Watch the 'Straight Outta Compton' Trailer Ice Cube Showed to Fans

The ni**az with attitude are here! Well, almost. Hip-hop fans who remember the dominance of the west coast rap scene have been anxious for any footage from Straight Outta Compton, about the rise of N.W.A. And apparently Ice Cube knows it because he excitedly dropped the first trailer on audiences at a concert in Sydney, Australia. This isn't an official release by any means but a pretty good quality version obtained by a fan in attendance.

Directed by F. Gary Gray, the film has Ice Cube portrayed by his son O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins as Dr. Dre, Jason Mitchell as Easy-E, Aldis Hodge as MC Ren, and Neil Brown as DJ Yella. But what could be amazing is Paul Giamatti as embattled manager Jerry Heller, who along with having some incredible hair will have some drag-out fights with the group over money.

Color me very excited over this one as everybody seems to fit their roles perfectly, and that was always the one aspect most were concerned about.

Straight Outta Compton opens August 14th 2015. We'll update this post with an official version once it is made available.

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'Short Term 12' Star Keith Stanfield to Play Snoop Dogg in 'Straight Outta Compton'

In a film that was full of emotionally moments, perhaps the most heartbreaking in all of Short Term 12 was a scene in which an older resident at the group home reveals the depths of his pain in a rap. That song, performed by breakout star Keith Stanfield, touched so many it was nominated for Best Song at the Satellite Awards and was briefly eyed as an Oscar contender in the same category. And now Stanfield will have a chance to drop lyrics of a different nature in the N.W.A. biopic, Straight Outta Compton.

The Wrap reports Stanfield will sip on some gin and juice as Snoop Dogg (now Snoop Lion) in the film, which chronicles the legendary hip hop group's rise to prominence. Also coming aboard is Sheldon A. Smith as west coast rapper Warren G, known for his biggest track, "Regulate". Snoop and Warren G began their careers as part of Long Beach's '213' collective alongside the late Nate Dogg, and presumably that role will be cast, too. F. Gary Gray is directing with O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Aldis Hodge, Neil Brown, Jr., Paul Giamatti, and Carra Patterson starring. 

Stanfield, who had a supporting role in The Purge: Anarchy, will be seen later this year in Ava Duvernay's Martin Luther King biopic, Selma.  August 14th 2015 has been set for Straight Outta Compton's release.

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Paul Giamatti to Play Jerry Heller in N.W.A. Biopic 'Straight Outta Compton'

You can't tell the true story of rap super-group N.W.A. without talking Ruthless Records co-founder Jerry Heller. Their tale is intertwined with his, for good and bad, and with the biopic Straight Outta Compton in production now the role of Heller has been filled in the best way possible with Paul Giamatti coming aboard.

THR reports that Giamatti will join Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E, Corey Hawkins as Dr. Dre, O'Shea Jackson Jr. as his father Ice Cube, Aldis Hodge as MC Ren, and Neil Brown Jr. as DJ Yella. Heller, who represented acts such as Elton John and Pink Floyd before beginning west coast rap label Ruthless Records, managed NWA from 1987 to 1991. It was that year the group split up over what much of the group thought was Heller basically stealing money from them. He was getting rich off of their success, and the group dissed him and Eazy-E in rap tracks often.

Directed by F. Gary Gray, Straight Outta Compton hits theaters August 14th 2015.

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Abbie Cornish and Jim Sturgess Face the 'Geostorm'; Carra Patterson Joins 'Straight Outta Compton'

 For his directorial debut, Dean Devlin is following in his buddy Roland Emmerich's footsteps with Geostorm, a film that sounds like 2012 meets White House Down. Gerard Butler is already on board to star in the sci-fi adventure flick, and now in talks to join him are Abbie Cornish, Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, and Andy Garcia. Butler plays a stubborn but charming satellite designer who must work with his estranged brother (Sturgess) to save the world from a man-made storm when the weather controlling satellites malfunction. This is followed by a trip into space and a plot to assassinate the President. Seriously. Cornish will play Sturgess' girlfriend, who happens to be a Secret Service agent, with Harris as the Secretary of State and Garcia as the President. Filming is to begin in October. [THR]

Between the hails of gunfire filming is still underway on N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton, and now the role of another key hip-hop figure has been cast. Carra Patterson (Why Did I Get Married Too?) will play Eazy-E's wife Tomica Woods in the film which chronicles the rise of the legendary rap group. Woods married Eric "Eazy-E" Wright on the eve of his death due to AIDS complications. Woods inherited the Ruthless Records label from him and is one of the film's producers.

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MC Ren and DJ Yella Roles Cast in N.W.A. Biopic 'Straight Outta Compton'

Y'know what, Mc Ren and DJ Yella never really got the credit they deserved for their contributions to legendary gangsta rap group, N.W.A. Ren in particular was instrumental in writing many of group's hard lyrics, while Yella co-produced the beats alongside Dr. Dre. And even now as the biopic Straight Outta Compton was being cast the focus was solely on Ice Cube, Dre, and Eazy-E, but now the other two are starting to get their due.

Universal Pictures has announced relatively unknown actors Aldis Hodge and Neil Brown Jr. have taken the roles of Ren and Yella, respectively.  Hodge had a starring role on the TNT series Leverage and had a role in The East opposite Brit Marling, while Brown has appeared in Fast & Furious and Battle: Los Angeles. They join O'Shea Jackson Jr. as his father Ice Cube, Corey Hawkins as Ice Cube, and Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E.

F. Gary Gray is directing Straight Outta Compton for release August 14th 2015.

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First Look at the Cast of N.W.A. Biopic 'Straight Outta Compton'

In today's world of homogenized hip-hop, a groundbreaking group like N.W.A. seems even more impressive. The controversial collective of west coast rappers gained notoriety for their hard gangsta lyrics that drove the cops nuts, bangin' beats that pumped on car stereos everywhere, and street attitude that became a fixture of the genre. Former members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, along with the late Eazy-E's mother have been trying to put together Straight Outta Compton, a biopic on their past exploits. And with a director secured and young actors cast to play the rap group, the first image of them together has arrived.

First up, a bit of a correction as it was reported earlier this week that Marcus Callendar had won the role of Dr. Dre in the film. Turns out that's not the case and Corey Hawkins (Non-Stop, Romeo & Juliet) will play the famous rapper/producer. The photo give us a look at Cube,whose son O'Shea Jackson Jr. is a spitting image of his dad; Dre, director F. Gary Gray, and co-stars Hawkins and Jason Mitchell.  Universal plans to release the film on August 14th 2015.

In the mid-1980s, the streets of Compton, California, were some of the most dangerous in the country.  When five young men translated their experiences growing up into brutally honest music that rebelled against abusive authority, they gave an explosive voice to a silenced generation.  Following the meteoric rise and fall of N.W.A., STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON tells the astonishing story of how these youngsters revolutionized music and pop culture forever the moment they told the world the truth about life in the hood and ignited a cultural war.

Starring O’Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins and Jason Mitchell as Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Eazy-E, STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON is directed by F. Gary Gray (Friday, Set It Off, The Italian Job).  The drama is produced by original N.W.A. members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, who are joined by fellow producers Matt Alvarez and Tomica Woods-Wright.  Will Packer serves as executive producer of the film alongside Gray.

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Unknowns Cast as Dr. Dre and Eazy-E in N.W.A. Biopic 'Straight Outta Compton'

After years of struggling to find the right screenwriter and director for Straight Outta Compton, the biopic on influential hip hop group N.W.A., the film is finally starting to come together. F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job) is directing, and just days ago we learned Ice Cube's son O'Shea Jackson Jr. would play his father. While there had been some speculation the sons of Dr. Dre and Eazy-E would attempt the same, it will instead be two relative unknowns playing the group's other primary members.

Theatre actor Marcus Callendar will play producer/rapper Dr. Dre, while Jason Mitchell is Eazy-E. Callendar has had small roles on CBS dramas Blue Bloods and Elementary, while Mitchell appeared in two Mark Wahlberg movies, Broken City and Contraband. Still no word on who will the group's other members, DJ Yella and MC Ren, the latter an integral part of their success as a writer and rapper.

Filming will likely begin soon for release some time in 2015.  [Billboard]

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Ice Cube's Son will Play Ice Cube in N.W.A. Biopic 'Straight Outta Compton'

Does it feel like the N.W.A. biopic, Straight Outta Compton, has been in the works since the infamous hip-hop group was still dropping albums? It has taken forever to get moving and a number of directors have come and gone, but it was F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job) who has stuck with it. Rumors surfaced a couple of years ago that former N.W.A. members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre were thinking of casting their own sons in the film, and now that's exactly what has happened for one of them.

The Wrap reports that Ice Cube's son, O'Shea Jackson Jr., will play his daddy in the film, meaning he better not screw up or he'll end up like Tim Dog. Okay, maybe not. Cube has previously described the film as a "dramatic story that encompasses hip-hop, dope-dealing, Reaganomics, AIDS, LAPD, rap feuds, FBI, PMRC, the Parental Advisory stickers on the records… all of it." An unknown actor is said to be in line to play the late Eazy-E, despite the rapper's son wanting the role for himself. Meanwhile nobody cares who is playing MC Ren or DJ Yella.

Ice Cube, Dre, and Eazy-E's widow are producing and have final casting approval but O'Shea still had to try out and prove he could fill dad's shoes. Yeah, but can he rap like his old man?

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