Straight Outta Compton – Are You Ready For It?

Last night saw the Irish premiere of the highly touted Straight Outta Compton.
It was attended by a number of leading lights of the Irish music scene - with representation from The Hot Sprockets, HamsandwicH, Little Hours, The Minutes, Girl Band, Vann Music, Raglans, Fight Like Apes and Molly Sterling amongst others - and, of course, Hot Press was on hand to see what all the fuss was about.

And guess what? Our verdict is that the movie, which tells the story of the rise of the notorious NWA, more than lives up to the hype. It might be a little bit on the long side, but it's a substantial story well worth telling; as music biopics go, it's not far off the best of the genre.

“Dre was reluctant at first,” director F. Gary Grey tells Hot Press' Roisin Dwyer in an interview in the current issue of the magazine, “for the same reason I was – the fear of tarnishing the legacy.” But the legendary producer was convinced – and fully supported the making of the movie. That was a big deal, in terms of ensuring the authenticity of what is a powerful, and at times incendiary, movie.

The film stars O’Shea Jackson Jnr, who plays his father Ice Cube – and does it with real panache. Meanwhile Paul Giamatti is brilliant as the archtypically villainous record company man, Jerry Heller.

“He taught the others a lot,” Gray confesses. And you can see it on screen, as the whole thing rocks like a demon."

Also in the new Hot Press – with a special Electric Picnic cover – is the verdict on the new Dr. Dre album, simply entitled Compton – which is given a rave review by our man Craig Fitzpatrick.

Don’t forget to check out our Straight Outta Compton minisite; you’ll find a rich hip-hop archive, as well as the complete interview with the film's director F. Gary Gray.

Check out our gallery from the premiere right here.