On the heels of hitting theaters, the filmStraight Outta Compton and N.W.A. have been a big topic of discussion recently when it comes to the Hip Hop world.
Recently sitting down with The Source, the biopic’s director, F. Gary Gray recently compared how the political message of the Compton group during the late 1980s and early 1990s is similar to that of many today.
“I have a responsibility to tell the story as accurately as possible,” he said when asked about the comparison. “I didn’t want to teeter one way or the other. I think it’s pretty sad that it’s still relevant in its relationship to law enforcement, but I’m optimistic that a lot of the headlines we’re experiencing will put pressure on the leaders and law enforcement to really change. We can’t keep going down this path, in the way that we’ve been going without changing. My responsibility is to the film first and it’s just pretty much a coincidence that it’s all happening at the same time.”
He also was asked whether people may change their minds about gangsta rap after seeing the film. Gray says he isn’t sure but wants everyone to note the significance of N.W.A.
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“I’m not really sure what it’ll do in terms of perspective,” he said. “It’s really just about making sure they understood how important the group was and what they went through. I don’t think anybody’s trying to whitewash or make you feel anything about gangster rap or anyone’s choice on how they express themselves. I’m a firm believer of freedom of speech and how you respond to someone’s art is really subjective and it’s not really my concern more so than this was an important story in hip-hop history, in American History and I just wanna tell this story and if after this you have a different perspective on N.W.A. and the music they make then great, but I didn’t set out to do that and it wasn’t my goal.”
Straight Outta Compton is slated to hit theaters on August 14. Dr. Dre recently released Compton, his latest album and a figurative soundtrack to the much-anticipated movie.
For additional N.W.A coverage, watch the following DX Daily:
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