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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.
The first thing that hits you is his suit. It is immaculate. So well cut, it could be painted on. As he rises to greet his guests, his shoes catch the eye. They accompany the suit well, perfectly in fact. They’re just simple black brogues – nothing too flashy, nothing too ostentatious. Ozwald Boateng is a man who seems to keep things simple. That is until you look beneath the surface to realise why he’s one of the most successful male designers Britain has ever produced, a bona fide cultural icon and a bloody nice bloke to boot.