When talent appears in introductions for movie trailers it should always give you pause. If you've got the goods you don't really need to try and make a movie preview more “special” than it already is. That being said, the inclusion of Dr. Dre and Ice Cube driving through the streets of Compton discussing “where it all started” before the new trailer for “Straight Outta Compton” works.
At this point in their lives, both men are icons who have crossed over from “hardcore rappers” to successful businessmen and, in Dre's case, a six-time Grammy winner. They are producers, not executive producers on the film. That means, for the most part, they have a very vested interest that the story of N.W.A., their story, is told right. And, as Cube notes, “The same thing we were going through with the police in the '80s these people are going through now.”
Director F. Gary Gray has a spotty track record, but it's the hands-on involvement of Dre and Cube that actually make “Straight Outta Compton” one to watch for.
Even with a sketchy August 14 release date (just sayin').
Check out the trailer embedded at the top of this post and share your thoughts in the comments section.