Boots Riley is ready for the working class to rise up
Filmmaker, musician and activist Boots Riley’s latest movie I Love Boosters makes the creative’s edict clear: power lies with the people, we just have to rise up and take it.
Boots Riley, son of civil rights attorney Walter Riley, gained notoriety as the lead vocalist of The Coup, a politically charged hip-hop group. His powerful voice and critique of capitalism and worker exploitation caught the attention of many. Riley transitioned from music to film, creating award-winning movies like Sorry To Bother You and the 2023 limited series I'm A Virgo.
His latest project, I Love Boosters, explores the efforts of The Velvet Gang, a group of professional shoplifters targeting a ruthless billionaire fashion mogul, Christie Smith. Throughout his work, Riley emphasizes the power of collective action and the absurdities of the world we live in. He believes that the working class has the potential to rise up and challenge the ruling class, but a significant roadblock to this is the prevailing nihilism that suggests collective action is futile.
Riley's films often feature transformations of the body, sparking curiosity about his fascination with this theme.
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