Surviving members of NWA revisit past in 'Straight Outta Compton' biopic

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- In 1988, five young friends combined their talents and produced the groundbreaking album, "Straight Outta Compton."

Ice Cube, who was known as the poet of the group, says they just wanted their own realities of life in South Central Los Angeles to be heard. They had no idea just how big their album would be, but he remembers when he first realized they had made it. It was when their album received a parental discretion sticker.

"You know it was kind of like almost having a skull and crossbones," Ice Cube said. "When you start seeing things like that, you know we're making history, because this is the first time it's ever been done, and I think that was the first time I knew this is more than just a regular rap group."

Founding member Eric Wright, better known as Eazy-E, died of complications from AIDS in 1995. The surviving members, DJ Yella, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and MC Ren, wanted to give their friend the credit he deserved for N.W.A's success.

"He had business sense, he knew the streets, he knew a lot of things ahead of itself," DJ Yella said.

"He knew what people wanted," Ice Cube added. "He was a marketing genius. Our whole flavor and style was honed in by Easy."

Over the years, the relationships among the members of N.W.A have been anything but easy.

"Unfortunately money, ego, some of that stuff broke us up, but we were always trying to find our way back together, and we are good friends now," Ice Cube said.

Looking back on the past three decades, Ice Cube admits that the racial tensions he experienced and wrote about as a teenager haven't necessarily gotten better.

"That's the real lesson for all of us to figure out why, why it hasn't changed. Let's do something about it," he said.

Jason Mitchell, Corey Hawkins and O'Shea Jackson, Jr., Ice Cube's son, star in the N.W.A biopic. It hits theaters on Friday.