I know what you’re
thinking, how can a kid from the Canadian prairies have anything in common with
N.W.A? Simply a love for hip-hop.
I saw the movie
on the weekend and loved it. The cast did a great job portraying N.W.A in particular O'Shea Jackson, Jr. He played his dad, Ice
Cube, so perfectly it made me wonder if the reason they waited so long to make
the bio pic was for Junior to grow up.
A review in
the Los Angeles Times said that the movie follows the evolution of hip-hop
culture that gives the fan base that made hip-hop what is today a chance to see
the story on the big screen. As I danced along in my seat to the music while watching the movie in the theatre, I found myself travelling down memory lane.
I grew up right smack in the middle of the hip-hop revolution. My room was
covered in 2PAC posters and my soundtrack of choice was Dr. Dre’s The Chronic. I listened to that CD so much
I wore it out and had to buy a new one. "Nuthin
But A “G” Thang" is still my all-time favourite hip-hop song.
As teenagers,
my friends and I were always looking for ways to express our frustrations with the world around us. We did typical rebellious things like changed our hair
colour, talked back to teachers and even got in a little trouble with the local
law enforcement. In the eighties and early nineties we found a lot to be angry
about and this movie reminded me of those times. I remember the 1992 LA riots and
the Rodney King police trial. It was such a confusing time and hip-hop music
gave us clarity and we felt it forced the rest of the world to pay attention to what
was going on in Southern California.
Once you strip
away the parts of the movie that make it a flashy blockbuster you’re left with
a great story about a group of friends from the same neighborhood who just wanted to
make music to help express frustrations about their world.
I’m not saying that N.W.A was perfect, far from it, but they deserve credit for creating a paradigm shift in music which open up doors for artists to express themselves in new ways.
I’m not saying that N.W.A was perfect, far from it, but they deserve credit for creating a paradigm shift in music which open up doors for artists to express themselves in new ways.
I think Ice
Cube said it best, “Our art is a reflection of our reality.” For me
this movie is a reflection of my adolescent journey to adulthood. One that was
full of its challenges and frustrations - and of course hip-hop.
But this movie, as amazing as it is, only scratches the surface on the many stories left to tell about the creation of the hip-hop culture. My hope is its success will inspire Tinseltown to make more bio pics.
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