Can't Stop Won't Stop (Young Adult Edition): A Hip-Hop History

On March 3, 1991, Rodney King was brutally beaten by police after being chased in his vehicle. He experienced “fifty-six baton blows and shoe stomps and kicks to the head and body” (137). The horrific event was filmed and spread across the country within the day. Although he survived, the video forced those who were previously ignorant or shielding themselves from reality to see it plainly. Once again, the officers accused were acquitted of their charges. The result was a series of violent protests that raged through the city of Los Angeles. Two weeks later, Latasha Harlins, age 14, was shot by a Korean American storekeeper, who assumed she was trying to steal something when she was not. Again, video footage was released on the event, and protests were the response. The media set the story up to pit Black people against Korean Americans. George Bush, Sr. caused another recession and “over 300,000 jobs were lost” (138).

Two years prior, Ice Cube left NWA over concerns that their manager was siphoning profits. He launched an acting career with a role in the movie Boyz N the Hood, and his music was quickly becoming more and more political. During the height of the political tension, Ice Cube was working on a second solo album called Death Certificate.