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Sometimes the hardest thing to do when you look back at a unique situation is to assess its true impact. It is possible to mould the evidence to fit in with whatever narrative you ultimately choose.
Such is the case with the L.A. Riots of 1992: you either believe it was a turning point in the ever-evolving civil rights movement or merely a dark spot in American history where the opportunistic underclass exercised some "aggressive shopping." You can argue either way because you can cherry pick flash points to illuminate your point. The truth is, to view it either way would be simplistic at best because it indeed had elements of both.
Conservative radio host and right-wing firebrand
Rush Limbaugh bluntly said that "the Los Angeles riots were not caused by the
Rodney King verdict. The Los Angeles riots were caused by rioters," thereby removing any possible justification for the senseless acts. While many called the riots a means of "fighting back" against an oppressive system, how much was motivated by the actual Rodney King verdict? How much was motivated by chaos and opportunism? How much has changed since?
There are mixed answers to these questions, and
Mark Ford’s incendiary new VHI documentary film
Uprising: Hip-Hop and the LA riots merely flirts with them.
No art form or genre has ever had to justify its very existence the way hip hop does. Whether it is the various accusations levelled at it as having negative effect on society, or the broad generalisations that question its very validity as an art form, it remains a source of huge debate from its very inception. It was always viewed as the new brash kid in school who always has to justify himself.
Well, this kid grew up and has become a force and is becoming harder to ignore as perhaps the voice of the 21st century. This is, of course, amazing considering where it all started. And this is what Ice-T's new documentary Something From Nothing: The Art Of Rap attempts to tackle.
Ever wondered how A Tribe Called Quest got together? Or, what Phife was talking about in Electric Relaxation when he dropped the line "buss off on your couch, now you got Seaman's Furniture" ? Or even why everything fell apart after Beats, Rhymes & Life? Well Michael Rapaport takes us on a journey through the world of Ali Shaheed, Q-Tip, Jarobi & Phife Dawg from the beginning, middle & to what could be seen as the end. Full of content, context and opinions, this is perfect for any music lover who wonders what made and soon led to break A Tribe Called Quest.
Here is Jigga man himself talking about how his style of rapping has evolved over the years. Jay refers to his musical evolution and talks of some the events that shaped it and his younger days in Marcy Projects, in the video which also features on Jay-Z's official Decoded iPhone app. [Make that money Jay!] 
The story of dubstep has been caught and written in silver on screen in a documentary just released by the SRK team. 
An interesting documentary I just stumbled across: Originally aired on the BBC in 2004,