Photo Credit: YouTube After polishing his organic skills, O’Shea Jackson, Jr, has earned the opportunity to portray his father, Ice Cube, in the upcoming  N.W.A. biopic, Straight Outta Compton. Following intensive years of studying the art of acting with some of Hollywood’s top acting coaches, like Aaron Speiser who taught Will Smith, Susan Batson who helped to shape Nicole Kidman, and Dustin Felder who’s been entrusted to help mold Will Smith’s children’s acting chops, O’Shea’s cultivated talent will début on the silver screen on August 14. Thankful to have been raised by his dedicated parents who he describes as “an unstoppable force,” and ever-aware of God’s enduring Grace, the rapper who’s christened himself as OMG, is about to get this movie money. Although many people immediately associate him with his father’s iconic legacy, O’Shea, Jr., has experienced a reinvigorated passion for his music. He is dedicated to sharing credible lyrics that reflect his life’s journey. These are his words: In the past, Hip-Hop biopics like Notorious and 8 Mile have grossed millions of dollars and helped to reinforce and launch careers; given that you’re an emerging artist –  Oh My Goodness, and the son of a legendary lyricist – what really motivated you to audition for this role? It’s my family’s legacy. When my father presented the role to me there wasn’t even a script yet. He knew that I hadn’t acted in anything before, and I needed the time to get my [acting] chops right. So, he told me about it. I’m not going to act like I jumped on it the first go. When you’ve never been in a movie and you hear that a studio like Universal is getting behind it – they make classics; hits upon hits – they’re not going to give somebody a role due to nepotism. Of course, [F.] Gary [Gray] might be a family friend, and they go way back. He’s a big-time director and he’s not going to put his name on something that he feels is not up to par. It’s intimidating at first –like on the first two days—but then I thought of myself in a movie theater and watching someone else portray my father and me not being happy with it. That thought nauseated me. I had to take it in and really put the ball in my hands, because this is cementing my father’s and cementing my family’s legacy forever. This film will stand the test of time. My family needed for me to get this role and to make it work… [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJWrTwo7XyE&w=420&h=315] For the film, throughout the time you’ve invested into character research— [laughs] Over 20 years of character research— [laughs] Come on, cutty. Delving into the research, is there anything that you discovered about N.W.A. or your father that gave you’re a better appreciation for who they are as a group, or who your father is as a man? Most of my research was to see how he acted with them. He was the young guy in the group. I know my dad as the team captain. He’s always been that leader. In N.W.A. Eazy was the leader, and my dad was the young guy. So, I was really trying to study him acting around them. It’s the same way he’s been acting. He’s still joking around and always has control of the room. So, that’s just him. And on stage he was the hypest one. He always got control of the crowd. That’s just how he is; he’s always been the same. I was trying to knock out some of the things that I say on a day to day basis. Getting some of the ‘80’s L.A. lingo with the ‘you know what I’m sayin’,’ and the ‘mark a####;’ I had to make sure that I had that down pat. Those were the things that I would do research on. My father was very open with me; he’s always told me these stories. The thing that I took from it that I didn’t know was when he left N.W.A. he didn’t just know he was going to go solo. It wasn’t like, ‘F**k y’all, I’m about to go do this!’ He didn’t know what he was going to do. He didn’t have a plan. He didn’t have a strategy of where is going to be his next move. He saw a situation that wasn’t right, and ‘Whether or I’m with my friends. Whether or not I’m on the top of the world right now, I gotta go; because, it’s not right.’ That speaks so much to his character. He was like 18 or 19 when he did that. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvRc7pwnt0U&w=420&h=315] Most 18 and 19 year-olds that I know would have just bit the bullet and just kept it rolling. It spoke to him in a different way. If he stayed in a situation that wasn’t right he couldn’t see himself as a complete man. That’s something that I really had to step back and look at. That just shows that no matter what year it is, before me, during me, he’s always been the same guy. He’s always stood on his own two feet. He’s always been confident in what he’s been doing. Even if he didn’t know what he was doing. That’s what I took from the movie. As a rapper, what are your thoughts on emerging artists who use ghostwriters on their début album or début mixtape? Personally, I feel that – it’s different when it’s a hook or bridge – but, when it comes to your verse it’s supposed to be from you. That’s supposed to come from you sitting at the table pulling out your hair; it’s you. I’m not going to speak for other artists – but I know that right then and there – when you first hear that beat, that natural high that the beat gives you can write a full verse. That’s what I expect when I hear a song. I’m expecting to hear your hard work, your frustrations, your writer’s block, your coolness or your […]