Good Movie, I was surprised. However...

Rating: 7/10 (19 August 2015)

I had to give this a 7 out of 10 for historical accuracy. Too many inconsistencies which always happens in a "true life story". It just seems NWA, the band I remember and the movie Strait Outta Compton have similarities and also differences, a good bit of the story has been softened for the posterity of the band. I hope everyone is aware that these guys rapped "gansta" and were not really gangsters. Only Eazy E was actually considered a criminal in that sense. Ice Cube went to college for a year although in the film he is presented as very naive. These guys grew up in South Central LA, I'm sure they weren't alter boys. I think they got in over their heads with sleaze bags as well as criminals along the road to fame, which was greed. While it is downplayed in the film, they were not violent, even Dr Dre lost money on both NWA's label and later his OWN Death Row.
I liked the movie, it is one of the best biopics I have seen. Having seen them live, and not a kid during this time, I remember resenting these guys and their bitches and hoes. Until my husband made me do some research into the band. What they did, in a very backwards and accidental way was bring a new genre of music to people by offending the hell out of them. The more obscene they were, the more press they got and they loved it. But what they did was shed some light on a huge unspoken part of America, for those who stopped to listen, they threw a spotlight on a problem which would be caught on video a couple of years later and we still have to this day. They brought angry rap, to white America who listened, purchased music and tried to identify... There are a few music moments I remember with great clarity, one of them is N.W.A.and F**k the Police. Violence of which, I have seen and could identify with, its horrible to be disrespected in your own house by a cop..just because he can. Both the first time I heard it and seeing it live..it was extraordinarily energetic. These guys were in your face and it was NO JOKE that the police hated it. There were protests against these guys when you walked into the venue as a ticket holder. Iced -T (also very angry police)same thing. I cannot remember too many other bands that made that many people angry EVERYWHERE. That part was real.. This movie could have and should have centered more on the band, as a whole. So much was left out including some of the people either not mentioned or merely mentioned that contributed to them, such as The D.O.C. The movie could have remained centered on the band and the stuff they did, not so much with the side endeavors of Ice Cube and The Dr once the band split. They could have delved into the bands issues they had learning about show business, etc. Dealt with issues in a way that was not so vague or completely skipped as if history never occurred. I read they had to cut this from a 3:30 hour movie to a 2 hour movie..I hope they kept the cut footage. I know they did..this is NWA..$$$$, what am I talking about? It would be good to see an honest movie from two such people about the things that really happened. If you are going to tell a story, tell the story, not the stuff you think we want to hear. It could also have been more accurate, a good bit of the story has been tweaked and/or softened for the posterity of the band. Dr Dre left out the beating of a woman reporter for not giving NWA an opportunity to dispute or give their own side of an article her publisher ran on Ice Cube. Really Dre? While these guys were known as street thugs..they were young guys from middle income families.
I remember these times and all of the conflict. Dr Dre was supposed to be working with or had worked with Ice Cube and then there was the Tunnel discussion. But until recent interviews no mention of them reuniting as a band, at least publicly. Also, Eazy E did not fall into a keyboard and get rushed to the hospital, he had a cough for months and was taken to the hospital in February for asthma related problems, he was admitted on February 24th at Cedars Sinai. On March 1 he was diagnosed with Aids, WHICH HE WAS PUBLIC ABOUT, On March 15th he was was in critical condition in ICU and was conscious although unable to speak due to respirator. He lost consciousness one week later and lived until March 26, 1995. Dr Dre made an appearance at Cedars Sinai on March 17th, but no discussion on if he was able to speak to Eazy. Ice Cube related the same story (about them running into each other at the Tunnel in NYC)shown in the movie, in a call in radio talk show in LA called "The Beat", shortly after Eazy E's death.
I think the truth would have been better and made it easier to understand the legacy of this band, which is opulent, dangerous, sad, how -to -market -something and make millions ridiculous. But at the end of the day, it was always all about the money, with these guys, they ripped off their friends and each other. What a waste, if they just would have stuck together, you know like a gang?