On April 29, 1992, a jury acquitted four Los Angeles Police Department officers of Rodney King, a black man, after a high-speed pursuit.
Nearly 20 years to the day later, DJ Quik and Above the Law’s Big Hutch weighed in on the subject in an interview with KJLH’s Dominique Di Prima.
“I think, to us, it was actually happening, but hadn’t broke open,” said Hutch of that era. “The climate of what built up to that was [the result of what was already] going on.”
“Any organization is only as strong as its leader,” reflected Quik. “All the LAPD officers of that era were only doing what they were told to do. And they were being told by a cowboy. A reckless cowboy mafioso,” said Quik of Daryl Gates, the controversial Chief of the LAPD at the time of the Rodney King beating and riots.
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The question was posed whether a similar uprising could occur today. “No,” said Quik. “The playing field is a lot more level. It’s a little better communication between police and civilians. I don’t think it’s gonna happen.”
“Why would we want that to happen again, anyway?” added the emcee and producer. “What the total outcome of it was – we burned our own stuff down.”
Listen to the interview on bigshotmusic.net.
