Jerry Heller Quotes in Straight Outta Compton (2015)

Jerry Heller: [from trailer] What's NWA stand for, anyway? "No Whites Allowed", something like that? *chuckles*

Eazy-E: No...

[pause]

Eazy-E: Niggaz Wit' Attitudes.

Jerry Heller: [from trailer] Let me tell you what I see here: a lot of raw talent. Swagger. Bravado. People are scared of you guys. They think you're dangerous, but the world needs to hear it.

Jerry Heller: You can't come down here and harass my clients because they're black!

[Eric is upset that Jerry had embezzled money from him]

Eazy-E: Here's what's about to happen. I'm gonna get N.W.A back together. And you ain't gonna have nothing to do with it this time.

Jerry Heller: Why the fuck can you even say something like that? What the fuck is going on with you, man? I know what's good for you, I know what's good for Ruthless, and we have worked up a trust after years of hard work and that trust is our foundation, Eric. I don't give a shit.

[Eric is coughing]

Jerry Heller: [concerned] Eric? How is it man? Are you okay?

Eazy-E: Trust? Trust is a muthafucka!

Jerry Heller: Is it? May I ask you something? Eric, If what I'm doing is so illegal, how come I've never been sued? If I'm such a fucking thief, such a liar, such a motherfucker, how come nobody's ever come to collect? Because this is business. And this is how it works. And it's not always pretty, no. Do I cover my own ass? Do I cover my own end? Absolutely. But don't you dare fucking tell me that I have not taken care of you. Don't you fucking tell me that I've not had your back from day one! DAY ONE!

Eazy-E: Is this taking care of me?

Jerry Heller: Are you fucking kidding me? It's taking care of the whole fucking thing! It's business!

[repeating what he said earlier]

Jerry Heller: And this is how it works. Have I covered my end? Do I cover my ass? Absolutely. But don't you dare fucking tell me that I have not taken care of you.

Eazy-E: Is this business too?

Jerry Heller: Yes, this is business, this is how fucked up it can get. But I didn't start this! I didn't fuck it up! You did!

Eazy-E: No, you did. You're fired, Jerry.

[Eric leaves Jerry's house]

Jerry Heller: [Ice Cube enters a dimly lit room] Good to see you, Cube

Ice Cube: I can barely see you, Jerry. What's with all the Godfather shit?

Jerry Heller: [chuckles] Okay. I know that you've been very eager to sign a contract with Eric's company, Ruthless Records

[hands Cube the contract]

Ice Cube: Eric's company... ain't it your company, too?

Jerry Heller: That's incorrect. It's not my company. I work for you.

Ice Cube: You work for me?

Jerry Heller: Uh-huh. I've made that clear from the beginning

Ice Cube: All right, cool. So I can take this to a lawyer or something, right?

Jerry Heller: Cube, those guys are paid to make trouble. They're gonna create problems, where no problems exist.

Ice Cube: Jerry you know I don't know what none of this legal shit means! All right, none of us do. So we gonna need a lawyer before we sign anything.

Jerry Heller: Everybody else has already signed. I thought you knew this. You're the only one who hasn't.

[Cube shuffles through the contract, somewhat stunned]

Jerry Heller: There's also this...

[presents Cube with a check]

Jerry Heller: $75,000.

[retreats the check as Cube reaches for it]

Jerry Heller: Sign the contract, and all this money is yours.

Ice Cube: That's my money anyway, Jerry! I earned that money! Now I wrote a lot of hit songs. We've been on this tour for months, selling out shows, selling records. I know it's plenty of money!

Jerry Heller: Really?

[chuckles]

Jerry Heller: Jesus Christ.

Ice Cube: Gimme my money, Jerry.

Jerry Heller: How the hell do you think this works? How the hell do you think all of this gets paid for? The hotel rooms, the tour buses, security, the parties, all this shit. How do you think it gets paid for, you think it's free?

Ice Cube: Why are you doing this now? If we were so good, why didn't you give us contracts in the beginning?

Jerry Heller: Because nothing is a sure thing, Cube. Even a great talent can crash and burn. Too much ego, too much excess, too many expectations. It tends to ruin things. You oughta keep that in mind.

[Jerry and Cube tensely glare at each other]

Ice Cube: This Eric's company, right? Bye Jerry

[tosses contract on the table]

Ice Cube: I'm out.

[Jerry Heller pauses No Vaseline, a diss track made by Ice Cube, after hearing him being mentioned as a Jew]

Dj Yella: That's shit's kinda funny.

MC Ren: The motherfucker got us! Yo what we 'bout to do?

Jerry Heller: First thing we're gonna do, we're gonna sue this ignorant fuck. That's what we're gonna do. Defamation of character, libel, I don't really care of that anti-Semitic piece of fucking shit, who the fuck does he think he is? Unfucking believable! That kind of fucking bullshit! Jew bashing bullshit! You know what, I'll call up my friends at the J.D.L. They'll handle him, we'll see how much he likes that.

Eazy-E: Jerry, you gotta relax. Alright? Niggas don't even know what anti-Semitic means anyway, it's a fucking battle rap.

Jerry Heller: C'mon, Eric, we gotta get organised. We gotta fight this kind of ignorant fucking bullshit. You know what? I always knew he was a hateful human being. This is your ignorant shit. He calls it political? This is ignorant shit! I always knew it. Now the whole world is gonna know. I'm gonna make sure of that, okay? I don't understand why the fuck you're not more angry about this? Did you hear what he said?

Eazy-E: I heard what he said.

Jerry Heller: DID YOU HEAR WHAT HE SAID?

Eazy-E: I heard what he said!

Jerry Heller: About you? About me? Come on!

Eazy-E: You got your way of dealing with it, I got mine. We could just go to the studio and just end his fucking career anyway.

Dj Yella: I don't know about all that.

Jerry Heller: Fine. You'll do that. You call Dre and you guys go do that! Do something.

Jerry Heller: You just gotta slow down, you can't bang every broad on the planet.

Eazy-E: What, getting pussy is a problem now?

Jerry Heller: Well, look it's gonna be a problem if you've got 10,000 kids. Right? You make some money, you have all these kids, you gotta go and take care of em. It's fine... I'll help you take care of em. Hey, Cube.

Ice Cube: Sorry to interrupt y'all lobster brunch... but what's up E, where the contracts at man? You forgot about me?

Eazy-E: I'm not trying to answer this... you know what? Jerry, can you deal with this?

Ice Cube: I'm not talking to Jerry, I'm talking to you.

Eazy-E: That's Jerry's job!

Jerry Heller: You know what, that is my department, you're completely right to ask about that Cube. The contracts are being finished as we speak. The thing is, with the contracts these lawyers go through them. Pouring over it, they'll bleed us dry, but it'll get done. I wish I got paid the way they do, you know?

Ice Cube: Hmm, me too. I just wanna know what's going on since I did write a lot of the songs on this album.

Jerry Heller: Everybody knows how important you are, Cube

Ice Cube: They do?

Eazy-E: That's what's goin on.

Jerry Heller: We just need some time.

Ice Cube: Everything probably alright. I must be trippin.

[takes a sip of their champagne]

Ice Cube: Shit tastes pretty good. Maybe someday, right? Y'all enjoy your meal.

[leaves]

Jerry Heller: [chuckles] I'm tellin ya, that guy wants to be you, very freakin' badly.

Eazy-E: As if I ain't got enough fuckin' problems.

[to waiter]

Eazy-E: Excuse me, can I get another round?

Jerry Heller: [Eazy is at Jerry's pool after getting jumped by Suge and his crew, Jerry holds a gun up to his head, then retracts it upon noticing Eazy] Oh, Jesus Eric, you scared me. You okay?

Eazy-E: I gotta kill this motherfucker Suge Knight. I just wanted to come over and tell you first cause, shit might get a lil' thick.

Jerry Heller: No, no I'm not gonna let you do that.

Eazy-E: I didn't come over here to ask for your permission, I came to let you know! You wanna come and get involved in this gangster shit, well, here we go.

Jerry Heller: No Eric, you're not in Compton anymore. Just in case ya haven't looked around, drop that shit, okay? We don't hit back with guns, we hit back with lawyers, that's what gets em'.

Eazy-E: You think I got a fuckin choice?

[points]

Eazy-E: Look at my face!

[Eazy's nose was bloodied]

Eazy-E: It ain't about the money, Jerry! I don't care about that, this is bigger than all of that...

Jerry Heller: No that's ridiculous, and you should fuckin' care about the money. You're so much smarter than these fuckin' thugs... if you kill this man, his problems will be over, and yours will just be beginning.

Eazy-E: Why do I gotta be the bigger man?

Jerry Heller: Because it's better than you being a dead man. I don't want you fuckin' dead.

Eazy-E: [monologue plays of Cube recording "The Nigga Ya Love To Hate" off his hit record, "AmeriKKKas' Most Wanted" and Dre nodding his head to it as he drives into Eazy's Wild n' Wet Party]

[concerned]

Eazy-E: You know Cube's record is in the Top 20 Billboard right now? Our shit never been up there. He blowin the fuck up, Jerry.

Jerry Heller: It's gonna be fine, Eric. It's not just N.W.A anymore, it's our whole Ruthless roster. We got D.O.C., we got Michel'le, we got Above The Law, we're moving up to the next level. You know what, sit down for two seconds.

Eazy-E: Look, we need to keep Dre happy

Jerry Heller: Yeah. Look at him, you think he needs any more motivation than that?

Eazy-E: I mean, I get it Jerry. He drownin in pussy and shit, but that don't mean that he...

Jerry Heller: You-you worry too much. Stop okay?

Eazy-E: Yeah, all right.

Jerry Heller: Here, sign some checks.

Eazy-E: Right now, Jerry? Oh c'mon!

Jerry Heller: Yes, right now, you're gonna be outta your mind later, do it now. Y'know, the fact is Ren is as good of a writer as Cube, maybe even better. They got everything covered.

[points to contract]

Jerry Heller: Just the last one. Okay?

Eazy-E: Yeah. We finished here, Jerry?

Jerry Heller: We're finished.

Eazy-E: Good. I'm about to go fuck.

[sighs]

Eazy-E: All right?

Jerry Heller: Yeah.

[cut to monologue of Suge approaching Dr. Dre & D.O.C and briefly conversating while glaring at Jerry, much to Jerry's concern & disdain]