The Critique That Inspired John Singleton to Make<em> Poetic Justice </em>
After <em>Boyz n the Hood</em> was challenged on its portrayal of African American women, the late director created a character meant to better reflect their myriad experiences.
No one elevated South-Central Los Angeles to the point of universal conversation like the late John Singleton. Filmmakers such as Melvin Van Peebles and Charles Burnett had both set their stories on this terrain previously. But Singleton, with his films, forced the world to take note of an area ravaged by violence and neglect, yet abundant with cultural distinction and richness. The director’s narratives are cinematic , canvases for young black men and women to discover their identities, to shape and come to terms with their inner selves, to fall in and out of love, to fight and reconcile, to evolve. He was our first hip-hop filmmaker, expressing vernacular and urban culture in a way
