Earlier this year, Universal's N.W.A. biopic, "Straight Outta Compton," became involved in a real-life murder case. Now, the film's producers and original N.W.A. members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre have opened up about what Dre calls a "really tragic incident."
In January, rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight was at a burger stand in Los Angeles where a trailer was being shot for "Straight Outta Compton." The record producer allegedly hit two men -- Cle "Bone" Sloan, 51, and Terry Carter, 55 -- in his pick-up truck. The incident resulted in the death of Carter. In February, Knight was charged with murder and attempted murder. Dre, one of the co-founders of Death Row Records with Knight, and Ice Cube became personally involved in the murder case when Carter's wife filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the three.
In a recent cover story for The Hollywood Reporter about "Straight Outta Compton," Ice Cube revealed that he was on set the day of the incident. "I was there," he said. "But I was just leaving, so I didn't know what happened until I was halfway home." The rapper-actor-producer heard about it over the phone afterwards. Mentioning that the film didn't have any issues during the production, Ice Cube added, "It's crazy that this happened during the f--king filming of the commercial."
Dre chalked up the incident to the dangers of of living in South Central, Los Angeles. "Some people don't care if you're making a movie or not," he told THR. "It's unfortunate because the movie is so good, so creative, so many talented people involved."
In July, a judge refused to dismiss Knight's case after Sloan refused to identify the music exec in court. Knight's next hearing is on Sept. 17.
In the meantime, N.W.A. fans can look forward to "Straight Outta Compton" hitting theaters later this summer and an upcoming reunion tour across Europe with Eminem. The surviving members of the rap group, excluding Dre, previously reunited on stage for their first live performance together in 26 years in June. It's unknown whether Dre will join his former members for the new tour.
Check out the "Straight Outta Compton" cover and head to THR for the full feature.
"Straight Outta Compton" opens Aug. 14.
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