N.W.A - Straight Outta Compton - Narrative Theories

N.W.A was an American hip hop group from Compton, California. It was one of the earliest and most significant popularizers of the gangsta rap and West Coast hip hop subgenres, and is widely considered one of the seminal groups in the history of hip hop music. Active from 1986 to 1991, the rap group endured controversy owing to their music's explicit lyrics that many viewed as being disrespectful of women, as well as its glorification of drugs and crime.

Looking into their video 'Straight Outta Compton' I connected the videos themes with narrative theories.

The music video shows a non-linear narrative as the story is fragmented between the linear storyline, shots of the group rapping directed at the camera and shots of their hometown Compton. The story follows the story of the 'gang' having troubles with the police and eventually getting arrested. The ending is open, because it is not known what they did to get themselves in jail, or if they got out. This creates an enigma code (Roland Bathes) as their is a sense of mystery.

The video connects with Claude Levi Strauss' narrative theory of oppositions. Their is an obvious conflict between the the gang and the police. This could be seen as good vs. evil, but the video subvert the expected representation of cops by making them see like the bad ones; their enemy. 

The shot of the policewoman holing a gun against his head creates the sense that the law is more powerful. However, even after they are arrested, it cuts back to shots of the group before on walking down the streets. The song suggests that Compton is their city and that they have power. The slight low angle shot of the gang presents them to intimidate the audience. 

Connecting to Roland Bathes 5 narrative codes, there is a symbolic code from the flames as them being represented as resilient and dangerous.

The cultural code is also fulfilled as they match the known stereotype of an all black gang of 'thugs', that they are a danger to society. The video depends on the knowledge of the criminal lives the members have lived.

The action code is shown when the audience is shown a stereotypically looking police man holding a baton, gun and looking at a map in his car. He is also shown to be threatening and the map suggests he is looking for them. This implies the further narrative action of encountering the police and/or running away from the police.

The semantic code is shown when a quote is shown in the shots of Compton city, in the context of the video it connotes that this is ironic and untrue. Fitting with Propp's character narrative theory, N.W.A are seen as the heroes, and the law is seen as the false hero/villain. Unlike other hip hop music videos for male artists, there is no 'princess' or female interest in the narrative. The 'princess' or goal can be seen as their freedom or ownership of the city. They appear to be territorial and defensive of their city, they represent the criminal acts that they do to be almost showing off how dangerous they can be but also what they're past was like, creating a sense of sympathy. 

Linking to Todorov's theory, there is an equilibrium of them walking in 'their' city, the disequilibrium is the disruption of this by the cops and the new equilibrium is their progress in life, this video shows their past but ultimately their success in the present time is the new equilibrium. The last part shows other people of the community throwing things at the police van, showing their power in the city.