Bill Clinton's Sister Souljah moment tops year of political controversy

"If black people kill black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people?" The question may have sounded rhetorical, but rapper Sister Souljah's inflammatory remark would prove to have both an instant and lasting impact. In May 1992, the US media were already displaying a simmering displeasure with hip-hop following the release of the Ice-T-fronted Body Count's Cop Killer after the LA race riots. But when Bill Clinton compared the words of the New York rapper and Public Enemy associate to that of a white supremacist, racial tension graduated from the streets to the political classes. Was the future president scoring political points by condemning what many perceived to be black extremism? Accusations of racism were made on both sides, but with a general election looming Clinton's disapproval was seen as an attempt to play to an unsettled electorate. Thereafter, when a public figure seized an opportunity to confront a questionable cause, it would be referred to as their "Sister Souljah moment".