ABSTRACT
During the summer of 1992, it seemed as though hip-hop music and culture were on trial, as black youth culture was under indictment for a series of incidents, including the so-called L. A. Riots. While hip-hop was not directly implicated in the insurrections that occurred in the aftermath of the acquittal of the four police officers accused of beating motorist Rodney King the year before, it was clear that the music of artists such as Ice Cube, NWA, and Public Enemy reflected the rage that many black youth felt in response to issues of police brutality and political disenfranchisement. In the weeks shortly after the riots, rap activist Lisa Williamson (known in rap circles as Sister Souljah) reflected on the “riots” with the controversial statement that “if black people kill black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people,” adding that white folks were “well aware of the fact that black people were dying every day in Los Angeles under gang violence. So if you're a gang member and you would normally be killing somebody, why not kill a white person.” 1 Sister Souljah's point was that in the aftermath of the “riots” it seemed as though the lives of white people—Reginald Denny as one example—were of more value than the black lives that were lost every day in the context of gang violence and at the hands of the LAPD.
