Media Monday: "Straight Outta Compton"

Straight Outta Compton in Theaters Friday, 8.14.15

When I was growing up my mama was strict, and maybe a little over the top, but when it came to art and self-expression she was usually pretty cool. That's why when I bought the N.W.A cassette tape and my sister bought the Eazy E cassette tape, I could not for the life of me understand what the big deal was. I thought, "it's just music; what harm can it do?" To prove her point, she sat down with us and listened to the tapes with us, and they were, to hear my sister retell the event, "cussin' like hell." But it didn't matter to us, we were in Chapel Hill jammin' like we were "Straight Outta Compton". 

Now their story is coming to the big screen, and it is long overdue. Considered to be one of the 100 greatest artists, N.W.A is still relevant. These men changed the rap game completely. They had a different kind of swag; that Jheri Curl swag. Before (Ice Cube) N.W.A, I was in love with Big Daddy Kane and LL Cool J, the pretty boys of rap. I didn't know anything about West Coast rap, but when they stepped on the scene, music was no longer the same. They showed the world how important it was to "Express Yourself" about the many problems Black Americans face, especially when it comes to law enforcement. To be completely honest before N.W.A much of America was unaware of the West Coast lifestyle: the poverty, the police brutality, the gang life.  However, their message, then controversial, seems prophetic now as Black America is still being unjustly targeted by law enforcement.

Stereotyped as angry black men, they simply were products of their environment, and through their music, they found an escape. I am so hype to see their movie, and if you ever doubted who these men were then or even now, you have to see how their struggle was a necessary one for everybody!