Body Count - Cop Killer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH8gUhDd6WE

"Cop Killer" is a song written by the band Body Count. Body Count is an American band formed from Los Angeles that decided to write their music to express the blatant authority abuse that cops were able to get away with. Even though the song did not directly cause the Los Angeles Riots, The song "Cop Killer" became a controversial topic because it highlighted police misconduct while labeling police on the same level as a stereotypical "black man". This controversy was a way that people could pin down as the scapegoat for what conservative America perceived as a race war. The lyrics that are expressed throughout the song display the frustration that they had with police brutality and what needed so desperately to change.

The lead singer of Body Count, Ice-T, did not necessarily hate the police. When he was breaking the law himself, he asked himself "why would I be mad at the police?" The job of the police is to serve and protect. There are ways of handling situations correctly that do not require violence. This song puts you in the perspective of a man that has a black shirt, gloves, ski mask, and a twelve gauge sawed-off shotgun that is fed up with police brutality. It is a man that states "I'm a cop killer, better you than me" who is in return valuing his life over anyone from the police. Ice-T continues to go on with the song shouting "f*ck the police" over and over. Within the song, Ice-T gives shoutouts to Daryl Gates, Rodney King, and his dead homies for being the inspiration of the song. The entire premise of the song is to make you wonder how you would feel about someone going on a binge against brutal cops for a change. The culmination of events is what led to the Los Angeles riots which would forever be idolized through the music of the band Body Count.
   
-Christopher Herrera