TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Will Packer was a student at Florida A&M University when the group N.W.A. polarized the nation with gritty street stories and in-your-face lyrics.
From the East Coast to the West Coast, fans loved them. Packer did, too, popping cassette tapes and bobbing his head to songs like “Straight Outta Compton,” “Express Yourself” and “(Bleep) the Police.”
Dubbed as the world’s Most Dangerous Group, N.W.A. was feared by mainstream America. The media, FBI and local law enforcement viewed the group with suspicion. As N.W.A’s popularity grew, so did calls to censor lyrics laced with gang violence and misogyny.
Two decades and over a dozen films later, Packer is part of the story. A rags-to-rap riches story.
The 1996 FAMU graduate, entrepreneur and filmmaker is one of the executive producers for “Straight Outta Compton” — a critical and commercial hit that raked in $60.2 million in its opening weekend, earning more than twice what it cost to produce on the way to becoming the fifth-highest August opener in history.
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