Jamaica House

The legendary Jamaica House nightclub was the “Studio 54” of rap and L.A.’s reigning club of the ‘90s. Founded by four boyhood friends from the Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw district, the club spearheaded the exploding golden-era rap and reggae. The club’s meteoric rise caused the boyhood friends’ relationship to struggle due to fast money, new fame and old demons that almost destroyed them. The club’s tragic fall climaxed with Tupac’s historic free-style dissing of Daryl Gates and the LAPD backstage at the club on night one of the LA RIOTS; all while the rest of the city burned. At the height of its success, Jamaica House along with Tupac Shakur, Run-DMC, The Notorious B.I.G., P. Diddy Combs, Snoop Dogg, Gang-Starr, NWA, The Pharcyde, WuTang Clan, Mobb Deep, Nas and The Roots made appearances. Jamaica House flourished over a decade, enduring the historic Los Angeles crack-era, gang violence, Rodney King and the evolution of gangsta-rap - making it a flash-point in cultural history. (Pan African Film Festival)