On August 14^th, 2015, in the aftermath of Ferguson, “I can’t breathe” and the “Hands Up” Movement, New Line Cinema released the blockbuster hit Straight Outta Compton. 3,142 theaters, 180 million dollars in gross income and a heap of controversy later, the infamous rap group N.W.A is back into dinner conversations nationwide. The impact of the movie has stretched much further than the movie screen. Graphic scenes depicting violent police beatings seen in the film have a sense of eerie similarity to the ones we’ve been seeing on the nightly news. O’Shea Jackson, who plays his real life father Ice Cube in the movie, realizes the widespread effect that the blockbuster has had, saying “this police brutality, these oppressors have been around before N.W.A., during N.W.A. and well after. Last year would’ve been perfect timing (for this film); the year before would, too.” (USA Today)

The box office success of Straight Outta Compton has also sent N.W.A.’s music back to the top. The impact of the movie has reverberated through the music world, spiking the popularity of a rap group that first came onto the scene two decades ago. A week after the release of the film, the song Straight Outta Compton topped the charts of Billboard 200. Straight Outta Compton, the album, released in 1991, sold 44,000 copies, placing it fourth on the charts. (Rolling Stone)

The music and the movie are very similar, both intentionally pushing the boundaries of what is an appropriate use of our 1^st amendment. The impact of the rap group is eternal. N.W.A. formed the foundation in which rap music is based; even down to the curse words. It’s hard to imagine how pop culture and hip-hop would have developed without them really kicking the door down. Songs such as Express Yourself, Gangsta Gangsta, and F*** da Police exemplify the controversy that N.W.A. aims to create.

“I’m not delusional, that every song we did pushed a political edge to it — some songs were just the craziness of the neighborhood, and we weren’t always positive, but we were always honest,” Cube says. “I think that goes a long way, and I think that’s why the music is so great. Artists just need to be honest, and if they want to say something, say it. That’s the only way you get the best art.” (USA Today)

The movie follows the same principles. Once the audience gets past all the raunchy party scenes, the consistent, unnecessary nudity and drug use, there is a real profound effect that the movie has on its viewers. Why has it been so big? Why has it revitalized the music? Why is N.W.A. now a common conversation topic for the modern teen? Because…the reality of it all, it gets the viewers’ attention, and even more so, it gets them thinking.

About midway through the film, producer Gary Gray exhibits DJ Yella (Neil Brown Jr.) watching video of Los Angeles police beating black cab driver Rodney King, an incident that ignited protests in 1991. Although Gray states the making of Compton was not influenced by the racial oppression seen in recent news, he too “is not delusional.” “I felt the weight of what we were filming,” he states in a recent interview with The New York Times, “we were acting out against real LAPD officers.”

You can say all you want about N.W.A. but there is no dispute over the fact that they made a difference. Their music, just like that scene depicting the oppressive experience in Compton speaks the truth of their reality. The effectiveness of the movie comes with its relatability. We have all witnessed some sort of abuse. N.W.A. and their film, Straight Outta Compton challenges the public to fight against maltreatment of any sort. In a way that is masked with curse words and drug references, the late 80’s rap group alludes to a message that we all want to hear. A message that rings of hope and revolution, a message that calls for action, a message that is rebellious. A message that is most certainly American. Ice Cube says it himself: “The Truth is the ultimate power. When the truth comes around, all the lies have to run and hide.”