N.W.A thought their dirty music would never be unleashed to the masses.
The hip hop collective is the name on everyone’s lips at the moment thanks to the new movie based on their rise to the top, Straight Outta Compton.
The film’s title is taken from the band’s debut 1988 album. N.W.A original Ice Cube reveals that success is still a shock.
‘Our music was so dirty, we thought record stores would keep us in the underground section. We never thought it would see the light of day,’ he told Us Weekly.
N.W.A, also made up of Arabian Prince, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, and later DJ Yella and MC Ren, were known for their political songs and also their angst against the police and race issues.
The anger hasn’t faded, and Ice is happy to share why they wrote the songs they did.
‘We were mad because the police were harassing regular old citizens. If you’re not breaking the law, you don’t expect to be harassed,’ he fumed, before adding, ‘The more famous you get, the better everybody treats you. Not just the police!’
The movie version of their rise to fame has kept the story in the family, with Ice’s son O’Shea Jackson playing the rapper.
At first O’Shea wasn’t up for the big screen, but he eventually changed his mind. And luckily Ice was there to advise throughout.
‘O’Shea never wanted to act. He has so much of my style and mannerisms, I knew that he would deliver,’ Ice explained.
‘As a moviemaker, it starts to get fun. I was like, ‘Yeah, I didn’t have them kind of shoes on’ and ‘I wore those.’ All the little things.’
A sequel of sorts is also reportedly planned, focusing on Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur and other West Coast rappers’ stories. TMZ reports Ice has given the project his seal of approval, and the title will be Dogg Pound 4 Life.
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