Cop Out? The Media,“Cop Killer,” and the Deracialization of Black Rage

Abstract

In 1992, a number of public officials, political hopefuls, and police organizations declared discursive war on the black-recorded “metal” song “Cop Killer.” Exploiting the mainstream media's ban on reproducing in full the lyrics of the offending text, conservatives sought to direct public opinion against “Cop Killer” author Ice-T by deracializing the debate—that is, through wrenching the song's anti-police brutality sentiments from its social context. Surprisingly, the strategies employed by the Right to discredit “Cop Killer” coincide to a significant degree with the countertactics supporters used to defend it. This article explores the social implications of both sides' failure to consider or acknowledge Ice-T's song as a significant instance of cultural hybridity. By disseminating “white” music with a black accent, the makers of “Cop Killer” attempted to inform the suburban white teenager about social conditions such as racially differentiated policing: a project of extreme importance in an increasingly multicultural age.