[Cabrera:] The first major studio film about a group of hip-hop artists taking Hollywood by storm. "Straight Outta Compton," the biography about '80s west coast gangsta rape group NWA, broke box office records, breaking in more than 60 million in its opening weekend.
[Unidentified Actor:] Hit that first beat hard. You're cruising down the street. All right. Hey, that was dope, dude.
[Unidentified Male:] Compton's very own Ice Cube. Eazy-E and Dr. Dre. You are witnessing history.
[Unidentified Actor:] They want NWA, let's give them NWA
[Cabrera:] NWA, known for provocative songs about inner city lives, two of the biggest stars, Ice Cube and Dr. Dre. Critics say the movie glorifies the controversial group and glaringly omits its past, particularly the treatment of women. Joining me is political and social commentator, hip hop historian, Kevin Powell, author of "The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy's Journey into Manhood"; and also with us, "Buzz Feed" entertainment reporter, Kelley Carter. Let's talk about the box office numbers, 60.2 million and counting, the tickets. NWA was the original face of it. Kelley, what do you make of those numbers? What does it say about the movie's resonance?
[Kelley Carter, Entertainment Reporter, Buzz Feed:] I think it's interesting. You know, the same critics who probably panned this group 27 years ago are champing their biography which speaks to their dominance in the culture. Ice Cube and Dr. Dre have become major moguls in television and music and their presence is undeniable and to see the origin story of them is interesting and audiences couldn't get enough of it.
[Cabrera:] Is that what you think, Kevin? Is that why people are so drawn to this movie because of its stars?
[Kevin Powell, Political & Social Commentator & Hip Hop Historian & Author:] Well, that and the hip-hop you have to be honest, as Americans, hip-hop is the dominant culture in this country and on this planet in the last 45 years. It's been the number one album, Dr. Dre created, about Alexander Hamilton created by a writer immersed in hip- hop culture. When I saw "Straight Outta Compton," black, white, Latino, Asian, every generation was there. That's very different than when this film came out. This culture belongs to everyone. That's why this film is so popular.
[Cabrera:] Critics, including you, have criticized the fact that the movie doesn't really get into some of the more I guess dark history of these groups and these people. The lyrics, treatment of women and instead, "Straight Outta Compton" glorifies its music and the stars. Why do you think that was left out?
[Powell:] You know, I say it on my blog on my Facebook page. The film just very eloquently and powerfully deals with the issue of race and racial profiling correlates with the issues today. Dr. Dre and Ice Cube and the director did not see it fit to talk about the savage beating of Dee Barnes and the lyrics that depict women in very despicable way. Just like racism is alive and well in this country, so is sexism. It would have been a great film if it had the courage to deal with that but it did not.
[Cabrera:] I see you shaking your head, Kelley.
[Carter:] I agree. I think it's important to note that the culture of gangster rap was a very comfortable space for rape culture and homophobic slurs to exist. I don't think that we really challenged the group at the time they were making this music to really to really address those issues. I think that, you know, as much as great things as they did with their music and they did a lot of great things. They shed a lot on what was happening in urban neighborhoods that people weren't acutely aware of. We didn't really take them to task, I think, in a national conversation the way we probably should have.
[Cabrera:] And, Kevin, "Straight Outta Compton" comes amid this Black Lives Matter movement. It bolsters the fact that policing tactics and the relationships that ignited NWA's rise, they remain emblematic today.
[Powell:] Ice Cube was 19, 20 years old when he wrote the song "After the Police" and that's remained the anthem today. The Rodney King beating was 24 years ago. We now have a black president in the White House but still there are things that have not changed. There are things in the film that are relevant and powerful. I can't dispute the fact that this film wasn't important. I hope people see it as a place as a starting point about grace and gender issues and gender violence and not a film that we get caught up in the trend of and the context disappears.
[Cabrera:] Maybe that's resonating so much because of the key issues we're still talking about today in the news cycle and on the street. Kelley Carter and Kevin Powell, thank you so much.
[Powell:] Thank you.
[Cabrera:] Good to have you.