Dopeman Dopeman! N.W.A. Biopic Gathers Steam

I know it might be hard to remember, but there was a time when Ice Cube wasn't that lovable daddy figure goin' on wacky road trips in family comedies. He started out as a fearsome rapper, part of the groundbreaking collective known as N.W.A.(Ni**az with Attitude). The group included producer/rapper Dr. Dre, Eazy E, MC Ren, and DJ Yella, and was primarily responsible for the rap explosion on the west coast. Their groundbreaking debut, 1988's Straight Outta Compton, sold well over 9 million copies and is generally considered one of the greatest(and controversial) rap albums ever.

Now Cube wants to bring the group back into the spotlight. He and Matt Alvarez are producing a biopic based on the tumultuous act, with New Line Cinema overseeing the project. Eazy E's widow, Tomika Woods is also on board as a producer. Plans for the film have been in the works for quite awhile, but recently added writer Andrea Berloff(World  Trade Center) has helped push the production into the fasttrack.

The group's rise to fame was rocky almost from the beginning with infighting and backbiting leading to their eventual demise only a few years later. Dre went on to become a record setting producer, famously regarded as the man who "discovered" Eminem. Eazy-E died in 1995 from AIDS related complications, an event that helped lead the group's members back together again.

No casting or release date info is available as of yet. The biggest question is exactly what part of the group's rocky past is going to be covered. NWA spent as much time battling charges of homophobia, sexism, and encouraging violence against police as they did fighting against eachother. It also remains to be seen whether or not the circumstances of Eazy-E's death will be included.

I just hope it has more teeth to it than the Biggie Smalls biopic, Notorious, which nearly broke it's own back bending over backwards to make the rapper seem like a saint. Having Ice Cube and Tomika Woods producing worries me that they'll go soft on the material, but only time will tell.

You can read more of THR's coverage of the story here.