The Forgotten Prophet
written by
The Scorpion
Every member of Generation X remembers where they were when the L.A. Riots broke out back in April of 1992. When the four white supremacists (who were posing as police officers) were acquitted for brutally beating Rodney King at a traffic stop, it ignited an enormous racial powder keg that had been sitting under the streets of L.A. since the Watts Riots of 1965. For nearly a week, the streets of L.A. were consumed by chaos and anarchy. Black residents across the city unleashed their fury upon whites, Koreans, or any other ethnic groups that they felt slighted by. This frustration had been building up for decades. Blacks in L.A. have been the blatant victims of racial discrimination ever since the post-WWII westward migration from the Jim Crow South. L.A.'s mayor, the governor and other local government officials eventually called in the National Guard to install a temporary police state (a.k.a. martial law) to calm the city down and keep the peace. Things eventually returned to normal in L.A., but the scars are still very visible. Many objective observers would probably look at this scenario and wonder how this could have been prevented. Well, if they listened to hip-hop during the late 80's and early 90's (especially the music of the legendary group N.W.A) they could have easily gotten a temperature of the social climate in L.A. and took appropriate action. N.W.A. songs were full of vivid streets tales about drug dealing, partying, hood violence and most importantly police brutality.
One of the members who really took N.W.A.'s "ghetto CNN" mentality to the next level was Ice Cube. Cube left the group in 1989 after realizing that he was being financially ripped off by Ruthless Records. Cube's solo career immediately took off with his debut album "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted". Cube stayed true to his N.W.A. roots by spitting quality lyrics about street life in L.A. and the everyday black person's daily struggles with systematic racism. Cube intensified his message and became more of a social prophet in his second and third albums "Death Certificate" and "The Predator" respectively. In both of these albums, Cube put a spotlight on the social ills that are byproducts of racism and discrimination. One of the major social ills that still festers in black community is the racial hostility with Korean store owners. Racial tensions between blacks and Koreans have existed for years because Korean store owner's continuous disrespect and racial profiling of black customers. Cube put their heinous behaviors on blast in the song "Black Korea" Cube obviously caught a lot of heat for it. However, at the end of the day, this was the response he truly wanted. The first step of a true revolution is to make the oppressive ruling class feel extremely uncomfortable. "Black Korea" definitely put the Korean community on notice and let them know that black folks were tired of the bullshit. Cube was one of the first musical artists that warned Black America about the Prison Industrial Complex and how they work hand in hand with law enforcement to fill up prisons for profit. Cube also kept the heat on L.A.P.D. by telling his listeners about the rampant police brutality and corruption that plagued the black communities in South Central. This diabolical mentality of the L.A.P.D. would eventually lead to the brutal beating of Rodney King, which was the catalyst of arguably the largest race riot in U.S. history. After the riots ended, Ice Cube went from a superb yet controversial rapper to a modern-day Nostradamus. Cube had pleaded for years in his music that the racial oppression against Black America would lead to an Armageddon of epic proportions.
The L.A. Riots, despite its high levels of carnage and destruction, was just a small sample size of what's to come. The race riots in Ferguson, Baltimore, and Charlottesville were some of the most recent events that signified the arrival of something more sinister in America: an all-out second Civil War. Cube's innate ability to foresee the L.A. riots was ignored by the majority of America back in 1992. Because many Americans have the memory span of a goldfish, it would be easy for another race war to take place. Unfortunately, this war will rage on and destroy the very fabric of America from sea to shining sea.
One of the members who really took N.W.A.'s "ghetto CNN" mentality to the next level was Ice Cube. Cube left the group in 1989 after realizing that he was being financially ripped off by Ruthless Records. Cube's solo career immediately took off with his debut album "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted". Cube stayed true to his N.W.A. roots by spitting quality lyrics about street life in L.A. and the everyday black person's daily struggles with systematic racism. Cube intensified his message and became more of a social prophet in his second and third albums "Death Certificate" and "The Predator" respectively. In both of these albums, Cube put a spotlight on the social ills that are byproducts of racism and discrimination. One of the major social ills that still festers in black community is the racial hostility with Korean store owners. Racial tensions between blacks and Koreans have existed for years because Korean store owner's continuous disrespect and racial profiling of black customers. Cube put their heinous behaviors on blast in the song "Black Korea" Cube obviously caught a lot of heat for it. However, at the end of the day, this was the response he truly wanted. The first step of a true revolution is to make the oppressive ruling class feel extremely uncomfortable. "Black Korea" definitely put the Korean community on notice and let them know that black folks were tired of the bullshit. Cube was one of the first musical artists that warned Black America about the Prison Industrial Complex and how they work hand in hand with law enforcement to fill up prisons for profit. Cube also kept the heat on L.A.P.D. by telling his listeners about the rampant police brutality and corruption that plagued the black communities in South Central. This diabolical mentality of the L.A.P.D. would eventually lead to the brutal beating of Rodney King, which was the catalyst of arguably the largest race riot in U.S. history. After the riots ended, Ice Cube went from a superb yet controversial rapper to a modern-day Nostradamus. Cube had pleaded for years in his music that the racial oppression against Black America would lead to an Armageddon of epic proportions.
The L.A. Riots, despite its high levels of carnage and destruction, was just a small sample size of what's to come. The race riots in Ferguson, Baltimore, and Charlottesville were some of the most recent events that signified the arrival of something more sinister in America: an all-out second Civil War. Cube's innate ability to foresee the L.A. riots was ignored by the majority of America back in 1992. Because many Americans have the memory span of a goldfish, it would be easy for another race war to take place. Unfortunately, this war will rage on and destroy the very fabric of America from sea to shining sea.