The music video for N.W.A's "Straight Outta Compton" depicts the streets of Compton, California as a war zone between police and local African American residents. It begins with Dr. Dre introducing the group's message of "street knowledge" behind a barrel fire with police sirens. Scenes show members of N.W.A rapping while walking through Compton, accompanied by shots of police gearing up. The video portrays conflicts between N.W.A and police, ultimately showing the group's arrest. It aims to provide insight into the lives of young African Americans in Compton and the need for change.

1. Nathan Bowen Research Document
Textual analysis
N.W.A – Straight Outta Compton
The music video begins with a
mid shot of Dr Dre, one of the
members of N.W.A, crouched
behind a flame coming from a
barrel and he says “you are now
about to witness the strength of
street knowledge” whilst a
police car siren wails in the
background, he is dressed in a
black baseball cap and a black
jacket. This is a good
introduction to the video as the
flame from the barrel and the
police siren are both things
associate with poverty in the ghettos of places like the U.S.A and what Dr Dre says
shows the viewer that this song is going to be about the streets. This introduction both
visually and audibly makes the listener aware this is a Hip Hop genre song about the
streets.
The beat then kicks in with a low long shot of a large group of N.W.A members walking
through the ghetto, moving then to various shots like close ups of their feet, a car driving
through the streets, which gives the audience an idea of who N.W.A are and the area they
are in, there is then a shot of a sign with Compton written on it again showing the
audience that this area is Compton. The first performer then appears in similar clothes to
that of Dr Dre in the beginning, with a black baseball cap and black jacket perhaps
showing the audience that these are their colours, he then goes on to say “straight out of
Compton” which backs up the title of the song and then “here’s a crazy brother named ice
cube” introducing himself to the audience so they know who is rapping.

2. Whilst ice cube is rapping there are various mid shots and long shots of him walking
through parts of Compton and close ups of police holding batons, guns and a map of the
area of Compton, most of ice cubes lyrics refer to violence and fighting in Compton, the
police shots seem to show them suiting up and going into Compton, this shows Compton
as a sort of war zone and also the shots of ice cube usually involve having his friends
behind him pushing over fences and kicking barrels, this could show that the two are
separate feuding groups and have conflict with one another. Ice cube and his friend are
also all African American and the police are Caucasian this could be a political statement
of the segregation of people in America because of their race as the African American
men fighting the Caucasian police.
Their then continue to be more shots of the slums of Compton and then a new member is
introduced again with a similar starting slogan of “tell em where you from, straight outta
Compton, a brother with his finger on the trigger” again referring to the title of the song
and the general feel of violence of Compton in the song. They stick with the general style
of mid shots of him walking down parts of Compton rapping however he is wearing a
grey jumper but has got the black baseball cap that the others seem to all have maybe
being a gang item, there are then more shots of the police in their cars searching for them
eventually finding the N.W.A group and chasing them with guns drawn, arresting them
all and putting them in the back of police truck. This backs up the image of it being a war
in Compton between the police and the residents of the area especially seeing the police
in vast numbers with guns hunting the members of N.W.A down.

3. The last performing member of this song is then introduced after most of the N.W.A have
been arrested and he too starts with “straight outta Compton” this artist is quite young
and does have the black baseball cap this could be to show how young the kids start to
get involved in this war in Compton and how serious an issue it is this violence. His
performance also is mainly low mid shots of him walking through Compton rapping and
also him in a car rapping to the driver of the police truck with the captured N.W.A
members inside, as if he is trying to provoke the police.
The video ends with a few shots of signs with Compton written on them and the police
truck carrying the N.W.A members, also the N.W.A members walking down the road and
throwing rocks at the police cars, finally finishing with a mid shot of Dr Dre and the rest
of N.W.A and Dr Dre saying “that’s the way it goes in the city of Compton boy”. The
video does well to match the tone and lyrics off the song representing Compton as a war
zone where the way of life is violence and being arrested by the police for many young
African Americans, it can be seen a s more than Rap video but an insight into how things
are in Compton LA and how they need to be changed.