1987 was a big year musically. Two groups exploded on the scene that both had comparatively short life spans and yet profoundly altered their respective genres with a very nihilistic but urgent attitude, and oddly enough,with almost identical messages. They both spoke of hellish urban life, dangerously twisted lifestyles focusing mostly on the destructive power and allure of drugs, and systemic harassment by law enforcement and authority figures. The first was Gun 'N' Roses with the seminal metal album Appetite for Destruction. The other was N.W.A. with their explosive debut album, Straight Outta Compton. I once read a review that said Straight Outta Compton was hip-hop's Appetite for Destruction. In a sense, that is a fair comparison. Both albums immediately branded their respective groups as the most dangerous in America, both were acerbic and resonated with a real street authenticity, and both laid the groundwork for a much harder style of metal or rap, respectively.
While historical revisionists like to say hip-hop began in the 70s with groups like the Sugarhill Gang, I don't remember hearing the term until N.W.A. and their equally important contemporaries, Public Enemy came on the scene, and back then, it was called rap. By the time N.W.A. showed up, rap had become sort of acceptable family entertainment with the likes of Young MC, The Fat Boys, Tone Loc and Dz Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince reigning the charts. And while music historians will debate the birth of hip-hop, Gangsta Rap unquestionably started with N.W.A.
So, how is the movie? Pretty good as far as music biopics go. The movie starts quite stylistically, but very quickly becomes a by-the-numbers rise and fall story. In fact, this may be the best-produced and most expensive episode of VH1: Behind The Music. That's not to say the movie isn't interesting or entertaining, because it is. The subjects are very compelling and in the case of N.W.A. alums Dr. Dare and Ice Cube, both have had a big influence on American pop culture for decades. This is a very important story to tell because of the very reason N.W.A. existed in the first place. Both Public Enemy and N.W.A. spoke about issues tearing apart the black community. But while Public Enemy seemed to focus on larger philosophical explorations of race and injustice, N.W.A. were, as Ice Cube says, reporters for what they saw every day: more personal stories of the death, destruction and hopelessness prevalent in inner-city communities that caused and still causes a very nihilistic, "live today-die tomorrow" ethic for many young people living there. After N.W.A., these sentiments are just repeated over and over again: the ghetto sucks, life ain't nothing but bitches and money. But N.W.A. was talking about this long before anyone else and created a new gangsta style and attitude that has been ruthlessly copied ever since.
The movie does not tread any new ground as far as themes go. The music business is crooked and the young artist tends to get screwed in the end. The movie makes an interesting contrast with N.W.A.'s manager Jerry Heller and Death Row Records founder Suge Knight. They are essentially identical in all ways except their methods. While Suge Knight is a brutal thug who robs artists of their money through intimidation and violence, Jerry Heller does the same, through shady business practices of the shady music business. My biggest complaint is the movie relies too much on the viewer having some previous knowledge of the subject. In the beginning especially, it glosses over the importance of characters like Alonzo Williams or of the LA hip-hop station KDAY. They are mentioned briefly with no context to their importance for the nascent group. The movie also deals primarily with the famous guys. Ice Cube, Easy E and Dr. Dre. This is probably a necessity for time, but other N.W.A. alums MC Ren and DJ Yella barely warrant a mention and Arabian Prince isn't mentioned at all. Finally, this being a biopic financed by Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, it feels they are whitewashed a bit, that they could do no wrong and that the world was out to get them. But like their music, this movie isn't about objectivity, but rather how they saw the world. It's not really an objective documentary, but an understandably biased autobiography.
So is the movie good? It sort of depends on your attitude going in. If you hate hip-hop and gangsta rap's attitude and don't want to try to understand where the frustration comes from, this movie will not change your mind, and may even strengthen your perconceptions. But it has a point of view, a valid one, and one more important than ever as U.S. race relations are going through rocky times again. If one understands where the animosity comes from, real progress can be made to address it, which makes N.W.A.'s art arguably more important now than it ever was.
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