The NWA rapper YG auditioned to play in ‘Straight Outta Compton’
YG had established himself as a rapper with the release of his debut album My Krazy Life in 2014, but he wasn’t satisfied with only that. He held dreams of making it as an actor, too, and there was one particular role that he had his eye on.
The cast was being considered for the NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton as early as 2010, but, by 2014, the production was really progressing. Open casting calls were issued in California, Atlanta and Chicago for that March, and the buzz surrounding the film kicked up a gear.
One person with his eye on these developments was YG, who was still in the middle of promoting My Krazy Life. But he’d identified a role in Straight Outta Compton that he wanted.
“I just auditioned for the NWA movie as MC Ren,” he told the LA Times on March 18. “Hopefully I’ll get that.”
YG had already dipped his toes into the acting world by this point in time, having appeared in the 2012 films We The Party and Mac & Devin Go to High School. But his acting credentials weren’t extensive, by any means.
Still, there was a logic to him appearing in Straight Outta Compton. He was a Compton man himself, not to mention the fact that he was establishing himself as a gangsta rapper in the vein of NWA. On paper, he was potentially a good choice to appear in the film.
Of everyone in the legendary group, MC Ren seemed the most natural fit for YG to play. “They felt like I fit his look and all that, and I’m from Compton so it’s in my blood,” YG claimed. “They’re trying to get real people from LA and Compton.”
The way he spoke about it, it seemed like YG was quietly confident of securing the role. “It’s definitely the next stage of everything,” he said of how 2014 was shaping up, in light of his audition. “This year is going to be a good year.”
YG didn’t get the part, of course. Aldis Hodge was confirmed to play Ren in July that year, while YG’s acting credits remain modest to this day.