Radio Raheem
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Radio Raheem is an archetype character from 1989's Do The Right Thing, Spike Lee's career defining film. Radio Raheem served as one of the chief minor characters in the film, and ultimately became one of the first victims of extreme violence - and death - in the film. He was portrayed by Bill Nunn.
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[edit] Plot Summary
Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) walks around the neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Brooklyn with a boom box, which is consistently tuned to Public Enemy's "Fight the Power". One of Raheem's earliest appearances is depicting the battle between love and hate, personified by large rings that say "love" and "hate" on his hands.
About halfway into the film, Raheem is enlisted by Buggin' Out (Giancarlo Esposito) in his proposed boycott of Sal's Pizzeria--a focal point of Do The Right Thing's plot--which refuses to honor African-American celebrities on its photographic "Wall Of Fame" in the same manner as Italian-Americans.
At the climax of the film, Raheem enters Sal's Pizzeria, refusing to turn off his boombox. Sal, after numerous verbal demands that Raheem turn the radio off, proclaims that he "turn that jungle music off!" and smashes Raheem's loved possession to pieces. This action triggers an outburst on the part of Raheem, who dives over the counter and begins to assault Sal. The situation continues to culminate until a riot has formed inside Sal's. The New York Police Department responds, and in the process uses what is perceived to be excessive force in apprehending an unwilling Raheem, killing him with a chokehold applied using a nightstick. This eventually triggers the complete destruction of Sal's Pizzeria.
[edit] Cultural Relevance
After the success of "Do The Right Thing" Radio Raheem gradually became an ingrained part of Hip-hop and urban youth culture, with many DJs, music programs, or music artists throughout the world adopting the name as an homage to Lee's critically acclaimed, extremely controversial film.
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[edit] Trivia
- The Basque fusion rock band Negu Gorriak recorded a song called Radio Rahim, which was the first single for their first album Negu Gorriak and one of the band's best known songs.
- The New York band Rahim (Frenchkiss Records) originally named themselves Radio Rahim after the character in the film.
- In the episode "The Block Is Hot" of The Boondocks, Huey Freeman walks down the street holding a boombox that is playing "Fight The Power". After a minute or so, someone yells at Huey to "Turn that jungle music off!". This is an obvious reference to Radio Raheem.
- In the movie "Don't Be a Menace", when Loc Dog and Ashtray walk Malik to college and Malik is shot by a white man on a balcony, the list of "Brother's Who Are Trying To Make It Out of The Hoood" the white man is holding has Radio Raheem's name crossed out just above Malik's.
