The movie version of Straight Outta Compton by F. Gary Gray illustrates how the music title of the movie sheds light on the hardships of the times, the injustice, the deprivation, and poverty of inner-city America, specifically Compton in Los Angeles.
1.Social Injustice and Inequality: This shows the kind of life that young black men are exposed to in the inner city, where there is no way of making it out of the hood due to the lack of economic opportunities. You are either a gang member or a drug dealer, and for the ladies, prostitution. Schools and basic livelihood are nonexistent. That is why the music portrayal of what Black America was grappling with at that time in their history struck a nerve with those experiencing it.
2. Police Brutality: Growing up young, poor, and black in 1988 Compton was hard enough, but you also had the added headache of being profiled as either a gang member or drug dealer by the police. In the song
“Fuck tha Police,”
it laid bare how the police see young black people as up to no good, constantly harassing and slamming them. It also depicts the grim reality of living with an occupied police force in the inner city, constantly trying to maim them.
3. The American Dream: This was portrayed in the success of the music group N.W.A. How friends came together and took the world by storm with their inspiring, and sometimes controversial style of music. They went from being street corner hustlers to superstardom, living the American dream with their album success. They shed light on the suffering of inner-city kids and the poverty and deprivation of maligned neighborhoods in the country.
Clique, what are your thoughts on these selected themes?
