STACK January 2016 Issue 135

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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.”
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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
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
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
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...”
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