'Straight Outta Compton': Who's Playing Who in the N.W.A. Biopic?

N.W.A. members Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, DJ Yella and MC Ren are finally getting the biopic treatment, along with some of their famous friends and rivals from the early West Coast rap scene. Meet nine music icons featured in the film, and the actors who are playing them.

Who’s Ice Cube? One of N.W.A.’s founding members. The accomplished rapper has gone on to star in, write and produce a number of hit movies (‘Barbershop,’ ‘Friday’), and even directed a few.
Who’s the actor? Ice Cube’s son, who is making his acting debut.

Who’s Dr. Dre? One of N.W.A.’s founding members. The accomplished solo artist and music producer cofounded Death Row Records in 1991, and in 2014 sold his Beats headphones company to Apple for $3 billion.
Who’s the actor? Most recently, Hawkins starred alongside Orlando Bloom in a Broadway production of ‘Romeo & Juliet,’ and had a role in ‘Non-Stop.’

Who’s Eazy-E? Affectionately called “The Godfather of Gangsta Rap,” he was one of N.W.A.’s founding members and cofounded Ruthless Records with manager Jerry Heller. He died in 1995 after being diagnosed with AIDS.
Who’s the actor? This relative newcomer only has a few small roles under his belt in the movies ‘Texas Killing Fields,’ ‘Contraband’ and ‘Broken City.’

Who’s DJ Yella? An N.W.A. founding member who also helped produce all three of the group’s albums, and then left music in the mid ‘90s to produce pornography.
Who’s the actor? Although he has dozens of TV and film credits to his name, Brown has yet to break out as a leading man. ‘Battle Los Angeles,’ ‘The Walking Dead’ and ‘NCIS’ are all on his resume.

Who’s MC Ren? This rapper was signed to Ruthless Records before joining N.W.A. for their first studio album, ‘Straight Outta Compton.’ He went on to release four studio albums and founded his own record company, Villain Entertainment.
Who’s the actor? TV watchers will recognize Hodge from ‘Leverage,’ ‘Friday Night Lights’ and ‘Turn.’

Who’s Suge Knight? He convinced Dr. Dre to ditch Eazy-E’s Ruthless Records to cofound Death Row Records, which was responsible for the careers of Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg.
Who’s the actor? A stunt man and an actor with small parts in TV shows including ‘The Following’ and ‘The Blacklist.’

Who’s Jerry Heller? A successful music executive and manager who cofounded Ruthless Records and oversaw Eazy-E’s career, as well as N.W.A.’s before they split in 1991.
Who’s the actor? Audiences will recognize this Oscar nominee from dramas including ‘Sideways,’ the miniseries ’John Adams’ and ’12 Years a Slave,’ as well as ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2.’

Who’s Snoop Dogg? Dr. Dre’s protégé, whose big break came by being featured on Dre’s debut solo album, ‘The Chronic,’ and who then went platinum with his own Death Row Records debut, ‘Doggystyle.’

Who’s the actor? This rising star broke out in 2013 thanks to ‘Short Term 12,’ and was last seen in ‘Selma’ and ‘Dope.’

Who’s Warren G? This West Coast rapper grew up with Snoop Dogg, and is Dr. Dre’s half brother. He helped out on Dre’s debut album, and went on to produce 2Pac before releasing his first hit single, "Regulate," in 1994.
Who’s the actor? ‘Straight Outta Compton’ marks this newcomer’s biggest project to date.