![]() ![]() Though certainly not as sensationalistic, Singleton’s most notable film played a role in Compton’s cultural importance. Unlike N.W.A, John Singleton undoubtedly imbued “Boyz ‘N the Hood” with political meaning. Compton’s image both marshaled attention to the ills of urban America while nihilistically celebrating them. was Compton and Compton was young Black America. issued its now legendary letter of warning to the West Coast group, it not only unwittingly boosted album sales, it sent a clear message: N.W.A. carried greater immediacy in terms of ideology - the hyperrealism of Ice Cube and others did not traffic in nuance or nationalism, and accessibility. In this way, the Compton based rap of N.W.A. youth: mobile DJ parties located in places like middle schools and skating rinks. Dre, and Easy E became veritable political statements Compton served as a character as much as a setting.Īs Felicia Viator, history lecturer at San Francisco State, noted at March’s Whitsett symposium, Dre, Cube, and influential KDAY DJ Greg Mack employed a stripped down approach to getting their sound out, using a method that more directly engaged L.A. As hip hop historian Jeff Chang points out in his book “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip Hop Generation,” “excess was the essence of NWA’s appeal.” 2 Yet despite themselves, cultural productions emanating from Cube, Dr. Granted, the group’s music often seemed apolitical - they hyped pushers, played women, murdered foes and shot police. The shock and violence that drew fans - of all races - also repulsed others. and movies like “Boyz ‘N the Hood” played pivotal roles in this development.Ĭlearly, N.W.A. Times described it insultingly “as an experiment in Negro self -government.” 1Īs the 1980s concluded and the 1990s began, Compton found itself as the metaphorical and literal home of West Coast gangsta rap and the archetype for urban struggles nationally. Even then, local institutions like the L.A. Although African Americans have been a presence in the city since the 1940s when whites began to move out and the typical process of “white flight” unfolded, it wasn’t until the late 1960s when they finally achieved political dominance. 100 Miles and Runnin’ - Shedding Light on Inner City StrugglesĬompton’s place at the center of late twentieth century Black life did not come easily. Though Compton’s shift parallels similar changes in much larger cities like Chicago over the past two decades, few locales have encapsulated the increasing importance of Brown and Black faces in American pop culture and municipal politics. By 2012, Compton’s now majority Latino population demanded greater political representation on the city’s all-Black city council. From the late 1980s to the present, Compton’s Latino population skyrocketed, while its Black population declined between 19, Latinos experienced a 131% increase while the city’s black population declined by 21%. While Compton assumed the position of Black pop culture epicenter, its actual demographics demonstrated a political and racial shift that would become central to national and municipal politics. Yet, this vision of Compton only gets so much right. Though tonally distinct from N.W.A., Kendrick Lamar’s new album “good kid, m.A.A.d city”, frequently references the famous suburb as both source of pride: “Ain’t no city quite like mine/In the city of Compton/ain’t no city quite like mine” (“Compton”) and trauma: “Dope on the corner/look at the coroner/daughter is dead/mother mourning her” (“Dying of Thirst”). Within this constellation, Compton, CA, served as ground zero - the modern exemplar of urban Black life.Įven today, despite a very different demographic and political reality, this image of Compton persists. One might also point to 1988 when Ice Cube, along with fellow members of West coast rap group N.W.A., released Straight Outta Compton, an album that redefined rap and brought the troubled inner city of the late 1980s and early 1990s to popular attention. The oddly white cowboy/oil baron/aristocratic obsessed 1980s (See: Dallas, Dynasty, The Dukes of Hazard, Garth Brooks, and the list goes on) gave way to one of the most deeply effective cultural influences of the past thirty years. When Ice Cube took his star turn as Compton roughneck Doughboy in John Singleton’s “Boyz N’ the Hood,” few people realized the sea change in popular culture that had already begun to unfold. Photo by kagemusha110 used under a Creative Commons license. Eazy-E with trademark “Compton” cap as street art in Australia. ![]()
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