Prison Radio
Mumia Abu-Jamal

“John Singleton 1968-2019.”

John Singleton, the well-known writer and filmmaker who directed the film Boyz n the Hood, 1991, was a master of his craft. Boyz n the Hood, nominated for an Oscar, gave a sympathetic portrayal of working-class black life. It showed how gang culture had permeated urban spaces.

On April 17th, Singleton recently returned from Costa Rica, reported feeling ill, and checked into a local hospital. According to his family, the director had suffered of mild stroke. Days later, Singleton experienced a coma , and several weeks thereafter, the 51-year-old filmmaker was gone. In Boyz n the Hood, Singleton presented characters who voiced black concerns. Consider the following dialogue from a character named Furious:

“Well, how do you think the crack rock got into the country? We didn’t own any planes. We don’t own any ships. We’re not the people who are flying and floating that blank into here. I know every time you turn on the TV, that’s what you see: black people selling the rock, pushing the rock. Yeah, I know, but that wasn’t a problem until it was in Iowa and started up on Wall Street where there are hardly any black people.” Dialogue from John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood, 1991.

John Singleton has returned to his ancestors.

From imprisoned nation, this is Mumia Abu-Jamal.

These commentaries are recorded by Noelle Hanrahan of Prison Radio.