John Singleton told stories Black America to a Hollywood audience that weren’t nearly prepared for realities the inner-city.
A Los Angeles native with a penchant for telling the honest truth, John Singleton made his debut in 1991 with Boyz N The Hood. A film that, nearly 30-years later, still holds a deep cultural relevance. Singleton was a trailblazer in his directorial style, making sure the vision the story maintained its authenticity. The film arrived a few months after Rodney King was brutally beaten by LAPD and a year short the Los Angeles riots following the verdict the King case. “I wasn’t going to have somebody from Idaho or Encino Los Angeles] direct this movie,” Singleton told The Guardianin 2016. Boyz N The Hood dove into the complexities the Black experience from family life and relationships to gang life, gentrification, and more while effortlessly tying in the cause and effect issues affecting the Black community.
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Authentic stories wouldn’t be able to be properly conveyed without the input those from the community who have lived through them. Singleton’s ability to pick out emerging acts helped launch the film careers Ice Cube (Singleton said the role Doughboy was specifically tailored for Cube), Morris Chestnut, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Nia Long. Backed by some powerhouse performances across the board, Boyz N The Hood showcases the harsh realities the Black experience in America at a time social media didn’t echo the need for representation in Hollywood. His breed “hood film” helped open up doors for other African-American directors to tell their own story. Though only his first movie, it immediately impacted mainstream America, garnering widespread praise by critics which led Singleton to his first Oscar nods. He became the youngest person ever to be nominated for Best Director, and also, the first Black director to get a chance at the honor.
Nearly 28-years since its debut in Los Angeles, Boyz N The Hood has withstood the test time, earning its position as a classic American film. In 2002, the Library Of Congress announced that the film was considered “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and was chosen to be preserved in the National Film Registry. Singleton gave the world a glimpse into Black America in a way that combatted the media’s existing representation African-American communities. After Singleton’s passing, Ice Cube summed up the director’s work perfectly in a heartfelt tribute: “I was discovered by a master filmmaker by the name John Singleton. He not only made me a movie star but made me a filmmaker. There are no words to express how sad I am to lose my brother, friend & mentor. He loved to] bring the black experience to the world.”
Like his subsequent efforts like Baby Boy, Higher Learning, and Rosewood, Singleton fought to explore Black lives in film – and not always in a way that white Hollywood execs would consider palatable. He explored stories that not only resonated with the film industry but would also grow to influence the direction hip-hop and entertainment as a whole. If The Chronic is the quintessential gangsta rap album, Boyz N The Hood is its visual companion.
Rest In Power, John Singleton.