Straight Outta Compton Page #2

VERNA:

Fifty dollars? Damn, you a

billionaire!

-- THROWS it back at his chest.

DRE:

It’s a start --

6.

VERNA:

Andre, you know the rules around

here. In this house, you gonna work

or go to school. I don’t care if

you gonna be a janitor --

DRE:

-- long as I own the company. Yeah,

I know.

Dre fumes, gather the bills off the floor, heads for the

kitchen -

VERNA:

But you don’t own the company.

Lonzo does.

-- but Verna stays hot on his heels -

VERNA (CONT’D)

Oh, you think we’re done here?

Dre keeps going, MUTTERS under his breath -- She grabs his

shoulder, SPINS him around, strong. Gets in his face.

VERNA (CONT’D)

You got somethin’ to say to me!?

DRE:

(explodes)

You don’t care what I’m fighting

for.

I already know what I wanna do with my life, and it

definitely ain’t sittin in a cubicle takin’ orders on some

stupid ass job.

Verna’s eyes FLASH -- WHAP! She SLAPS HIM IN THE FACE --

Dre steps back, puts his hand to his cheek. Verna’s reeling

as much as he is. She tries to compose herself.

VERNA:

People used to tell me I was too

young when I had you -- Said I

wouldn’t be sh*t, said you wouldn’t

be sh*t. Now I been workin’ my ass

off to get us here and I refuse to

let you throw it all away.

Dre holds Verna’s gaze a moment longer, then turns and calmly

walks back past her, into his room. He picks up his

headphones, pull-out car stereo. Heads for the door, opens

it...

7.

VERNA (CONT’D)

(regret)

Andre --

But he’s already closed the door behind him.

5 INT./EXT. VERNA’S HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - DAY 5

Dre bounds over to a battered BLUE & WHITE DATSUN B-210

parked in the DRIVEWAY, regret settling in. He looks up to

see Tyree ambling closer, carrying a bundle of errantly-

selected clothes, a crate of records.

TYREE:

Grabbed some of your stuff, man.

DRE:

Good lookin’ out.

Dre takes the clothes. Tosses them in the back.

TYREE:

When you comin’ back?

DRE:

I don’t know. Gotta figure some

things out.

TYREE:

Can I come with you?

DRE:

You been fightin’ for your own room

this whole time and now you wanna

come with me?

They share a CHUCKLE. Then -

TYREE:

You know she’s just want the best

for you.

DRE:

I know, T. I want the best for me

too -- that's way I gotta go.

Him and Dre have special brother-to-brother embrace. Then Dre

hops into his car.

DRE (CONT’D)

When I get set up right, I'mma have

you come with me. Don't worry about

it. It's gonna be sooner then you

think.

8.

Tyree sullenly nods.

Dre triggers the ignition, MUSIC BLASTING, and PEELS away -

DRE (CONT’D)

Call you later.

6 INT./EXT. DRE’S CAR - COMPTON - MINUTES LATER 6

Dre rolls along in that ugly-ass Datsun. It’s still early,

but the STREETS are starting to FILL UP. Dudes in doorways,

on the corners, clocking him as he passes. An LA SHERIFF’S

DEPT. SQUAD CAR slides past, disappears around a corner.

WE HEAR a HELICOPTER SOUND, as WE GO WIDE -

7 EXT. LOS ANGELES - WAY UP IN THE SKY - DAY 7

Flying high over the city, it’s quiet up here, only the sound

of WIND. BELOW, we see the tight grids of SOUTH LOS ANGELES,

and the densely-packed TRAFFIC heading north along the 110

FREEWAY, as it angles toward the SKYSCRAPERS of DOWNTOWN L.A.

We move NORTH and there’s DODGER STADIUM plunked at the

southern tip of ELYSIAN PARK, and the LA RIVER twisting

snakelike up into GRIFFITH PARK -

And NORTHWEST past the mountains of Griffith, descending into

the VALLEY, where we suddenly DIVE DOWN into WOODLAND HILLS

and settle upon the low-slung sprawl of -

8 INT./EXT. YELLOW BUS - TAFT HIGH SCHOOL - DAY 8

We track backward through a school bus full of STUDENTS.

Almost exclusively black and Latino kids. Late 80’s fashions.

All the way in the BACK ROW we settle on O’SHEA JACKSON, who

we now know as --

SUPERIMPOSE:
O’SHEA JACKSON AKA ICE CUBE

Raiders cap pulled low over a shoulder-length Jheri curl.

Hunched over, wearing a soon-to-be-iconic FROWN of

concentration, he SCRIBBLES LYRICS into a NOTEBOOK:

“BORED AS HELL AND I WANNA GET ILL. SO I WENT TO THE SPOT

WHERE MY HOMEBOYS CHILL --”

The ROAR of a powerful sports car snaps Cube’s concentration.

He gazes out the school bus window to see that -

In stark contrast to those on the bus, just beyond the glass

is a sea of WHITE STUDENTS. They hang out, shoot the sh*t in

their nice clothes, hop into their nice cars. It’s a club

that Cube isn’t a part of and it’s clear that he can feel it.

9.

He frowns, looks back down at his notebook as the bus pulls

away from Taft High...

9 INT./EXT. YELLOW BUS - LATER 9

The BUS cruises Southbound on Crenshaw. And compared to the

Valley, it looks like BEIRUT out there: Graffiti tags, liquor

stores everywhere, boarded-up shops, DUDES loitering,

drinking, slanging. Crip throws a rock and hits the bus.

FIND CUBE sitting halfway back, still doing his thing,

writing rhymes, minding his own.

NEAR HIM, a few KIDS goof around, flash GANG SIGNS out the

window at the passing CARS, PEDESTRIANS, not noticing -

A10 INT./EXT. TRUCK - CONTINUOUS A10

Pulling out of a side street onto Crenshaw, we see two hard-

looking O.G. BLOODS. As the bus passes, they CLOCK THE KIDS

flashing SIGNS. They can't believe it. Driver Grits his

teeth. SPEEDS OUT after the bus -

10 INT./EXT. YELLOW BUS - MOMENTS LATER 10

The bus rolls to a stop. Before any KIDS can get off -- the

O.G. Bloods' truck pulls in front of the bus, blocking the

road. Passenger hops out.

Noticing, the BUS DRIVER goes to shut the doors, but he’s too

late -- O.G. Blood gets on, strides past the BUS DRIVER --

glock 9mm in hand.

BUS DRIVER:

Hey what's going on? --

O.G. BLOOD

Shut the f*** up, Blood!

(Addresses the whole bus)

You young muthafuckas wanna die

today?!

Everyone on the bus falls SILENT. By the shocked expression

on the kids’ faces, they have no clue how or if they’re gonna

get out of this alive.

O.G. BLOOD (CONT’D)

HUH!?

He makes his way back to the WANNABE KIDS near the

expressionless Cube. Sensing sh*t is about to jump off, Cube

slowly reaches for the WINDOW next to him, starts SLIDING IT

OPEN. He edges closer to the window, grabs his NOTEBOOK,

fully prepared to jump the f*** out that window.

10.

O.G. BLOOD (CONT’D)

You little Crab ass niggas could've

got this whole bus shot the f***

up! We saw that bullshit you was

throwing up out the window! Hit me

up now!

WANNABE KID 1

Didn’t mean nothin’ by it -- just

playing around.

O.G. BLOOD

That's yo muthafuckin problem,

Blood! This sh*t ain't nuthin' ta

play wit! It's real in the field,

nigga! Sh*t’s life and death! I

kill Crips for breakfast, Blood! So

keep yo' mothafuckin hand down when

you see me, Understand?!

WANNABE KID 1

Yes.

The O.G. Blood looks over his shoulder, scowls at all the

terrified faces staring back at him.

O.G. BLOOD

What you little muthafuckas need to

do is start gangbang them got damn

books! Learn some sh*t better then

what we doing! If not, I might be

the one that kill yo' dumb ass!

Remember me! This that Crenshaw

Mafia, Blood!

And with that, the O.G. Blood tucks his gun, and calmly exits

the bus -- leaving behind the stunned kids.

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