“You Killed My Music!”
A Character Analysis Of Radio Raheem
Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) in Do the Right Thing is a thought-provoking character, whether it be the massive boom box held upon his shoulders blasting Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power”, the “Love and Hate” brass knuckles, or the mysterious persona he emulates towards people. Raheem doesn’t talk much at all in the first half of the film. However, you can see his expressions embodied through the Public Enemy song. The boombox is like a part of his soul and he can’t express himself without it. He has a philosopher-like charisma when walking the streets of Bedford-Stuyvesant and everyone in the neighborhood respects him for that.
Along with proclaiming key and major themes to the film, Raheem lives in harmony with all the black characters but conflicts with other races mainly because of his loud music. One of the most memorable scenes of the film is when protagonist Mookie (Spike Lee), encounters Raheem while delivering a pizza. He poetically shares the story of his “Love and Hate” brass knuckles.
This sparks a part of the film that fractures from reality, like similar scenes such as when several different characters start spewing out racial slurs towards multiple racial groups until Señor Love Daddy (Samuel L. Jackson) yells and instructs them to “cool that shit out.” Raheem begins speaking directly to the camera and articulates the meaning of both love and hate and its constant battle and fluctuation within society as opposing forces.
At the climax of the film, Buggin’ Out (Giancarlo Esposito), convinces Raheem to boycott Sal’s Famous Pizzeria because of the lack of black people on Sal’s “Wall of Fame.” They go to Sal’s, Raheem playing “Fight The Power,” and barge in angrily, confronting Sal about the pseudo-racist Wall of Fame. Sal tells them to get out because they are closed and even the four black teenagers in the pizzeria side with Sal as they see confrontation as disrespectful. Raheem and Buggin’ Out keep yelling slurs at Sal and Sal continues yelling slurs back at them, commanding that they turn the music off. Raheem then puts his boombox on the counter in front of Sal, almost daring him to turn it off. Sal then begins smashing Raheem’s treasured boombox to pieces with a Louisville Slugger.
Raheem goes silent, his soul smashed to pieces like his boombox. He examines the boombox in dejection and looks at Sal and says, “you killed my music,” as he grabs Sal and pulls him over the counter and then puts him on the ground with his hands on his throat. Raheem continues yelling “you killed my music,” as he chokes Sal, and the restaurant delves into chaos. The brawl tumbles outside onto the sidewalk. The NYPD arrives and they try to pull Raheem off Sal. When they get him off Sal, one of the officers puts Raheem in a chokehold with a nightstick and continues choking him as he struggles to break free. Eventually, Raheem is choked to death and his lifeless body is thrown into the back of a squad car. His soul is taken away with sirens blaring, people yelling, and the actions of Mookie yet to come.
