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Violent 'Straight Outta Compton' isn't the real Compton, mayor says

For Compton officials, the buzz over the much-anticipated movie “Straight Outta Compton” brought pride but also a bit of anxiety.

They liked the idea of their city being recognized as a birthplace of such a popular musical form. But some worried that viewers might confuse the violent, blighted 1980s city portrayed in the movie with the city of today, where crime is down and a revitalization is underway.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned,” Compton Mayor Aja Brown said a few weeks before the movie's opening this week.

Amid the heavy marketing of the movie, Brown and others in Compton have been doing some counter-marketing of their own.