John Singleton’s ‘Boyz In the Hood’ and My First ‘Woke’ Moment

When I first watched “Boyz In The Hood”, the iconic coming-of-age 90s film directed by the now late-John Singleton, one thing I recall hearing ever present at the start and end of every single scene in the Academy Award-nominated movie was the sound of police helicopters whirling up above.

They were a constant reminder that the neighborhood is always under surveillance and being watched….

…much like the government overseers in George Orwell’s “1984” or any dystopian tale in a novel, TV or cinema.

That nonstop reminder to inhabitants of Crenshaw and South LA community the film was set in that the world outside their home is being policed and monitored…that you are always and constantly will remain a suspect.

I am a fan of cinema and for me, it was the first time I remember a movie for the background sound.

Those helicopters played the backdrop to the various plot points and the story, but were very much a part of it.

It’s like they were a character themselves.

Noticing those helicopters and their symbolism was one of the main take aways of my 18-year old self, newly “woke” after spending a year in college, post a removed life in the suburbs and a Catholic school.

I grew up in old NW DC, but from the media to textbooks, we all got a sanitized and filtered view of other people’s lives.

That is until we do some more independent exploration, travel and learning.

I was still very unaware of the policy and politics of socioeconomic and racial differences in experiences in America.

That’s why movie makers are so important to bring the stories to the masses.

I also distinctly remember the film for Ice Cube’s Doughboy character’s last line about the fact the local news did not cover the tragic untimely gang shooting death of his brother Ricky who was a football star and on his way out of poverty and the hood!

“Either they don’t know, they don’t show or they don’t give a damn about what’s going on in da hood”

Iconic!

Later in life, when I got to post graduate school and in the workplace, when I would talk to my classmates or co workers about that movie whenever it would come up in casual conversation, I was shocked about how so few had any clue about and in fact, had not watched Boyz In The Hood at all.

It was nominated for TWO Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

It was a preeminent film and piece of work for the man who became the first Black person and the youngest to ever get such an honor.

How could they have possibly missed it!?

I guess they figured it was a “black movie” and didn’t see it being worth watching!? Who knows.

This was before the era when films like “The Best Man”, “Black Panther”, “Girls Trip” and “Us” proved to Hollywood that movies with all Black cast can appeal to wider audiences.

Still, the absence of my contemporaries’ knowledge of this film was a second awakening for me to the cultural chasms in filmography and coming up worlds in America.

We don’t all have the same memories.

Telling.

Today, at the shocking news that Singleton never recovered from the stroke that caused him to walk into a California hospital this weekend, I, like many others, am praying and thinking of his friends, family and those who knew him personally.

May his soul rest in perfect peace.

Like a lot of the great directors and film writers and producers of modern times, Singleton’s work and movies are a big part of the soundtrack and experiences of our lives.

From the culturally iconic Tupac Shakur/Janet Jackson movie “Poetic Justice” to a couple of “Fast and Furious” franchise films he directed to that ‘Remember the Time’ Michael Jackson music video, Singleton will always have a place in our hearts as a cultural icon who contributed to our collective awaking.

Go in Peace, Good Soldier. Rest well.