Ice Cube's ESPN "30 for 30" Raiders documentary

The rap legend Ice Cube's first documentary, entitled "Straight Outta L.A." is for the sports channel, ESPN. Its 30 for 30 documentary series features 30 films from "some of today’s finest storytellers" sharing their personal sports memories from 1979 to 2009.

When you think of Ice Cube you think of N.W.A., Compton and the infamous "F@#k the police" tune! But, don't forget the Los Angeles rap uniform from that period - the black and white logo of a face, eye patch and swords: (Oakland) Raiders!

"Their image and that persona in a lot of ways changed the trajectory of hip hop...not saying that the reason we did hardcore music was because of the Raiders...by no means...the music was going to come, but the imagery wouldn't have...galvanized as much without the black...wearing the Raider colors, showing we were the Raiders of hip hop!" Ice Cube

"Straight Outta L.A." premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and debuts tomorrow night on ESPN, but if you miss it it's on nine times this summer. Check out the schedule here.

Join the dots The L.A. Weekly interviewed Ice Cube this month, here's a lil' snippet:

"From Compton teenager busing to Taft High in Woodland Hills by day and gangbanging by night, to his days with N.W.A, Cube's Raiders cap was a constant, and when Straight Outta Compton went platinum and tours through the hood were broadcast to the suburbs via MTV, a kind of thematic synchronicity between the gangsta lifestyle and the Raiders brand was broadcast with them, to audiences far outside L.A.

In Cube's subjective memoir, the romance between the team and the increasingly pop stars could only last so long. He's defensive but straightforward in dealing with the perception that the ensuing "gangsterfication" of the Raiders scene — increased violence at games, the banning of Raiders gear in L.A. public schools for its supposed criminal connotations — may have hastened the team's departure."