was released a week prior to the film's premiere and debuted at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 charts and No. 1 on the iTunes charts. [82] [132] Dr. Dre said he would donate royalties from his album to the city of Compton for a new performing arts facility. [133]

Soundtrack

An official soundtrack album to the film entitled Straight Outta Compton: Music from the Motion Picture was released on January 8, 2016 by Universal Music Enterprises. It features songs mainly by N.W.A, but also has songs by Ice Cube, Eazy-E, Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg, and others. [74]

See also

Notes

  1. The New Line Cinema logo does not appear in this film's opening.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr. Dre</span> American rapper and record producer (born 1965)

Andre Romell Young, known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founded and was the president of Death Row Records. Dre began his career as a member of the World Class Wreckin' Cru in 1985, and later found fame with the gangsta rap group N.W.A. The group popularized explicit lyrics in hip hop to detail the violence of street life. During the early 1990s, Dre was credited as a key figure in the crafting and popularization of West Coast G-funk, a subgenre of hip hop characterized by a synthesizer foundation and slow, heavy production.

N.W.A was an American hip hop group formed in Compton, California. They were among the earliest and most significant popularizers and controversial figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, and the group is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential groups in the history of hip hop music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MC Ren</span> American rapper, songwriter and record producer

Lorenzo Jerald Patterson, known professionally as MC Ren, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Compton, California. He is the founder and owner of the record label Villain Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice Cube</span> American rapper and actor (born 1969)

O'Shea Jackson Sr., better known as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1988 album Straight Outta Compton contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popularity, and his political rap solo albums AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990), Death Certificate (1991), and The Predator (1992) were all critically and commercially successful. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of N.W.A in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eazy-E</span> American rapper (1964–1995)

Eric Lynn Wright, known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. He is often referred to as the "Godfather of Gangsta Rap".

<i>Straight Outta Compton</i> 1988 studio album by N.W.A

Straight Outta Compton is the debut studio album by American gangsta rap group N.W.A, which, led by Eazy-E, formed in Los Angeles County's City of Compton in early 1987. Released by his label, Ruthless Records, on August 8, 1988, the album was produced by N.W.A members Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, and Arabian Prince, with lyrics written by N.W.A members Ice Cube and MC Ren along with Ruthless rapper The D.O.C. Not merely depicting Compton's street violence, the lyrics repeatedly threaten to lead it by attacking peers and even police. The track "Fuck tha Police" drew an FBI agent's warning letter, which aided N.W.A's notoriety, with N.W.A calling itself "the world's most dangerous group."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Yella</span> American hip hop musician

Antoine Carraby, known professionally as DJ Yella, is an American DJ, rapper, record producer and film director from Los Angeles.

<i>100 Miles and Runnin</i> 1990 EP by N.W.A

100 Miles and Runnin' is an EP from the American gangsta rap group N.W.A. Released on August 14, 1990, this EP of five tracks reflects an evolution of N.W.A's sound and centers on the single "100 Miles and Runnin'." Two tracks, "100 Miles" and "Real Niggaz," incidentally incited N.W.A's feud with Ice Cube, who had left to start a solo rap career. The porno rap track "Just Don't Bite It," also drew notice. Pushing lyrical boundaries in its day, the EP went gold in November 1990 and platinum in September 1992.

<i>N.W.A. and the Posse</i> 1987 compilation album by N.W.A

N.W.A. and the Posse is a compilation album, re-releasing N.W.A and associated groups' underground rap songs from the Los Angeles area's rap scene on November 6, 1987. It is regarded as American rap group N.W.A's first but neglected album; N.W.A's authorized debut studio album, rather, is Straight Outta Compton, released in August 1988. Whereas the Straight album was certified platinum, one million copies sold in July 1989, the Posse album was certified gold, half as many copies sold, in April 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The D.O.C.</span> American rapper (born 1968)

Tracy Lynn Curry, better known as The D.O.C., is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. In addition to a solo career, he was a member of the Southern hip hop group Fila Fresh Crew and later collaborated with gangsta rap group N.W.A–where he co-wrote many of their releases–as well as Eazy-E's solo debut album Eazy-Duz-It. He has also worked with Dr. Dre, co-writing his solo debut album, while Dre produced Curry's solo debut album, released by Ruthless Records. He was one of the founders of Death Row Records along with Dr. Dre and Suge Knight.

<i>Eazy-Duz-It</i> 1988 studio album by Eazy-E

Eazy-Duz-It is the debut studio album by American rapper Eazy-E. It was released on November 22, 1988, by Ruthless Records and Priority Records. The album charted on two different charts and went 2× Platinum in the United States despite very little promotion by radio and television. Three singles were released from the album, each charting in the US. The remastered version contains tracks from the extended play (EP), 5150: Home 4 tha Sick (1992). The 25th anniversary (2013) contains two bonus tracks which are 12" remixes of "We Want Eazy" and "Still Talkin.'"

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michel'le</span> American R&B singer (born 1970)

Michel'le Denise Toussant, also spelled Toussaint, is an American R&B singer known for her songs from 1989 to the early 1990s. Her highest charting song is the top ten US Hot 100 hit "No More Lies". Between 2013 and 2015, Michel'le was one of six members on the TV One reality show R&B Divas: Los Angeles. She is also the subject of the 2016 biopic Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel'le.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Heller</span> American music manager (1940–2016)

Gerald Elliot Heller was an American music manager and businessman. He was best known for his management of West Coast rap and gangsta rap pioneers N.W.A and Eazy-E. He rose to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s representing Journey, Marvin Gaye, Van Morrison, War, Eric Burdon, Crosby Stills & Nash, Ike & Tina Turner, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Otis Redding, the Who, REO Speedwagon, Black Sabbath, Humble Pie, Styx, the Grass Roots, and the Standells, among many others.

Ruthless Records was an American Independent record label founded by Eric "Eazy-E" Wright and Jerry Heller in Compton, California in 1987. All of the Ruthless trademarks have been owned by Comptown Records, Inc. since 1987. Several artists and groups on the label such as N.W.A, Eazy-E, MC Ren, The D.O.C., Michel'le, and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony have released RIAA certified albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boyz-n-the-Hood</span> 1987 single by Eazy-E

"Boyz-n-the-Hood" is the debut single by Eazy-E, then leader of a new rap group, N.W.A. Released in March 1987, the single was a local hit, reissued, by year's end on the unauthorized compilation album N.W.A. and the Posse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Straight Outta Compton (song)</span> 1988 single by N.W.A.

"Straight Outta Compton" is a song by American hip hop group N.W.A. It was released on July 10, 1988 as the lead single from their debut album of the same name. It also appears on N.W.A's Greatest Hits with an extended mix and The Best of N.W.A: The Strength of Street Knowledge. The song samples "Funky Drummer" by James Brown, "You'll Like It Too" by Funkadelic, "West Coast Poplock" by Ronnie Hudson and the Street People, "Get Me Back on Time, Engine No. 9" by Wilson Pickett, "Amen, Brother" by The Winstons, and "One for the Treble" by Davy DMX. It was voted number 19 on About.com's Top 100 Rap Songs, and is ranked number 6 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.

"No Vaseline" is a diss track by American rapper Ice Cube from his 1991 album Death Certificate. The song was written and produced by Ice Cube and Sir Jinx.

<i>Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michelle</i> 2016 television film by Jackie Cooke

Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel'le is a 2016 American biographical television drama film directed by Jackie Cooke, starring Rhyon Nicole Brown as Michel'le, Curtis Hamilton as Dr. Dre and Jamie Kennedy as N.W.A's manager Jerry Heller. The film is based on the true story of R&B singer Michel'le. The omission of Michel'le's involvement in the lives of Dre in N.W.A's 2015 biopic, Straight Outta Compton, gave her an opportunity to tell her story as a former artist on Eazy-E's Ruthless Records.

<i>The Miracle Mile Shot</i> 2018 film

The Miracle Mile Shot is an experimental short subject, non-dialogue documentary film based entirely on a single photograph of the influential Gangsta rap group N.W.A. created on November 11, 1988, in the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles, California, by photographer/artist Ithaka Darin Pappas. The photograph itself, also entitled The Miracle Mile Shot, was captured during a photo session that took place at the photographer's home studio apartment at 6516 1/2 Orange Street, Los Angeles. The short film, screened for the first time at the LAGFF on June 19, 2019, visually tells the story of the most important uses of the photograph in chronological order.

References

  1. "STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON (15)". British Board of Film Classification . August 11, 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Straight Outta Compton (2015)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  3. McNary, Dave (June 15, 2016). "California Was World's Top Film Production Center in 2015, U.K. Generated Most Spending". Variety. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  4. FilmL.A. (June 15, 2016). "2015 Feature Film Study" (PDF). Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  5. "Straight Outta Compton (2015)". IMDb.
  6. 1 2 3 "'Selma's Keith Stanfield to Play Snoop Dogg in Universal's N.W.A. Movie (Exclusizzle) - TheWrap". TheWrap. August 25, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  7. "ALEXANDRA SHIPP TALKS PLAYING ICE CUBE'S WIFE IN 'STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON'". January 13, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  8. "Straight Outta Compton (2015)", IMDb, retrieved November 10, 2020
  9. Bansky (June 19, 2015). "This Is The Guy Who's Playing Tupac In The N.W.A. Movie". Uproxx.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  10. "Meet Tupac's lookalike from 'Straight Outta Compton' | Entertain This!". Entertainthis.usatoday.com. August 16, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  11. Lincoln, Ross A. (August 18, 2015). "Legendary L.A. RAP D.J. Greg Mack To Get Biopic Via Goddard Film Group". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  12. Siegel, Tatiana (December 18, 2013). "Ice Cube's N.W.A. Biopic 'Straight Outta Compton'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  13. Vilanova, John (March 7, 2009). "N.W.A. biopic, 'Straight Outta Compton,' in development". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  14. Vilanova, John (May 3, 2010). "N.W.A. biopic takes shape: Your dream cast?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  15. "Exclusive: John Singleton Says He's Talking To Ice Cube About Directing N.W.A. Biopic". IndieWire. September 16, 2011. Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  16. Idowu, Ronke (September 22, 2011). "The N.W.A Biopic: Is John Singleton Directing Or Not?". BET . Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  17. Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 10, 2012). "'Captain America 2' Helmer Job Narrows As F. Gary Gray Focuses On 'Straight Outta Compton'". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on April 11, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  18. Weinstein, Max (December 19, 2013). "N.W.A. Biopic 'Straight Outta Compton' Brings On Writer". VIBE.com. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  19. Archive-Sophie-Schillaci. "N.W.A Casting Call: Who Should Play Ice Cube, Dr. Dre In 'Straight Outta Compton'?". MTV News. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  20. Nick Romano (August 18, 2015). "Straight Outta Compton". CINEMABLEND. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  21. Meara, Paul (February 22, 2014). "Ice Cube Wants His Son O'Shea To Play Him In N.W.A Biopic". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  22. "Director F. Gary Gray Announces Open Casting Call For N.W.A. Biopic (Details)". Shadow and Act. February 22, 2014. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  23. "Project Casting - 404". www.projectcasting.com. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  24. Gomez, Luis (March 13, 2014). "'N.W.A.' biopic to hold casting call in Chicago". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  25. "The Breakfast Club Interviews YG & DJ Mustard". Rap Radar. March 21, 2014. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  26. Ice Cube: NWA biopic set for shooting in April Archived July 2, 2017, at the Wayback Machine . The Voice Online (2014-02-20). Retrieved on 2014-04-11.
  27. "Straight Outta Casting Hell: A Refresher Course on the Possibly Reignited N.W.A Feud". Grantland.com. January 10, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  28. Jones, Biz (July 30, 2014). "Ice Cube Reveals Why He Wouldn'T Cast Lil Eazy-E For N.W.A. Flick". Sohh.Com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  29. Lee, Ashley (June 18, 2014). "First Look at N.W.A Biopic 'Straight Outta Compton'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  30. Diane, Megan (July 8, 2014). "NWA Biopic "Straight Outta Compton" Casting Call for Cars in Los Angeles – Project Casting". Projectcasting.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  31. Gallagher, Brian (July 29, 2014). "NWA Biopic 'Straight Outta Compton' Finds Its MC Ren and DJ Yella". Movieweb.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  32. Kroll, Justin (July 29, 2014). "Universal's 'Straight Outta Compton' Casts its MC Ren and DJ Yella". Variety. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  33. Kit, Borys; Couch, Aaron (August 15, 2014). "Paul Giamatti to Star in 'Straight Outta Compton' as NWA Manager (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  34. "Tupac To Appear In N.W.A. Biopic, "Straight Outta Compton"". BallerStatus. June 17, 2015.
  35. Robinson, Will (June 18, 2015). "Marcc Rose to play Tupac in 'Straight Outta Compton'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  36. Grebey, James (July 17, 2014). "N.W.A Movie Casting Call Conflates Black Skin With Unattractiveness". SPIN. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  37. Cadet, Danielle (July 17, 2014). "The 'Straight Outta Compton' Casting Call Is So Offensive It Will Make Your Jaw Drop". HuffPost . Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  38. Nolan, Hamilton (July 17, 2014). "Straight Outta Compton Casting Call Is Racist as Hell". Gawker. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  39. "'Straight Outta Compton' - Casting Agency Admits Mistake ... Not All Poor People Are Fat and Dark". TMZ. July 17, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  40. Compton Gutter (August 7, 2014). "On Tha Sett..Of NWA Movie.. Straight OuttaCompton With F. Gary Grey, Jason Mitchell, Mac Mizel". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  41. Cooper, Kim (September 8, 2014). "Laurel Canyon After the Riot (Film Set) - Esotouric". esotouric.com. Archived from the original on September 9, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  42. McNary, Dave (June 15, 2016). "California Was World's Top Film Production Center in 2015, U.K. Generated Most Spending". Variety. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  43. 1 2 Wooding, Andy (August 2015). "Straight Outta Compton costume designer Kelli Jones in conversation". filmdoctor.co.uk. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  44. Walsh, Peter (August 12, 2014). "There Was A Real Drive-By Shooting On The Set Of The N.W.A Movie". XXL . Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  45. Dillon, Raquel Maria (January 30, 2015). "Ex-rap mogul Suge Knight arrested on suspicion of murder". Christian Science Monitor . Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  46. McGeehan, Patrick (January 30, 2015). "Suge Knight, Music Executive, Is Questioned by Police in Hit-and-Run". The New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  47. "Video of 'Suge' Knight running over 2 released". USA Today. Associated Press. April 17, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  48. Michael Martinez, Sara Sidner and Saeed Ahmed (January 30, 2015). "Suge Knight arrested in fatal hit-and-run". CNN. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  49. McCartney, Anthony (February 9, 2015). "'Suge' Knight's Lawyer: Video of Deadly Wreck Helps Defense". ABC News . AP . Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  50. Rocha, Veronica (January 30, 2015). "Man allegedly killed by Suge Knight was father figure in South L.A." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  51. "Heavyweight Records On A&M Records". onamrecords.com.
  52. McCartney, Anthony (February 3, 2015). "Suge Knight Taken to Hospital After Court Appearance". ABC News . Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  53. Kalilea, Vivian (January 29, 2015). "Suge Knight kills 'close friend' in Hit and Run". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  54. "Suge Knight sentenced to 28 years behind bars for fatal hit-and-run". NBC News. October 4, 2018.
  55. "'Straight Outta Compton' Director Received Multiple Threats From Suge Knight, Court Records Claim". Deadline Hollywood . October 21, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  56. Blistein, Jon (December 30, 2014). "Watch Fan-Shot Recording of N.W.A Biopic Trailer". Rolling Stone .
  57. "Straight Outta Compton Trailer debuts at Ice Cube Concert". Collider. December 31, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  58. Spata, Christopher (January 16, 2015). ""Straight Outta Compton" Producer on Trailer Leak: "Cube Does What He Does"". Complex. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  59. Fischer, Russ (February 8, 2015). "Straight Outta Compton Red-Band Trailer - /Film". SlashFilm.com. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  60. Mendelson, Scott. "Why Universal Teased 'Straight Outta Compton' With 'Furious 7' Instead Of 'Jurassic World'". Forbes. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  61. Straight Outta Compton - Official Global Trailer (Universal Pictures) HD , retrieved January 27, 2022
  62. "Straight Outta Somewhere". Straight Outta Somewhere. Archived from the original on August 9, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  63. "12 Times The 'Straight Outta Compton' Meme Was More Relevant Than We Realized". MTV. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  64. Busby, Aaron (August 7, 2015). "Twitter Had Fun With The "Straight Outta Somewhere" Memes". TheRapfest. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  65. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 14, 2015). "'Straight Outta Compton' Set To Groove To $55M-$60M Opening – Box Office". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  66. Mooney, Paula (August 8, 2015). "'Straight Outta' Photos Go Viral: Straight Outta Somewhere Website Helps Twitter, Instagram, And Facebook Users Make Funny Photos". Inquisitr.com. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  67. Washington, Arlene (August 10, 2015). "'Straight Outta Compton' Premiere: "Tripled Security" at Red-Carpet Event". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  68. Pallotta, Frank (August 13, 2015). "'Straight Outta Compton' opening draws extra security at theaters". Money.cnn.com. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  69. Schwartzel, Erich (August 12, 2015). "Movie Studio Offers to Pay for Security at 'Compton' Screenings". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  70. McNary, Dave (August 12, 2015). "'Straight Outta Compton' Security: Universal Offers to Reimburse". Variety. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  71. Child, Ben (August 13, 2015). "Extra security plan for US cinemas showing Straight Outta Compton | Film". The Guardian. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  72. Lincoln, Ross A. (August 12, 2015). "Universal Not Paying For Extra 'Straight Outta Compton' Security But "Partnering" With Theaters Seeking "Support"". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  73. Cunningham, Todd (August 17, 2015). "'Straight Outta Compton' Hits Up More Theaters in 2nd-Week Expansion". Thewrap.com. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  74. 1 2 Baker, Soren (November 17, 2015). ""Straight Outta Compton" Unrated Director's Cut Release Date Announced". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  75. "Straight Outta Compton". www.uphe.com. August 27, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  76. "Straight Outta Compton 4K Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  77. Fleming, Mike Jr (March 18, 2016). "No. 17 'Straight Outta Compton' – 2015 Most Valuable Movie Blockbuster Tournament". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  78. McClintock, Pamela (August 11, 2015). "Box-Office Preview: 'Straight Outta Compton' to Dominate Weekend". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  79. Hamedy, Saba (August 11, 2015). "'Straight Outta Compton' expected to be another win for Universal Pictures". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  80. Ford, Rebecca (August 14, 2015). "Box Office: 'Straight Outta Compton' Powering to Impressive Friday Opening". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  81. "Friday Report: 'Compton' Straight Up Hit". Box Office Mojo. August 14, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  82. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 15, 2015). "'Compton' Rivals Previous August Tentpoles With $22.8M Friday; 'U.N.C.L.E.' Shows Gray Hair – Late Night B.O." Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  83. D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 17, 2015). "Universal Reports 'Straight Outta Compton's Platinum Opening At $60.2M – Monday Update". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  84. Simanton, Keith (August 16, 2015). "Weekend Report -'Compton' Another Universal Smash". Box Office Mojo . Amazon.com . Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  85. D'Alessandro, Anthony. "'Fate Of The Furious' To Clock $100M+ Stateside, As Pic Zooms To All-Time $529M+ Global Debut – Sunday AM Update". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  86. "Friday Report: 'Compton' Hits, Others Miss". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  87. "Weekend Report -'Compton' Tops the Charts Again". Box Office Mojo. August 23, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  88. "Daily Box Office for Thursday, August 27, 2015". Box Office Mojo. August 27, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  89. "Biopic - Music Movies at the Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  90. "'Compton' holds off 'War Room' at box office". USA Today. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  91. Mendelson, Scott (November 11, 2018). "'Bohemian Rhapsody' Remains Box Office Queen With Supersonic $285M Cume". Forbes .
  92. "Weekend Report -'Compton' Wins 'War Room' Rumble". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  93. Coggan, Devan (August 27, 2015). "Box office preview: Straight Outta Compton set for third weekend at the top". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  94. "F. Gary Gray Sets New Record For Black Directors With 'Straight Outta Compton'". Vibe. September 20, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  95. "Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  96. "Straight Outta Compton (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  97. "Straight Outta Compton Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  98. Roeper, Richard (August 11, 2015). "'Straight Outta Compton': Enthralling biopic puts N.W.A. in the tension of the times". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on August 16, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  99. Travers, Peter (August 13, 2015). "'Straight Outta Compton' Movie Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  100. Morgenstern, Joe (August 13, 2015). "'Straight Outta Compton' Review: Hip-Hop History With Attitude". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  101. Foundas, Scott (July 30, 2015). "'Straight Outta Compton' Review: N.W.A. Biopic a Los Angeles Rap Epic". Variety. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  102. Phillips, Michael (August 12, 2015). "'Straight Outta Compton' review: N.W.A.'s rise to stardom" . Chicago Tribune . Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  103. Turan, Kenneth (August 14, 2015). "Review: N.W.A film 'Straight Outta Compton' starts fast but runs out of gas". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  104. Hoffman, Jordan (July 31, 2015). "Straight Outta Compton review | an energetic A-side let down by a bloated B-side". The Guardian . London. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  105. Vishnevetsky, Ignatiy (August 13, 2015). "Straight Outta Compton turns N.W.A.'s story into another hit-by-hit biopic". The A.V. Club . The Onion . Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  106. Rosenberg, Alyssa (August 20, 2015). "How 'Straight Outta Compton' fails its audience". The Washington Post .
  107. Hipes, Patrick (January 14, 2016). "Oscar Nominations: The Complete List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  108. Vulpo, Mike (May 24, 2016). "Teen Choice Awards 2016 Nominations Announced: See the "First Wave" of Potential Winners". E!. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  109. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Yamato, Jen (August 4, 2015). "'Straight Outta Compton' Fact-Check: How True Is the Explosive N.W.A. Biopic?". The Daily Beast via www.thedailybeast.com.
  110. 1 2 3 4 "Straight Outta Compton: fact-checking the film … with Ice Cube". The Guardian. August 13, 2015.
  111. Borgmeyer, Jon; Lang, Holly (2006). Dr. Dre: A Biography. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 52–55. ISBN   0-313-33826-4.
  112. "Nine Truths Cut From Straight Outta Compton, the N.W.A Movie". Phoenix New Times. August 19, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  113. 1 2 "B.G. Knocc Out: Eazy-E Was Never Broke Like in N.W.A. Biopic". Vlad TV. YouTube. October 21, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  114. "Why N.W.A. Legend MC Ren Is Pissed About Straight Outta Compton". Cinemablend. June 11, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  115. "MC Ren on 'Straight Outta Compton': "Don't Let the Movie Fool You About My Contribution"". The Hollywood Reporter. August 17, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  116. 1 2 "Kept Outta "Compton": N.W.A's Arabian Prince Has No Regrets". HuffPost. August 9, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  117. 1 2 3 4 5 "World Class Wreckin' Cru Founder Alonzo Williams Addresses Dr. Dre Gay Rumors & 'Straight Outta Compton'". AllHipHop. August 24, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  118. djvlad (August 26, 2015). "Lonzo Williams: Dre & Eazy Were Supposed to Co-Own Ruthless Records". Archived from the original on November 17, 2021 via YouTube.
  119. 1 2 Patten, Dominic (October 30, 2015). "'Straight Outta Compton' Crew & Universal Sued For $110M By Ex-N.W.A Manager". Deadline. USA. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  120. Eriq Gardner (The Hollywood). "Heller". www.documentcloud.org.
  121. Kreps, Daniel (December 21, 2018). "Late N.W.A Manager Jerry Heller's 'Straight Outta Compton' Lawsuit Dismissed". Rolling Stone . Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  122. Coe, Kairi (August 17, 2015). "Exclusive! Michel'le: I'm Not in NWA Biopic Because I Was Just Beat on GF". Vladtv.com. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  123. "Here's What's Missing From Straight Outta Compton: Me and the Other Women Dr. Dre Beat Up". Gawker. Archived from the original on August 20, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  124. Kennedy, Gerrick (August 19, 2015). "Dr. Dre's assault on Dee Barnes was once included in 'Straight Outta Compton'". L.A. Times. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  125. Coscarelli, Joe (August 21, 2015). "Dr. Dre Apologizes to the 'Women I've Hurt'". The New York Times .
  126. "Apple Buying Dr. Dre's Beats for $3B to Compete in Music Streaming". NBC News. May 28, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  127. Sederholm, Jillian (August 22, 2015). "Apple Responds After Dr. Dre's Apology to Women He's 'Hurt'". NBC News. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  128. Roberts, Randall (August 27, 2015). "Why was J.J. Fad and its 'Supersonic' success left out of 'Straight Outta Compton'?". Los Angeles Times .
  129. Grow, Kory (March 26, 2015). "Dr. Dre Talks N.W.A Biopic, Eazy-E's Death, New Music". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  130. "Compton: Dr. Dre's Grand Finale | Forbes". Archived from the original on November 17, 2021 via www.youtube.com.
  131. Weiner, Jonah (August 6, 2015). "Dr. Dre's New Album: Compton". Rolling Stone . Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  132. Kilday, Gregg (August 15, 2015). "Box Office: 'Straight Outta Compton' Muscles to Powerful $24.2M Opening Day". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  133. "Dre says he'll donate royalties from new album to Compton". US News. August 6, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015.