Jesse Bernard casts a modern eye back at early 90s Compton
In 2012 a young rapper from Compton released his inimitable debut studio album good kid, m.A.A.d city, a coming-of-age story centred on the lives of a group of young black men navigating teenagehood. The eternal evasion of gang culture, peer pressure, poor social conditions appear to be a common rite of passage for African-Americans from low-income areas. In 1991, it would’ve been difficult to imagine that Kendrick Lamar would address the same issues John Singleton critically addressed in cult classic film, Boyz n the Hood. Particularly in a country that posits itself as one of the most socially advanced nations in the world. On it’s 25th anniversary, the themes explored in Boyz n the Hood are particularly pertinent in today’s sociopolitical climate. In addition, Boyz n the Hood’s understated success sparked a wave of black coming-of-age films.
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