Straight Outta Compton"—A Rap on Censorship and Racism

Rating: 9/10 (30 August 2015)

The critically acclaimed film, "Straight Outta Compton" is an unlikely blockbuster for its "R" rating and timely depiction of the mean streets of Compton, a neighborhood in Los Angeles. Although taking place in the mid-eighties, the clashes with the police resonate today. Chronicling the rise of N.W.A. ("niggers with attitude"), this biopic of music pioneers belongs in the company of "Ray", "Walk the Line", "8 Mile" and more recently , "Love and Mercy" and "Muscle Shoals". The seminal South L.A. hip-hop group N.W.A is the story of the creation of rap and hip-hop culture. Composing controversial lyrics, through word wizardry and brilliant poetic rhyming, N.W.A. music rages about the daily lives of young black men and the fears and violence they confront. Truthful, and not pretty, the music of N.W.A. was often censored, and considered dangerous and criminal. Read my entire review at www.unhealedwound.com