What do you think? From what the film represents, it seems he's more good than bad, but I'm a little unclear how much he actually ripped them off or not.
www.caesarandotto.com
there is some info here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Heller
sharewikipedia is not a reliable source.
shareConsidering Ice Cube and Eazy-E's widow were producers of the film, I'm surprised Heller's portrayal was so ambiguous. Maybe they didn't want to offend (((The Academy)))
edit: Well I guess Heller didn't think it was so ambiguous. I just read on the wiki that he sued because of the film, lol
Heller understood the industry, and Eric Wright kind of understood it.
The other guys had no clue how it worked and assumed they were being taken for a ride.
Typical small record label owner dealing with a music group. When you have a music group, somebody is always going to feel like they're getting shafted.
shareYou might want to read Heller's history..he was anything but small time. He was a big time promoter who was behind the biggest acts of the 70's and 80's and he realized Hip Hop and Rap was going to be big. He got Ruthless Records going and it was bringing in 120 MILLION A YEAR. Made them all millionaires.
You can dump on him all you want but NWA and the others owe him for what he did. He made them rich and famous. The lawsuit will tell quite a bit as it is going to require "discovery" and that means records have to be shown....financial records.
He made the comment that the rappers didn't get people had to be paid and producers ain't cheap. Neither is record production, advertising, touring, etc. They thought when it said ten million a month they were supposed to get every dime.
Ice ain't doing nothing but making money hand over fist and livin' large. Same with the others.
This lawsuit should be very interesting.
They who give up liberty to
obtain a temporary safety deserve
neither liberty or safety
Yeah, that's pretty much what I read into it. Jerry knew the industry and the group didn't. You see throughout the film Jerry trying to 'manage' the expectations of the group, but, in the end, they just did whatever they wanted to do, and it cost them dearly.
He didn't come off to me as someone trying to take advantage of the group, more that the group were naive about the industry, and about business generally.
I was wondering who could (if there's any) be considered the primary villain or antagonist in this? Part of me thinks it's suppose to be Jerry Heller. Another part naturally points to Suge Knight. And the third, most broad one would be the LAPD.
shareI don't think there really was a villain here. The police didn't antagonize their mission more than they helped them further their music. Heller didn't really antagonize them either and Knight was more of a character that they just portrayed as someone who opposed Dre, but he didn't stop the cause.
If you're not taking any steps forward, you're not moving at all.
Suge was definitely portrayed as the villain in this film.
shareUnknown group signs away most of their rights and money in order to get famous - once they're famous they get better attorney's and get out of it.
You can see it happening with boy bands, with Ke$ha, Tom Petty, Prince - they've all had issues at one time.
Money guys see it as a way to break even because they back a bunch of groups that never go anywhere. Musicians will do ANYTHING to get famous but once they're there they aren't as amiable.
He gave Easy E advice about not retaliating against Sugar and his goons, and almost certainly saved his life/kept him out of jail.
So he was a 'good guy' there.
When darkness overcomes the heart, Lil' Slugger appears...