Ice Cube Responds To Lyric Annotations Of His Hit Songs (Video)

With Straight Outta Compton‘s theatrical release date only a few days away, much attention has been paid to N.W.A. and their legacy, and now the film’s title inspiration is being addressed by Ice Cube. On a video feature for Vanity Fair magazine’s website, the founding member of the historic rap group responded to “Straight Outta Compton”s lyrical analysis on Rap Genius, the website devoted to demystifying Hip-Hop lyrics and the references, meanings, and inspirations behind their content.

In the video, Cube breaks down the song word for word, lifting direct quotes from contributors who chimed in with their own interpretations of the song’s lyrics, which apparently aren’t always correct. The concept behind the video brings forth the idea of artistic expression and the lenses outside parties use to interpret the words of someone else. While a lot of lyrical content is straightforward, it is interesting to ponder whether one can truly ever really know what an MC is conceptualizing when putting pen to paper.

Related: N.W.A. Discusses The Authenticity Of “Straight Outta Compton” With Fab 5 Freddy (Video)