Biopic shows sanitised vers

YOU ARE about to witness the strength of selfmade men making a biopic they want to see.

It’s the late 1980s. Drug dealer, Eazy E (Mitchell), has a near-death experience and chance encounter with rising producer and DJ, Dr Dre (Hawkins). Following those events, Eazy decides to front a record company – since he’s got that kind of cash and almost-homeless Dre doesn’t – but there’s only one problem: they don’t have artists on their roster.

Sure, Ice Cube (Jackson jr), pens all the lyrics, but can’t break away from his smalltime rap group. So Eazy is coerced into spitting a few bars. That takes off and he becomes the beacon of a rap group, N.W.A, that shines the light on police brutality, politics and power. Oh, and they’re hella misogynistic.

Straight Outta Compton – which is named after the group’s 1988 debut album and song – is the tale of how a bunch of kids from the Compton suburb in LA sought to prove the pen is mightier than the pigs. Short for Niggaz Wit Attitudes, the group comprised Dr Dre, MC Ren, DJ Yella, Ice Cube and Eazy E. With a miser called Jerry Heller (Giamatti) controlling Eazy E’s Ruthless Records purse strings, a division between the group occurs and the rest is chart-topping history.

Compton is a movie everybody wants to see. And for good reason. It is, after all, a biographical account of the rise and fall of one of the greatest hip hop groups. It’s also the story of the rise and rise and rise of Ice Cube, a founding member of N.W.A who went on to make the successful Friday film franchise.

With that said, it’s easy to see why the biopic would only present an account of events that is palatable to Cube and another N.W.A founding member, Dr Dre, who are the producers of the flick. There’s no smacking around of Dee Barnes or abusing Michel’le or the inclusion of JJ Fad as the all-female rap