In addition to producing Straight Outta Compton, Dr. Dre also served as a technical advisor on the film. The job included teaching the basics of DJing to actor Corey Hawkins, who portrayed Dre in the biopic.
In a bonus featurette that’s included in the Blu-ray/DVD, which arrives January 19, Hawkins is shown taking a DJ crash course from Dre himself.
“The fact that we’re using new talented black artists is very important,” Dre says in the clip. “Opening the door for new guys that have this type of talent. We didn’t want to go out and get the typical black actors who are out there doing their thing. It would have made it feel funny — and possibly a little fake.”
Although DJ Jazzy Jeff provided scratch overdubs, Hawkins was responsible for making the scenes look as realistic as possible, and that required practice.
“Corey is from Juilliard [acting school] — I don’t think they teach you how to mix and scratch at Juilliard,” director F. Gary Gray said. “We had to really make sure that when he was on the wheels, it felt real.”
Watch the two-minute video below, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly.
Related: Meet the Producer Who Left N.W.A Weeks Before ‘Straight Outta Compton’
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