On August 8, 1988, N.W.A. released Straight Outta Compton, putting their beloved hometown on the map when they introduced the world to gangsta rap. Although they received virtually no radio airplay outside of Los Angeles, “Fuck Tha Police,” their rallying cry against police brutality, became a nationwide anthem.
.
That same year, resident Mayisha Akbar founded The Compton Jr. Posse to provide local youth with a positive alternative to street life. “Coming up in the ‘90s was a really crazy era,” says Randy Hook, Akbar’s nephew who remade his uncle’s riding club in 2017 as the Compton Cowboys, a group of ten local riders that he now leads. “We grew up in a chaotic time and the horses really shielded us from all of that.”
.
“Compton has always been community oriented, even though there’s been an image painted of us in the media that’s just a corrupt, ungodly place,” continues Hook. “Things have improved over the decades with drugs, gangs, crime and police brutality. Today Compton is beautiful.”
.
.
