Nearly three decades since NWA inspired intense fear and morbid fascination from the showbusiness establishment of their hometown with the brutally realistic album "Straight Outta Compton," they’re finally enjoying a belated and hard-fought acceptance. Dr. Dre’s a business mogul, Ice Cube is a hit-making actor, and they are both co-producing the highly-anticipated NWA biopic "Straight Outta Compton." Most visibly, they join the film’s cast (including Cube’s own son, who plays the rapper in the film) on the cover of the July 31 edition of The Hollywood Reporter.
The accompanying cover story, which you can read in full here, touches on numerous facets of the group’s riveting story and the film that depicts it, among other noteworthy topics. For instance, Dre spoke on the relevance of the film’s topics—particularly, the police brutality that was so central to the group’s rhymes—in contemporary society:
"It’s crazy how we were getting criticized for this years ago," says Dre of N.W.A’s provocative songs about inner-city life. "And now, it’s just like, ‘OK, we understand.’ This movie will keep shining a light on the problem, especially because of all the situations that are happening in Ferguson and here in Los Angeles. It’s definitely going to keep this situation in people’s minds and make sure that everyone out there knows that this is a problem that keeps happening still today."
Dre and Cube also broke their silence on the arrest of infamous Death Row Records head Suge Knight, who didn’t appear on the set (he still has an acrimonious relationship with Dre) but showed up to filming for a trailer and got into a scuffle a few blocks away that ended in him running over two men:
"I was there. But I was just leaving, so I didn’t know what happened until I was halfway home," says Dre, who shares his Brentwood mansion with his wife of 19 years, Nicole Young. "I heard about it over the phone. Everybody was supportive everywhere we went, and we didn’t have one issue throughout the entire filming of the movie. It’s crazy that this happened during the f—ing filming of the commercial."
Cube, who wasn’t on the set, takes a more philosophical view. "It’s the dangerous part of living in South Central," he says. "Some people don’t care if you’re making a movie or not. It’s unfortunate because the movie is so good, so creative, so many talented people involved."
The Hollywood Reporter also has videos with Dre, Cube and the movie stars on their website and Instagram, including one where they talk about the film’s development, which can be seen above.
Click here to read the full story.