The Decade of Decadence: Racial Divide and Police Brutality in the 80s The early to mid-1980s were a time of relative political and social stability in the United States. A handful of laws promoting equality were enacted, such as Wisconsin outlawing discrimination based on sexual orientation, and the Supreme Court’s ruling outlawing sexual harassment in the workplace (Dreier, 2015). While war raged on in other parts of the world, the majority of U.S. citizens lived in relative comfort and satisfaction. Still struggling, however, was the U.S.’ African American population. Many still lived in poverty, and with the rise of crack cocaine popularity through the 1980s (peaking at the end of the decade), many turned to distributing the drug as an
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This song set a new precedent for hip-hop, shaping it into a genre full of strong social commentary about the struggles of people of color and people in poor urban neighborhoods, and drawing attention to issues of institutionalized racism. It paints an image of life in the ghetto: in the 1980s the Bronx was a victim of government neglect, with resources and funds going to more affluent neighborhoods. The song sought to inform people of the conditions in their neighborhood and ghettos like it …show more content…
While LA rap-rock group Rage Against the Machine’s 1992 debut ‘Killing in the Name of’ was a violent and highly relevant criticism of police brutality, it failed to make the charts in the United States, perhaps due to its rough, unedited sound (Grow, 2012). Conversely, KRS-One’s ‘Sound of da Police’ was a resounding hit, reaching number seventeen on the billboard top 100 in 1994 due to its resonation with many listeners (Billboard, n.d.). Lyrics such as ‘The officer has the right to arrest / And if you fight back they put a hole in your chest’ voiced the fear of police brutality that was prevalent in much of the nation following the Rodney King case, particularly among people of color (Burdon, Chandler, Lemay, Lomax, & Parker, 1993). The lyrics also draw comparisons between police officers and plantation overseers, alluding to a view that black individuals did not yet consider themselves free during this time period. The song also touches on issues of racial profiling and hypocrisy present among black members of the police
This song set a new precedent for hip-hop, shaping it into a genre full of strong social commentary about the struggles of people of color and people in poor urban neighborhoods, and drawing attention to issues of institutionalized racism. It paints an image of life in the ghetto: in the 1980s the Bronx was a victim of government neglect, with resources and funds going to more affluent neighborhoods. The song sought to inform people of the conditions in their neighborhood and ghettos like it …show more content…
While LA rap-rock group Rage Against the Machine’s 1992 debut ‘Killing in the Name of’ was a violent and highly relevant criticism of police brutality, it failed to make the charts in the United States, perhaps due to its rough, unedited sound (Grow, 2012). Conversely, KRS-One’s ‘Sound of da Police’ was a resounding hit, reaching number seventeen on the billboard top 100 in 1994 due to its resonation with many listeners (Billboard, n.d.). Lyrics such as ‘The officer has the right to arrest / And if you fight back they put a hole in your chest’ voiced the fear of police brutality that was prevalent in much of the nation following the Rodney King case, particularly among people of color (Burdon, Chandler, Lemay, Lomax, & Parker, 1993). The lyrics also draw comparisons between police officers and plantation overseers, alluding to a view that black individuals did not yet consider themselves free during this time period. The song also touches on issues of racial profiling and hypocrisy present among black members of the police