Business lessons from Straight outta Compton
1.you have to endure massive pressure from your family and friends. Dre had to leave home. Wife and small baby left him. Very painful I’m sure.
2. What you find yourself doing something for fun take a mental snapshot. it’s something you love. Dre’s fingers moving to the music that would later become “Nuthin But A “G” Thang
3. Stick to the thing that makes you unique. Even if you look like a total fool: Scene when potential investors walked out disgusted.
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4. Prepare before your chance comes. There’s gonna be one situation in your career where you gotta man up. Your big chance. Be ready. Cube worked his ass off after hearing “they have body bags at the door. So you better bring it!” Doo do’s (dew doughs) bar
5. Take a chance! . If you don’t like how I’m livin well He flipped off the crowd and said “fu”. He knew the club was full of crips and bloods.
6. Get far away from the Lonzo’s of life. Who give you miniscule chances but demand you give up your soul. Always telling Dre “the only reason you up on that stage is cause I put you up there! Take a backseat. ”
7. Getting artists to perform is an art itself. Dre coaxes E into the booth and just tells him, to come in “on beat” when actually everything he did was wrong. He tread lightly and gave respect even throwing Cube and Yella out of the studio to make E more comfortable. Say the words like you mean um. Like they’re your words. This is the best scene in the whole movie for me. And the most like a startup business than anything. They just almost had a brawl in the studio and then lost the talent. They have a drug dealer as an investor. There is no one to rap the songs. Dre really shows that in addition to being a genius producer he knows people. He is the one with people skills in the band. And that is key for NWA. It’s like he’s light years ahead in maturity to the other guys. If you ever started a company you should watch this scene. It’s startup reality
8. Raise money any way you can. First from Easy’s crack business and later from the “California raisins” label.
9. Challenges change as your succeed. Getting good publicity, AirPlay, raising money, negative publicity, women, jealous boyfriends, and what killed easy, AIDS and reality. You have to keep upping your game just to stay in it.
10. You have to mature as a person. Don’t think black and white. life can be grey. Frenemies-shug knight. Freedom from nwa and Jerry. J
11. Think before you diss a good friend. Even if you feel like it. For one thing, they were your friends. But also they know more about you than anyone else and can cut deep. What’s the point? Don’t disrespect old friend because it will cause major damage to you. Easy disses Cube after he goes solo calling him a traitor. Cube destroys them with “no vasoline”.
12. Grow up. Suge making that the east coast rapper apologize in his underwear at gunpoint. Meanwhile the band was at a whole new level. Let go of childish things. Reinvent yourself. It’s ok to let your old “self” go. It’s essential actually.
13. Wait till you can tell an epic story right if it’s important. Don’t rush out garbage on the big stuff. Everything in this movie is class. The 80’s fashion costumes on the patrons at Doo Do’s were right on. They took their time on this and it shows. Cube’s son had to audition for two years to get this! They took this seriously
14′ don’t blindly believe the media. I remember when this movie came out. It was vilified. They were evil gangsters spreading violence. But this movie was very cleansing for me. Because I saw everything from a whole new angle. I saw young man with confidence being beaten down not being given the tools they need I saw an issue, police violence, being raised as a canary in the coal mine. 25 years later with YouTube and cell phones everything they said has been proven true.
15. Lawyer up! Dre lost all to Suge. Cube didn’t accept the $75,000 check.
16. Be a creator. Dre always has money even if he has no money. His value is in his mind.
17. Don’t get what you are promised? In this case, an advance for his second album. Bring a baseball bat or gangster attitude to collect debts. Just like me and Sun Fei turning over desks in China. Man after my own heart. Don’t let people walk all over you and if the police won’t help you, go get it yourself. Danger be damned. As Nike said, just do it.
18. Don’t believe the media kids. The media had it that these guys were promoting violence and gang membership. But only two guys in the band were in a gang Ren and Easy and they joined the band to get out of the gang! It was a total lie. And we all swallowed it. I know I did.
