“Our art is a reflection of our reality”.
Universal Pictures upcoming biopic for notorious hip hop group N.W.A is edging closer and closer, and with it comes more insight into what kind of film we will be seeing come August.
The group have been forever etched into the halls of music history with not only their confronting and brilliant music, but the impact they had. From this new trailer it’s looking like we’ll be tackling the ignorant – and sadly, common – statement that “rap is not art” here, with a look at how N.W.A channeled their surroundings into some of the most vivid and revealing hip hop tracks of the 90s.
We get a closer look at O’Shea Jackson Jr. as Ice Cube; Corey Hawkins as Dr Dre; and Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E; amongst the other members MC Ren and DJ Yella. We also get a look at N.W.A’s manager Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti) admist a backdrop of the gang violence and controversy that surround their rise of prominence.
In an interview with KCRW, the film’s director F. Gary Gray states “It’s not unlike Social Network or American Graffiti where you take a place and time in America, especially as it relates to popular culture, and you see the shift, and they were right there and created part of the pivot that America took in entertainment”.
From that quote alone, it’s looking like Straight Outta Compton will be much, much more than just another hip hop biopic.
The trailer debuted recently on MTV, you can view it below: