After months of much hype, finally Straight Outta Compton was released and I made sure that I was one of the first people to watch it. The trailer was gripping enough to persuade you to see the film but it didn't give you the full scope of what the film would entail, which made it more enjoyable to watch. Considering I had little knowledge of N.W.A prior to the film, the film gave a really good depiction of the history of the group, the struggles they faced and the socioeconomic problems faced in Compton at the time. This movie is combined with history, music and comedy and is a definite must see. 

The film starts off in Compton, California where group member Eazy E is seen at a crack house which is soon raided by the police. It swiftly moves on to highlight Dr Dre's love for music and how that affected the relationship with his mother. Following from this we take a look at the life of Ice cube as he's writing, rap lyrics at the back of the school bus. What was very interesting about this scene is that it showed a glimpse of the power of the blood & crips at that time. What I like about the film is that you see different perspectives of the story through the eyes of Eazy E, Dr Dre and Ice cube. I really enjoyed the musical aspect of the film too and there was one line in N.W.A's songs that stuck with me. "They have the authority to kill a minority" (F*** the police). This film highlights that hip hop isn't glamorising a lifestyle, it's merely telling it's audience about the truths of living in the ghetto which may be why N.W.A's music was so popular with non-black people. N.W.A we're seen as radical which is focused on in the film.In one scene in the film Ice cube says "our art is a reflection of our reality" a lot of working class black people we're living in radical conditions and N.W.A were the first group to give the people a voice. 

The timing of the film couldn't be more relevant. With all the police brutality that has occurred in the U.S.A in the last year, it was very surreal to watch the scenes in the film of police brutality because it emphasises that this is still happening today. It briefly touched on the Rodney King case (an American taxi driver who was brutally attacked by the police). After the verdict was found not guilty it led to the 1992 riots in L.A which lasted for four days. It was really fascinating how it mirrored the Fegurson riots...

One critique I will give the film is the representation and objectification of women in the film. I observed the women in the film and the relationship the men had with the women and I found that many of the women in the film were seen and not heard. However this could be and possibly is a reflection of how the women were treated.  On top of this, the film used a large amount of lightskinned women to play the "groupies". A couple weeks before the film was released a picture surfaced the internet which revealed the N.W.A casting call for females. It ranked the Women from A-D, A being the more attractive and D the unattractive. It showed that the girls in the "A" and "B"category had to have great bodies, real hair,  and be lightskin, etc. Whereas in the "C" to "D" category they wanted African American girls with "poor" bodies with medium to dark skin tone. Could it be the case that the group members were attracted only to light skin women or did they only see light skin women as only capable of playing those roles? 

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Nevertheless the film is still a must see (even though the violence is too much for my 19 year old eyes). It evokes a lot of emotions from Anger, to happiness, to sadness and it definitely takes you back to 1980/1990 California. So, If you haven't seen the film already..what are you waiting for?