1980's-Rising up in numbers

The 1980's saw the emergence of rap and hip-hop. Rap and hip-hop protested the police and their actions against young African-Americans and how their communities were being ruined by poverty and that the rest of society didn't care about what happened in black communities. In 1986 three African-Americans were beat and one was murdered when he was hit by a car in Howard Beach. The Howard Beach story got national attention and was the subject of protests in black communities. In the song "Straight Outta Compton" by N.W.A Ice Cube raps about how violence is the only answer for a young African-American living in Compton. "Straight Outta Compton" was a huge deal because it talked about life in a black community and the album went double platinum.