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The Miracle Mile Shot | |
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![]() Official Film Festival Poster | |
Directed by | Ithaka Darin Pappas |
Produced by | Craig Raidor Dahl |
Starring | Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, DJ Yella, Mc Ren, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar |
Production company | Sweatlodge Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 9 minutes |
Country | United States/Greece |
Language | English titles (no dialogue) |
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 (with the aid of music and printed text) of the most important uses of the photograph in chronological order. [1] [2]
As depicted in The Miracle Mile Shot, the photograph began its existence being used as the official press image for NWA's 1988 album, Straight Outta Compton (distributed by Priority Records), a record that would eventually go Triple Platinum. At the time of Straight Outta Compton's release, The Miracle Mile Shot was published numerous times. In May 1989, The Miracle Mile Shot appeared simultaneously on covers of the magazines Rap Master and The Source . [3] [4]
As time went on and N.W.A.'s global influence and relevance continued to rise, the image was used numerously in historical content. In 2008, VH1 featured the picture in their documentary entitled The World's Most Dangerous Group directed by Mark Ford. The Miracle Mile Shot was also used in the CD booklet of the special edition remastered Straight Outta Compton re-release in 2002, as well as on the DVD cover of the documentary called N.W.A. & Eazy-E: Kings Of Compton directed by Mike Corbera and Andre Relis. According to The Miracle Mile Shot's written titles and imagery, in 2014, the photograph was used in the casting process of the feature Straight Outta Compton to match present-day actors with the appearance N.W.A. members DJ Yella, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube and Mc ren in their early 20s. These roles would eventually be filled by O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Aldis Hodge and Neil Brown Jr. [5] [6]
On August 10, 2015, rapper Snoop Dogg attended the Los Angeles premiere of the N.W.A. biopic feature film entitled Straight Outta Compton, directed by F. Gary Gray wearing a self-produced, one-of-a-kind long-sleeve t-shirt with The Miracle Mile photograph printed on the front of it. Los Angeles Magazine said of his attire, "Snoop Dogg broke out his N.W.A. t-shirt for last night’s world premiere of Straight Outta Compton at the Microsoft Theater L.A." [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]
Later in 2015 and 2016, after Straight Outta Compton became a #1 film in U.S. theaters [12] and also the announcement of N.W.A.'s impending induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the international presence of The Miracle Mile Shot picture grew substantially. It was published in several more major U.S. newspapers, websites and magazines, including Los Angeles Times , Los Angeles (magazine), Houston Chronicle , Chicago Tribune , Detroit Free Press , HipHopDX and Rolling Stone as well as Rimas E Batidas and Blitz magazine in Portugal. [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]
On February 22, 2016, Ice Cube posted The Miracle Mile Shot on his official Instagram page with the caption, "Kendrick Lamar will induct N.W.A at the Rock n Roll hall of Fame Induction Ceremony airing 4/30 on HBO. The picture was also published as a double-page spread in the official printed program book of the event. On March 29, 2019, at the ceremony itself, Kendrick Lamar presented the award to N.W.A. in front of a fifteen-meter-high projection of the Miracle Mile Shot that remained as the main backdrop of the entire N.W.A. segment of the presentation. [20] [21] [22] [23]
In the 2017, The Miracle Mile Shot and other images from the same photo session were featured in the four-part television documentary called The Defiant Ones about Doctor Dre and business partner Jimmy Iovine. The project was produced by Silverback Productions and directed by Allen Hughes for HBO [24]
In early 2018, an original print of The Miracle Mile Shot traveled to Musée d'Art Contemporain in Marseille, France as part of the exhibit "Hip-Hop : Un Age d'Or" organized by French rapper, producer, curator Siba Giba. [25] [26]
The Miracle Mile Shot was photographed on Hasselblad 500 CE camera with an 80 mm lens and Norman and Chimera lighting equipment. During the same session promotional images of the young female rapper, Big Lady K were made, and images of Eazy E for the cover of his single, "Eazy-Duz-It", were also created. [27]
In an interview article published by The Hundreds on September 30, 2015. written by Manos Nomikos entitled, Meet the Greek-American Artist Who Shot N.W.A's Earliest Promo Photos, photographer Ithaka Darin Pappas speaks of the session, "That first Miracle Mile shoot of N.W.A was fun as hell. It was a low-budget thing, all the sessions were, so we shot at my apartment. I lived near Fairfax and Wilshire at the time in a quiet, mostly old folks neighborhood known as Miracle Mile. And the boyz rolled up in Eazy’s GMC Safari van with chrome wheels, music blasting to distortion, and the neighbors were just horrified, especially my downstairs landlord. But forget him anyway for raising my rent that month! Dj Speed was also there and Big Lady K. We had Nacho Cheese Doritos for lunch and some O.E. Good times.
In another interview given to Daniel Cutler entitled Blazedmade Interview: Ithaka Darin Pappas (Part 1/2) on October 30, 2018, Ithaka spoke again of the Miracle Mile photo session, "That photo is known as The Miracle Mile Shot. It was my first time photographing N.W.A and my first time shooting for Priority Records. It was intended to be the shoot for the cover of Eazy-E’s single “We Want Eazy". We were also trying to get publicity photos of N.W.A, as a group, which I didn’t get a whole lot of that day. We were also doing some publicity photos for Big Lady and she came by the shoot as well. I was already a big N.W.A fan. Gangsta Gangsta was blowing up KDAY which was the main radio station at the time. I mean, I was really listening to this stuff a lot. Then suddenly these guys (N.W.A) were in my living room a couple weeks later. It was pretty cool." [15] [28] [29] [30] [31]
"Peace Palace Porridge", "Escape From The City Of Angels", "Radiografia", "Roula's Revenge"
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.
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.
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.
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".
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."
Antoine Carraby, known professionally as DJ Yella, is an American DJ, rapper, record producer and film director from Los Angeles.
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.
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.
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.'"
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.
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"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.
"Gangsta Gangsta" is the second single from American hip hop group N.W.A's 1988 album Straight Outta Compton. The song later appeared on the N.W.A Greatest Hits album and The Best of N.W.A. - The Strength of Street Knowledge.
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.
Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop is a 2018 photography book created and written by Vikki Tobak and ongoing exhibition series. The volume features contact prints from analog photography sessions of hip hop artists during roughly forty-years, from the beginnings of the genre in the late 1970s until the late 2000s.
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Ithaka Darin Pappas, known professionally as Ithaka, is an American-born multidisciplinary artist of Greek ancestry who creates using music, writing, sculpture and photography. He has authored a collection of short stories, entitled Ravenshark Chronicles published in international magazines and periodicals, which have sometimes been the basis for his travel-oriented lyrical content. In a 2005 article for the magazine Waves, journalist Ricardo Macario described Ithaka as "The Miscellaneous Man". In a 2008 review of Ithaka's sixth album Saltwater Nomad, the online surf-culture platform Surfline stated that "the artist effortlessly traverses at ease between all of his choses mediums of expression [music, sculpture, writing and photography]", and that "his life's journey is a soulful balancing act somewhere between the worlds of euphoric creation and aquatic diversion."
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