This coming April believe it or not will mark 20 years since the Los Angeles riots which followed the acquittal of acquittal of four ex-LAPD officers clearly caught on tape by beating the piss out of Rodney King.  L.A. Pedestrian, George Holliday caught then officers, Koon, Powell, Briseno, and Wind on his video camera a key piece of evidence in the case and an event some believe has given rise to the reality TV craze and “camera phone” generation.

To commemorate the event VH1 will unveil “Rock Docs” documentary called “Uprising: Hip-Hop and the L.A. Riots,” in which they explore hip-hop’s involvement in the case and riots and “examine the Los Angeles riots from a diverse perspective of individuals, who witness the chaos firsthand.”

VH1 reportedly has interviewed everyone from police officers to rappers to victims who experienced the riots firsthand.  Some of of those you’ll see include of course Rodney King, John Singleton, Arsenio Hall, Too $hort, Nas, Big Boi, KRS-One, DJ Yella and Sir Jinx, according to AllHipHop.com.

While this country at the time was at the peak of its Crack epidemic the riots brought to boil many of the frustrations the entire nation was feeling surrounding race and class disparities.  In the end 53 people were dead, 12,000 were arrested, 4 police officers got off scott free, Rodney King was forever jacked up, LA was burnt and a Nation was scarred.  What it did however was give credence to the then believed to be radical and incendiary doctrines of groups like Public Enemy and NWA. Hip Hop especially the burgeoning West Coat “Gangsta” Rap style which was spawning was given the bully pulpit from which to speak and recruit a generation of system bucking youth.

Some may say that since that time race relations have simmered and the wounds have healed but for others especially those who lived through the riots much is still the same if not worse.  Speaking specifically about Hip Hop, while some believed the culture was self-deprecating and racist many believe it has raised a new generation of youth that see no color boundaries, immune from racial epithet. What Do YOU Think?  SOUND OFF: Has Race Relations in America Improved since and as a result of the LA Riots?  What role did Hip Hop Play?  What has Changed in the last 20 yeasr?