Representing

This is an examination of two episodes in the recent history of black film - the ascendancy of Spike Lee and the proliferation of "hood" films such as "Boyz N the Hood" and "Menace II Society". This text argues that black youth have become targets of a fierce racial backlash against crime, drugs, affirmative action and rap music. It sets out to explain the increased visibility and commercial viability of African-American filmmaking, showing that the black film wave was driven by several factors - the transformation of the popular film industry; a reinvigorated independent filmmaking niche; the cross-marketing of music, video and film; a burgeoning of hip hop consumer culture; and historically specific struggles over the meanings and representation of "blackness" in America. The book contends that despite the social and economic marginalization of black youth, they have gained unprecedented access to the popular media and have been remarkably resilient in cultivating practices which influence not only black popular culture, but the broader US popular culture scene.