Straight Outta Compton, the sensational biopic that tells the story of the members of N.W.A., has been nominated for an Oscar. Those who felt some type of way about the lack of nominations for the movie at the Golden Globes—Jamie Foxx, we’re looking at you—can let out a sigh of relief. But not just yet.
SOC was nominated for Best Original Screenplay. The two writers responsible for the screenplay are Andrea Berloff and Jonathan Herman. Both are white.
The Academy failed to give SOC a nomination for Best Picture, despite the wild amount of success the film has seen. In total, SOC grossed $200.4 million, which made it the highest grossing music biopic of all time—more than Walk the Line. It’s also the highest grossing film with a black director in America. Moreover, it showcased phenomenal acting on behalf of O’Shea Jackson Jr. as Ice Cube, Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E, Corey Hawkins as Dr. Dre, Aldis Hodge as MC Ren and more. Its release was one of the biggest moments in pop culture last year.
And yet, the Academy gave zero nominations to any of the main actors and withheld any other nominations other than Best Original Screenplay. Some think the nom for BOS is a half-hearted attempt by the Academy to save face and make sure they don’t come off as racist. Others are happy to hear SOC is finally getting some recognition.
The Oscars, hosted by Chris Rock, will air on Sunday, February 28. What do you think of SOC’s nomination? Tell us in the comments section below and watch O’Shea’s speech at VH1’s Big in 2015 With Entertainment Weekly event in the clip below.