Straight Outta Compton hasn’t even hit theaters yet, but has already caused quite a stir and many positive reviews. Over the past weeks Dr. Dre and Ice Cube have been on the move promoting Straight Outta Compton through a number of interviews and appearances. They recently snagged the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, and were given the opportunity to address many topics including the history of N.W.A., Straight Outta Compton, the lack of Detox, and Dre’s 1991 incident with TV host Dee Barnes.
Ice Cube wanted the film to provide some insight on the context of N.W.A.’s songs stating, “You had to see why we did the music. You know, not just ‘we were young, angry n*ggas out of South Central,’ but why did we make those kind of records? We were living in the middle of dope dealing, gangbanging, police brutality, f*cking Reaganomics, and there was nowhere to escape.”
Read some key points from the story below, and pick up a copy of the issue which hits newsstands tomorrow!
On why he never finished Detox:
Dr. Dre: “I had between 20 and 40 songs for Detox, and I just couldn’t feel it. Usually I can hear the sequence of an album as I’m going, but I wasn’t able to do that. I wasn’t feeling it in my gut. So I really thought I was done being an artist.”
On the 1991 assault of TV host Dee Barnes, as well as recent physical abuse charges on his former girlfriend Miche’le:
Dr. Dre: “I made some f*cking horrible mistakes in my life. I was young, f*cking stupid. I would say all the allegations aren’t true – some of them are. Those are some of the things that I would like to take back. It was really f*cked up. But I paid for those mistakes, and there’s no way in h*ll that I will ever make another mistake like that again.”
On lyrical treatment of women in N.W.A.’s music:
Ice Cube: “If you’re a b*tch, you’re probably not going to like us. If you’re a h*, you probably don’t like us. If you’re not a h* or a b*tch, don’t be jumping to the defense of these despicable females. Just like I shouldn’t be jumping to the defense of no punks or no cowards or no slimy son of a b*tches that’s men. I never understood why an upstanding lady would even think we’re talking about her.”
The real reason Dr. Dre can come off as a distant figure:
Dr. Dre: I have social anxiety. I don’t like being in the spotlight, so I made a f*cking weird career choice. That’s the reason for my mystique and why I’m so secluded and why everybody knows nothing about me. I think it added to the character in the movie because people get a chance to see behind the curtain.”
