This past week, the highly anticipated movie "Straight Outta Compton" finally hit theaters. It tells the tale of the rap group "N.W.A." that made it out of their brutal hometown, Compton, California. The movie spans 10-or-so years, and follows them as they came to be, rose to fame, and cemented themselves in music history forever. Whether you are a fan of the genre or not, I consider this movie one of the best movies I've ever seen for a few simple reasons.
Now I won't sit here and act like I don't play similar songs when it's time for the weekend. But when rappers like J.Cole and Kendrick Lamar, (considered to be the "next greats" by many) had to worry about making radio hits to be relevant and jump-start their careers, while Silento sells big off "Watch Me" you know something is off. "Straight Outta Compton" reminds us what it was like at the grass-roots level of this culture, why it got to where it did, how some of the genre has gotten away from that and why what is real and true must be celebrated over everything else.
2. It brings two major epidemics back into the conversation. *Spoiler Alert*
For those of you that do not know, "N.W.A." member Eric "Easy E" Wright died due to complications of the AIDS virus in 1995 (20 years ago, get with it). I, for one, completely forgot that this was how he went out, and also completely forgot that AIDS is such a real and devastating disease. Throughout middle school, we learned all about it in health class and sex ed, and, at 21, it's almost as if I forgot it existed at all.
That brings me to why this aspect of the film is so important. People rag on our generation for our plugged-in, social and, at times, overly promiscuous nature. And even though that is fine, I doubt any of us really think about consequences of a lifestyle like that as much as we should, I know I definitely don't. To see the way it affected celebrities, who we view as untouchable icons, really hits home and is an important side message in the film.
The other major issue that hit me throughout this movie is the topic of the Rodney King beating and the Los Angeles riots of 1992. For those of you that don't know, King was a black man who was brutally murdered by police officers on camera that were ultimately found not guilty. What came next was a wave of riots throughout the entire Los Angeles area, in which people expressed their rage with the verdict. The thing that resonated with me the most about seeing this in the movie was not about the story of the King case itself, but the fact that it was 1992. I thought then of how similar scenes are constantly on our televisions today and it is 2015. That's 23 years. No matter where you stand on that case, or any of the similar cases today, it is crazy to think not enough has changed on either side in all this time. I walked out of the theater with that bitter taste in my mouth and a much stronger sense of wanting things to change that I hadn't really had before.
3. It's an instant classic.
On a much lighter note, the movie is a must-see because it is just really, really good. In two hours and change, it makes you laugh, takes you on a ride with this historic group, shows you the brutality of a life in Compton, and, at points, even could make the most cold-blooded gang-banger shed a tear. From the casting, to the soundtrack, to the story, to the credits, it is well-done and worth whatever crazy amount of money your local movie theater is charging these days.
