The entertainment industry loves a formula. As NWA bask in the glow of getting themselves into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last weekend, it's clear that the fantastic Straight Outta Compton biopic has done wonders for their reputation. The film also did wonders for Dr Dre, finally persuading him to take time out from designing pricey headphones and concentrate instead on finishing a long-overdue album (and introducing Anderson .Paak to the world).
Naturally, film makers are now looking around at other hip-hop stars and wondering if there’s the stuff of a film in their life story. The thing about most hip-hop acts and their entourages is that there’s definitely plenty which would make for a meaty on-screen experience – and that’s before someone decides to make a film about colourful Death Row knucklehead Suge Knight.
Knight will probably feature in many hip-hop films as it is, because of Death Row's involvement in the careers of many rappers. For example, he's in the forthcoming Tupac Shakur biopic All Eyez on Me. This stars Demetrius Shipp Jr as the main man, with Jamal Woolard reprising the role of Biggie Smalls which he played in 2009's Notorious.
But it's not all about the west coast; Wu-Tang Clan creative genius RZA spoke this week about the possibility of a biopic about that group. "I've been having conversations with some people, so we'll see if that's something we can tie together, but it's not easy," he told Billboard magazine. "I think it would be a blessing for American culture. It is really an against-the-odds story.
“When I was growing up they said that a black man in America would be dead or in jail by 25, especially if he doesn’t have a high school diploma. But we didn’t become the statistic. I think it’s important to understand that there is a way out; determination and focus can beat the odds.”
RZA has skin in the current hip-hop-on-screen game as the director of the forthcoming Coco (not to confused with a Disney project of the same name), with Azealia Banks as an aspiring New York rapper.
For him, Straight Outta Compton was the film that proved hip-hop could work in terms of box office. "It was a great film to prove the marketability of it, the value of it. It wasn't just a film that was just for hip-hop, it also got an Oscar nomination, the box-office success was tremendous, and it actually made some noise internationally. Hip-hop is prime now."
The trick now is to ensure the next wave of films is as enthralling and attractive to viewers as Straight Outta Compton. There will be filmmakers who'll think it's just about a formula, but making films by rote is probably not the way to go. After all, the last thing anyone wants is a bunch of films which stink the place out like 50 Cent did with Get Rich or Die Tryin'.
