| Straight Outta Compton | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | F. Gary Gray |
| Screenplay by | |
| Story by |
|
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Matthew Libatique |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | Joseph Trapanese |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 147 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $28–50 million[2][3][4] |
| Box office | $201.6 million[2] |
Straight Outta Compton is a 2015 Americanbiographical drama film that tells the story of hip-hop groupN.W.A's rise and fall under managerJerry Heller. The film, directed byF. Gary Gray, starsO’Shea Jackson Jr.,Corey Hawkins, andJason Mitchell as Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Eazy-E, respectively. Released in August 2015, the film received critical acclaim and was a box office success, grossing $201.6 million worldwide.Straight Outta Compton earned several awards and nominations, including anAcademy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay and a win for Outstanding Motion Picture at the 47thNAACP Image Awards.
In 1986,Compton, California,Eazy-E narrowly evades a police raid at a crack house. The following day,Dr. Dre is struggling with what he wants to do in life and is confronted by his mother for missing a job interview. Meanwhile,Ice Cube is a high school senior aspiring to become arapper. Intrigued by Cube's "reality raps" reflecting on the crime, gang violence and police harassment that they and otherAfrican Americans have endured recently, Dre convinces Eazy to fund a startuprecord label,Ruthless Records, with Dre asrecord producer. When their song "Boyz-n-the-Hood" is rejected by aNew York rap group, Dre convinces Eazy to perform it instead. It becomes a local hit, and Eazy, Cube, Dre,DJ Yella andMC Ren form the groupN.W.A ("Niggaz Wit Attitudes").
Eazy acceptsJerry Heller's offer to manage N.W.A and co-run Ruthless, andPriority Records offers N.W.A arecord deal. While recording their debut album,Straight Outta Compton (1989), the group is harassed by police due to their race and appearance, prompting Cube to compose a diss track—"Fuck tha Police"—toward the police. Having witnessed the altercation and being disgusted by the officers, Heller allows the track without hesitation. The album becomes a controversial hit due to its explicit lyrics, and the group's style is dubbedgangsta rap by the press. During a 1989 concert tour, theFBI demands that N.W.A not perform "Fuck tha Police", claiming that it encourages violence against law enforcement. Police inDetroit forbid them from performing the song, but they perform it anyway. The concert stalls and the police arrest the group, resulting in a riot that results in their release.
Heller delays the individual members' contracts with Ruthless, and when he insists that Cube sign without legal representation, Cube leaves the group. His debut solo album,AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990), is released, but when Priority Records is unable to pay him his advance on his next album, he wrecks the label head's office.
When N.W.A heavily insults Cube on their next record,100 Miles and Runnin' (1990), he responds with thediss track "No Vaseline", criticizing them and Heller. This, combined with Cube's association with theNation of Islam, outspoken criticism of theLos Angeles Police Department in the wake of the beating ofRodney King, and a starring role in the 1991 filmBoyz n the Hood, makes him even more famous and controversial.
Dre hires the imposingBloods gang memberSuge Knight as his manager after Knight proves that Heller has been underpaying him. Dre leaves N.W.A to formDeath Row Records with Knight, who has his men threaten Heller and beat Eazy-E to pressure them to release Dre from his contract with Ruthless. Dre enjoys his newfound freedom and begins working with other rappers, includingTupac and then-newcomerSnoop Dogg. His debut solo album,The Chronic (1992), sells more than five million copies and is critically acclaimed, even as he becomes concerned about Knight's violent behavior and the community is rocked by the1992 Los Angeles riots.
Eazy, whose fortunes and health have declined, is devastated by the comparative success of his former bandmates. Learning that Heller has been embezzling money from Ruthless from the beginning, Eazy fires Heller, and decides to rekindle his friendships with Cube and Dre, who agree to an N.W.A reunion. During the reunion, Eazy collapses and is admitted to the hospital, where he is diagnosed withHIV/AIDS. Amid emotional visits from his bandmates, Eazy dies on March 26, 1995, and is mourned by fans.
Dre parts ways with Knight and Death Row a year later to form his own label,Aftermath Entertainment. Cube subsequently becomes successful as a film actor, and Dre finds success as a producer and entrepreneur. Several famous rappers such asKendrick Lamar,Eminem and50 Cent credit Dre with helping to launch their careers, andBeats Electronics, which Dre co-founded, is bought byApple Inc. in 2014 for $3.2 billion.
In March 2009, it was announced that the film was in development atNew Line Cinema, withS. Leigh Savidge andAlan Wenkus writing,[12] and Tomica Woods-Wright, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre set to produce the film.[13] In May 2010, it was announcedAndrea Berloff would write a draft of the screenplay.[14] In September 2011,John Singleton toldThe Playlist that he was in talks to direct the film, saying: "I can't talk about it too prematurely about the stuff I'm doing because nothing's come to fruition yet, but Cube and I are talking about doing the N.W.A story. The script is really, really good, and so we're just figuring it out. New Line really wants to make it."[15]
Also in September 2011,F. Gary Gray,Craig Brewer, andPeter Berg were in talks to direct the film.[16] In April 2012, Gray was selected as director.[17] Gray had worked with Ice Cube on the filmFriday and Dre on the filmSet It Off. He has also directed some of their music videos. By 2013 the film was picked up byUniversal Studios, who, in December of that year, hired Jonathan Herman to write a new draft of the script and brought inWill Packer to executive produce, alongside Adam Merims,Alan Wenkus David Engel, Bill Straus, Thomas Tull, andJon Jashni.[18][19][20]
Casting calls began in the middle of 2010. There had been rumors ofLil Eazy-E playing his late father Eazy-E, and Ice Cube's son and fellow rapperO'Shea Jackson Jr. playing his father as well. Ice Cube said of the movie, "We're taking it to the nooks and crannies, I think deeper than any other article or documentary on the group," he said. "These are the intimate conversations that helped forge N.W.A. To me, I think it's interesting to anybody who loves that era and I don't know any other movie where you can mixgangster rap, theFBI,L.A. riots,HIV, and fucking feuding with each other. This movie has everything fromDaryl Gates andthe battering ram."[21]
On February 21, 2014, director Gray announced a March 9, 2014 open casting call for the film inGardena, California, via hisTwitter account.[22] There were also open casting calls inAtlanta andChicago.[23][24] RapperYG auditioned to play MC Ren in the film.[25] The project was scheduled to start filming in April 2014, but was pushed back due to casting delays.[26][27][28]
On June 18, 2014, Universal officially announced that the film would be released theatrically on August 14, 2015. It was also confirmed that Ice Cube's son, O'Shea Jackson Jr., would play a younger version of his father in the film. O'Shea Jr. joined Jason Mitchell and Corey Hawkins who portrayed group members Eazy-E and Dr. Dre respectively.[29] In early July 2014, casting directors for the film issued a casting call for extras and vintage cars in theLos Angeles area. The casting call release stated that filming would begin in August 2014.[30] In July 2014, it was confirmedAldis Hodge would portray MC Ren andNeil Brown Jr. would playDJ Yella.[31][32] On August 15, 2014,Paul Giamatti joined the cast to play N.W.A's managerJerry Heller.[33] On August 26, 2014,LaKeith Stanfield joined the cast to playSnoop Dogg.[6]
On June 16, 2015, Ice Cube revealed that a "Tupac scene" had been shot for the film.[34]Entertainment Weekly reported that the role ofTupac Shakur in the film would be played by newcomer Marcc Rose who was once rumored to be cast byJohn Singleton in his unmadeTupac biopic.[35] Rose later reprised the role of Shakur in the first and only season of the true crime drama seriesUnsolved.
On July 16, 2014, a casting call for extras forStraight Outta Compton was released on the Sande Alessi CastingFacebook page. The casting call was looking for African-American girls for the film using an A-D ranking scale. Though the "A girls" category was looking for "classy" women of all colors, the "B through D" categories were very explicitly linked with skin-tone. As the women get less attractive, the casting call wants the women's flesh tone to be darker, with the lowest listing calling for "African American girls. Poor, not in good shape. Medium to dark skin tone."[36]
The casting call was accused ofcolorism,sexism, andracism in the categorizing of black women.[37][38] A representative for Sande Alessi Casting said the ad was an "innocent mistake" and when it comes to casting "poor" people, they are also looking for women of various skin tones and body types. As for the A, B, C, D grouping system, Sande Alessi Casting says "it's the usual method [they] use to look for different types of people for any project and it wasn't meant to offend anyone."[39]
Straight Outta Compton was filmed in Compton and Los Angeles, California.Principal photography began on location in Compton on August 5, 2014.[40] In early September 2014, principal exterior shooting on a large post-riot set was observed on Laurel Canyon Boulevard in North Hollywood.[41] While shooting in California, the production spent $50 million in the state and received the California Film & Television Tax Credit.[42]
Costume designer Kelli Jones says "the script was literally changing the entire time we were shooting, I mean literally the entire time. There would be days where I would get a call on Friday and they were like 'oh by the way we've moved the pool party scene to Monday' and the pool party scene had like 400 people and I needed to get '80s bathing suits, so there wasn't a single weekend where me and my team [sic] were not working. It was insane!"[43] Production designer Shane Valentino said "We had 130 sets which is alot of sets to try and deal with."[43]
Seven days into filming in Compton, adrive-by shooting took place directly in front of the cast and crew members while they were on the set. A group of men standing outside the Compton Courthouse flashedgang signs at a passing car and passengers in the car opened fire on the group. No one affiliated with the film was injured, but one other person near the set was shot. Despite the incident, filming continued to take place as planned in the city.[44]
On January 29, 2015,Suge Knight was involved in ahit-and-run incident that left one man dead and another hospitalized.[45][46] After an argument on theStraight Outta Compton film set, witnesses claim that Knight followed the men to a burger stand parking lot in Compton,[47] and that the collisions looked intentional.[48] Security footage video was released online in early March showing Knight running over both men but which Knight's attorney said helps his client's self-defense claim.[49] Terry Carter, co-founder (along withIce Cube) of Heavyweight Records and a friend of Knight, was the man killed.[50][51] The second victim, filmmakerCle Sloan, suffered a mangled foot and head injuries.[52][53] Knight was arrested for the incident. In October 2018, he pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in the case in a Los Angeles courtroom and was sentenced to 28 years in prison.[54]
In October 2017, transcripts from a grand jury hearing earlier in the year indicated Knight allegedly gave multiple menacing warnings to director F. Gary Gray during filming. Although Gray would testify he did not recall any calls or texts threatening his safety (a move Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Barnes referred to as intentionalperjury out of fear), Knight was allegedly angry at his depiction in the film and that he was not compensated for his portrayal.[55]
In December 2014, during a show inSydney, Australia, Ice Cube gave concertgoers a sneak peek at a trailer forStraight Outta Compton.[56][57] When an executive producer of the film,Will Packer, was asked if Cube told him he was going to show the trailer or did he "just put it out there?", Packer responded, "Cube does what he does." He added, "Cube is the man. We back him. And I love the fact that it's out there and it's getting the response that it's getting, that's what I'll say."[58]
On February 8, 2015, Universal released the first officialtrailer forStraight Outta Compton. Thered band trailer was preceded by an introduction featuring N.W.A members Dr. Dre and Ice Cube.[59] A second global trailer forStraight Outta Compton was released on April 1, 2015, and was attached with theatrical screenings of Universal'sFurious 7.[60][61]
On August 7, 2015, to help promote the film,Beats by Dre launched a new app through the website StraightOuttaSomewhere.com. The app allows users to create ameme by uploading a picture with the "Straight Outta" logo and fill in the blank with a location of their choice.[62] Some people did proclaim that they were "Straight Outta" a certain city or locale, while others uploaded funny images and phrases.[63][64] In under 24 hours, over 78,000 "Straight Outta" images were downloaded on social media sites and over 6 million downloads were generated before the film's opening day.[65] Inquisitr.com proclaimed, "It's a successful viral photo campaign that is definitely bringing attention to the movieStraight Outta Compton."[66]
Straight Outta Compton premiered on August 10, 2015, at the entertainment complexLA Live in Los Angeles, California. An earlier report byLA Weekly said that theLAPD was "beefing up its presence" for the event;The Hollywood Reporter said that organizers had tripled security.[67] Due to concerns surrounding the violence in the film, it was reported that movie theaters hired extra security during the film's opening weekend[68] and Universal Studios would reimburse them.[69][70][71] Universal denied that it would reimburse them, but would partner with theaters seeking "support".[72] No major incidents were reported at showings during the film's opening weekend. Some critics said it was because of the extra security at some theaters, while others argued that it showed the extra security was unnecessary.[73]
Straight Outta Compton was released onDigital HD on January 5, 2016, byUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment and onBlu-ray andDVD on January 19, 2016. The Blu-ray and DVD includes both the theatrical version and an Unrated Director's Cut which featured 20 additional minutes of the film.[74]
Universal Pictures announced a4K Blu-ray release including both cuts of the film to be released on February 6, 2018.[75][76]
Straight Outta Compton grossed $161.2 million in the United States and Canada and $40.4 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $201.6 million.[2]Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $91.1 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues for the film.[77]
In the United States and Canada, the opening weekend projections were continuously revised upwards, starting from $25 million and going as high as $45 million.[78][79] The film made $5 million from Thursday night shows, which began at 7 p.m. in 2,264 theaters.[65][80] After its strong Thursday night showing, Universal was able to add nearly 500 theaters for the film's opening weekend.[81]Straight Outta Compton made $24.1 million on its opening day, the fourth biggest August opening in history.[82]
Itfinished first at the box office in its opening weekend earning $60.2 million from 2,757 theaters and ahead of the week's other new releaseThe Man from U.N.C.L.E. 46% of its opening weekend audience was African American while 23% was non-Hispanic White and 21% Hispanic. Its opening weekend total was the fifth-best August opening weekend of all time (behindGuardians of the Galaxy,The Bourne Ultimatum,Rush Hour 2 andTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) the highest in August for anR-rated film (surpassingAmerican Pie 2) and the highest for a musical biopic.[83][84]
It also set the record for best opening by a film with an African American director, until it was passed by Gray's ownThe Fate of the Furious in April 2017.[85] After a strong first full week showing ($84.7 million), Universal added the film to over 200 additional theaters.[86] The film grossed $26.4 million in itssecond weekend and again finished first at the box office, ahead of the week's new releasesSinister 2,Hitman: Agent 47, andAmerican Ultra.[87]
On August 27, 2015,Straight Outta Compton became the highest grossingmusicalbiopic of all time in the United States with $120.9 million, passing the 2005Johnny Cash biopicWalk the Line's $119.5 million total[88][89][90] (it was then passed itself on December 1, 2018, byBohemian Rhapsody's $162 million).[91] The film grossed $13.1 million in its third weekend and, once again, finished first at the box office ahead of the week's new releasesWar Room,No Escape andWe Are Your Friends.[92]
On September 18, 2015, the film's domestic gross crossed $157.5 million, surpassingKeenen Ivory Wayans'Scary Movie ($157 million) to become the all-time highest domestic grossing film from ablack director in the United States.[93][94] This record was surpassed by Gray's ownThe Fate of the Furious in April 2017. By September 21, 2015, the film had grossed $188 million worldwide to become the all-time highest grossing music biopic, surpassingWalk the Line's $186.4 million worldwide gross, again, passed itself byBohemian Rhapsody in November 2018.[95]
Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 89% based on 248 reviews with an average rating of 7.40/10. The site's consensus reads, "Straight Outta Compton is a biopic that's built to last, thanks to F. Gary Gray's confident direction and engaging performances from a solid cast."[96] OnMetacritic, it has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[97]
Richard Roeper of theChicago Sun-Times awarded the film 3.5 stars out of 4, calling the film "enthralling" and "energized", praising the cast for delivering "strong, memorable work that transcends mere imitation." He called the film "one of the better musical biopics of the last 20 years".[98]
Peter Travers ofRolling Stone, also giving the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, praised the picture for its honesty in its portrayal of the group and complemented Jackson's performance as Ice Cube, as well as the supporting cast, finding Mitchell's Eazy-E "award-caliber". He did wish that the film elaborated more on the group's troubles involving misogyny,homophobia, and the media.[99] Joe Morgenstern ofThe Wall Street Journal found the group's musical performances to be "far and away the most appealing parts of the picture." However, he criticized the film for slowing down towards the end, particularly when it gets "ploddingly sentimental" once it focuses on the decline and death of Eazy-E.[100]
Scott Foundas ofVariety praised director Gray for taking familiar biopic paces and bringing a "richness of observation to the table that transcends cliche." He also praised the film for its "high but never overindulgent" style and the attention to detail in the production, ranging from the "exhaustively researched" screenplay to the "meticulous care" involved in assembling the film's soundtrack. He stated, "ifCompton is undeniably of the moment, it's also timeless in its depiction of how artists and writers transform the world around them into angry, profane, vibrant and singular personal expression."[101] Michael Phillips of theChicago Tribune stated, "Straight Outta Compton at its best evokes the heady atmosphere of Crenshaw Boulevard and what the group's success meant to Compton, and vice versa. When the songs themselves take center stage the movie works. What remains in the wings constitutes another, fuller story."[102]
In a mixed review,Kenneth Turan of theLos Angeles Times felt that the film attempted to take on more storylines than it could handle, also criticizing how bloated it becomes towards the end regarding Heller. However, he did praise Giamatti's performance.[103] Jordan Hoffman ofThe Guardian also criticized the film's second half for being "cheesy" and "[playing] it too safe".[104]Ignatiy Vishnevetsky ofThe A.V. Club gave the film a C, feeling it had to rely on its timeliness for its thematic weight, and saying the film "simplifies N.W.A.'s arc to a gangster-movie knock-off about three friends from way back when who are driven apart by bad influences."[105] Alyssa Rosenberg ofThe Washington Post noted the film's "lack of interest in process and personality" compared with the concurrently released music biopicLove & Mercy, writing: "it's no contest as to which Giamatti picture is the better depiction of the actual music-making process."[106]
The film received numerous award nominations, including one forBest Original Screenplay at theOscars.[107]
| Award | Category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AARP Annual Movies for Grownups Awards | Best Intergenerational Film | Nominated | |
| Best Time Capsule | Nominated | ||
| Academy Awards | Best Original Screenplay | Jonathan Herman,Andrea Berloff,S. Leigh Savidge andAlan Wenkus | Nominated |
| African-American Film Critics Association | Best Picture | Won | |
| Best Ensemble | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Jason Mitchell | Won | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | Best Ensemble Cast | Won | |
| American Film Institute | Top Ten Films | Won | |
| Black Reel Awards | Best Film | Nominated | |
| Best Director | F. Gary Gray | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Jason Mitchell | Nominated | |
| Corey Hawkins | Nominated | ||
| Best Breakthrough Performance (male) | Jason Mitchell | Nominated | |
| O'Shea Jackson Jr. | Nominated | ||
| Best Cast (ensemble) | Victoria Thomas &Cindy Tolan (casting directors) | Won | |
| Best Original or Adapted Song | "Talking to My Diary" - byDr. Dre | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Original Score | Joseph Trapanese | Won | |
| Casting Society of America | Big Budget – Drama | Cindy Tolan, Victoria Thomas, Meagan Lewis, Beth Sepko, Carolyn Pickman, Lucinda Syson, Pat Moran | Won |
| Critics' Choice Awards | Best Acting Ensemble | Nominated | |
| Empire Awards | Best Male Newcomer | Jason Mitchell | Nominated |
| Best Soundtrack | Nominated | ||
| Florida Film Critics Circle | Best Ensemble | Nominated | |
| Hamptons International Film Festival | Breakthrough Performer | Jason Mitchell | Won |
| Keith Stanfield | Won | ||
| Hollywood Film Awards | Hollywood Breakout Ensemble Award | Corey Hawkins, O'Shea Jackson Jr. & Jason Mitchell | Won |
| MTV Movie Awards | Movie of the Year | Nominated | |
| Best Breakthrough Performance | O'Shea Jackson Jr. | Nominated | |
| True Story | Won | ||
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Motion Picture | Won | |
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | Corey Hawkins | Nominated | |
| O'Shea Jackson Jr. | Won | ||
| Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture | Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff, S. Leigh Savidge and Alan Wenkus | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture | F. Gary Gray | Nominated | |
| National Board of Review | Top Ten Films | Won | |
| People's Choice Awards | Favorite Dramatic Movie | Nominated | |
| Producers Guild of America Awards | Best Theatrical Motion Picture | Ice Cube & Matt Alvarez, F. Gary Gray, Dr. Dre, Scott Bernstein | Nominated |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | Best Use Of Music In A Film | Nominated | |
| Best Ensemble | Nominated | ||
| Satellite Awards | Best Original Screenplay | Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff, S. Leigh Savidge and Alan Wenkus | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Neil Brown Jr.,Paul Giamatti, Corey Hawkins,Aldis Hodge, O'Shea Jackson Jr. and Jason Mitchell | Nominated |
| St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association | Best Soundtrack | Nominated | |
| Teen Choice Awards[108] | Choice Movie: Drama | Nominated | |
| Choice Movie Actor: Drama | O'Shea Jackson Jr. | Nominated | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | Best Acting Ensemble | Nominated | |
| Writers Guild of America Awards | Best Original Screenplay | Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff, S. Leigh Savidge and Alan Wenkus | Nominated |
Straight Outta Compton stays fairly close to the overall truth of how N.W.A. came together, while the exact details are sometimes re-arranged.[citation needed]
On June 10, 2015,MC Ren took toTwitter to voice his displeasure at the lack of exposure his character had in theStraight Outta Compton trailer, saying "Man fuck these bitches at universal pictures leaving me out the movie trailers tryin [sic] to rewrite history" and "When you have bitches work on a hip hop film that don't know shit about hip hop this is what happens. How the hell u [sic] leave me out after all the work I put into them records."[114] After the film's release, Ren tweeted, "True fans know my role in the group as far as lyrics are concerned, don't let the movie fool you about my contribution to the group." He later praised the filmmakers saying, "Congrats to the cast and crew. Great job of telling our story."[115]
Despite being a founding member,Arabian Prince's contribution to the group has been ignored in the movie, and his character has a brief, uncredited cameo in the film when the album cover for 'Straight Outta Compton' is shown momentarily. While going on record that he personally harbored no ill will towards the producers, Arabian Prince did note that it led to numerous inquiries and interview requests as to the possible reasons for such a revisionist approach.[116] According to Arabian Prince, "Maybe for 50% of the [movie] scenes, I was there in real life, on stage, or in the studio. A lot of N.W.A's early music production was done with my equipment."[116]
On August 24, 2015,DJ Alonzo Williams referred to the film as "a great fusion of fantasy and reality", after admitting that he enjoyed the film.[117] He disputed the accuracy of the scenes where he forbade gangsta rap from being played at his club, saying that the members of N.W.A had not started gangsta rap at that point.[117] He also commented on the scene when Dr. Dre was bailed out of jail by Eazy-E, saying that Dr. Dre had been jailed several times for non-payment of parking fees and that he had an argument with Dre after having bailed him out of jail numerous times.[117] When Alonzo refused to bail Dre out another time, Eazy-E bailed him out instead.[117] Alonzo claimed that it was he who introduced Eazy-E to Jerry Heller[117] and that contrary to how it was depicted in the movie, he was supportive of Boyz-n-the-Hood, unlike most others at the time.[118]
On October 30, 2015, Heller filed a 12-claim lawsuit in the Superior Court of Los Angeles against NBCUniversal, director F. Gary Gray, Legendary Pictures, the screenwriters of the film, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and the estate of Eazy-E.[119] As well as protesting his depiction in the film, Heller claimed that a significant amount of the film's content had been taken from his autobiography without permission.[119] The defendants countered with a request that Heller's defamation charges be dismissed.[120] In December 2018, two years after Heller's death, a judge dismissed the lawsuit.[121]
On August 17, 2015,Michel'le,Dr. Dre's former girlfriend and mother of one of his children, did an exclusive interview withVlad TV. In the interview, the former Ruthless and Death Row Records artist ponders her and Dre's abusive relationship and she states that she was aware she was not included in theStraight Outta Compton film. "Why would Dre put me in it? I mean 'cause if they start from where they start from I was just a quiet girlfriend who got beat up and told to shut up."[122]
On August 18, 2015,Gawker published an editorial byDee Barnes titled "Here's What's Missing fromStraight Outta Compton: Me and the Other Women Dr. Dre Beat Up." Barnes notes that Dr. Dre had repeated instances of physical abuse to female associates during his time in N.W.A, including the infamous January 1991 beating of Barnes in the bathroom of Po Na Na Souk nightclub. In the film, these incidents were never acknowledged. She further notes that important women from the era with close and historically important ties to N.W.A (J. J. Fad,Yo Yo,Tairrie B, etc.) were absent from the film. In the end, most women portrayed in the film are partyinggroupies, and Barnes felt that it could have also acknowledged the female MCs who contributed to N.W.A's and individual members' successes.[123]
Gerrick D. Kennedy of theLos Angeles Times revealed the Barnes incident was originally included in an earlier version of the film's script.[124] On August 21, 2015, Dr. Dre responded, apologizing to "the women I've hurt. I deeply regret what I did and know that it has forever impacted all of our lives."[125] The next day,Apple Inc., which boughtBeats Electronics for $3 billion in 2014 from Dr. Dre and made him an executive,[126] weighed in on the abuse allegations to offer their support to Dre. The company said in a statement, "Dre has apologized for the mistakes he's made in the past and he's said that he's not the same person that he was 25 years ago."[127]
On August 26, 2015, Randall Roberts of theLos Angeles Times criticized the film for leaving out the story of the all-female rap group J. J. Fad and how some in the media claim the group was responsible for "forging a path for the breakout success of N.W.A".[128]
Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg dissing Eazy-E in "Dre Day", Eazy-E's retaliation "Real Muthaphuckkin G's" and its guest rappersDresta and B.G. Knocc Out are never portrayed in the film.[113]
On August 7, 2015, Dr. Dre released the albumCompton: A Soundtrack by Dr. Dre exclusively onApple Music and theiTunes Store at first and later released on other digital music platforms and in CD and vinyl form. Though not an official soundtrack to the filmStraight Outta Compton, Dr. Dre said this album would be "inspired by the movie".[129] Dre said onThe Pharmacy (hisBeats 1 radio show) that during principal photography ofStraight Outta Compton, "I felt myself going to the studio and being so inspired by the movie that I started recording an album." He added, "It's an 'inspired by' album. It's inspired byStraight Outta Compton."[130]
Part ofStraight Outta Compton's successful opening has been attributed toCompton: A Soundtrack, Dr. Dre's first collection of original music since his 1999's2001 album,[131] which was released a week prior to the film's premiere and debuted at No. 2 on the USBillboard 200 charts and No. 1 on theiTunes charts.[82][132] Dr. Dre said he would donate royalties from his album to the city of Compton for a new performing arts facility.[133]
An official soundtrack album to the film entitledStraight Outta Compton: Music from the Motion Picture was released on January 8, 2016, byUniversal Music Enterprises. It features songs mainly byN.W.A, but also has songs byIce Cube,Eazy-E,Dr. Dre featuringSnoop Dogg, and others.[74]
