STACK #135 Jan 2016

FEATURE DVD & BD

N.W.A. on their debut album and the song that incurred the wrath of the law enforcement community. “I had no idea F*ck tha Police would have any kind of impact worldwide,” says Ice Cube of the most notorious song on their debut album Straight Outta Compton . “I knew people in every ’hood, every ghetto, every poverty-stricken area was feeling the same frustration and would feel the song. But worldwide? I just thought it all was relegated to America.” Released in 1987, N.W.A.’s groundbreaking debut album still resonates today, both musically – it regularly tops the all-time best rap album lists – and socially, as the US grapples with the rising numbers of young black people who die at the hands of police officers. The song F*ck tha Police was the group’s response to the police brutality and racism that they had experienced first-hand. However, law enforcement community was not impressed, with the FBI claiming that it could incite people to violence against the police. “ F*ck tha Police was just like any other song on our album,” says N.W.A’s MC Ren. “But once it sparked such a controversy, it took us to a whole ’nother level. Everybody was mad about it.The FBI, preachers, politicians, everybody.” Adds Ice Cube: “At the time, I looked at our music as our only weapon and our only way to bring some attention to the ’hood. Other than the little blips on the news, nobody really knew or cared about what was going on with the LAPD or the rock problem all around us.The political aspects of the records turned me on just as much as the gangsta aspect, just as much as the flowing beats and rhymes.”

is the coolest thing in the world,” explains Jackson. “He’s always accessible; he’ll call and talk to me and let me know where his head was for certain scenes… so I can use that knowledge to make the scene pop and be as authentic as possible.” And when it came to the musical and performance aspects of the role, Jackson’s DNA kicked in and he felt completely at ease, whether filming concert scenes on stage in front of thousands or laying down tracks in the recording studio. Jackson, who did his own rapping

But while the legendary rapper was sure his son was right for the role, Jackson Jr. – who had never acted before – was admittedly nervous about taking on such a personal and high-profile role as portraying his father in a highly anticipated biopic about the seminal rap group. Yet just like his dad, he adheres to the tenet ‘go big or go home’ and once he made the decision to audition for the role, he was all in. “It started to become an obsession,” recalls Jackson. “I knew I couldn’t go see Straight Outta Compton and watch

DVD & BD

Dad has told me these stories my whole life, so to be able to re-enact them on screen is the coolest thing in the world

in Straight Outta Compton and sounds uncannily similar to his father, cites years of travelling and performing with his dad on tours around the world as contributing to his comfort level while performing in the film. The live scenes in particular also brought back some nostalgic moments for both Ice Cube and Dr Dre, who is also one of the film’s producers. An especially gratifying compliment for Jackson came during several on-set conversations with Dre, who told him how much his movements, gestures and vocal inflections were exactly like his father’s. Says Jackson: “For Dre to have flashbacks while looking at me perform on stage, I feel like I’m doing it right...” • Straight Outta Compton is out on Jan 14

somebody else play this part. It would have drove me crazy because I feel that no one can play this part like I can. “When you think about it, I’ve basically been studying for this part for over 20 years… I’ve become super method with my approach to the role!” For Jackson, developing that ‘super method’ form of acting saw him working closely with director F. Gary Gray and taking acting classes in Los Angeles and NewYork. However, at the end of the day he knew he could always the utilise the ultimate resource, his own father, and the artistic exchange between father and son was an integral part of Jackson’s stepping into Ice Cube’s younger persona with ease. “Dad has told me these stories my whole life, so to be able to re-enact them on screen

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