United Skates

Who knew that rap and hip-hop germinated in roller skating rinks? Producer John Legend, apparently, plus directors Dyana Winkler and Tina Brown, who recount that vital history in the revelatory documentary United Skates.

When mainstream venues and radio wouldn't play the new African-American music, artists like Dr. Dre, NWA, and Latifah before she was Queen would tour roller rinks, spaces big and friendly enough to accommodate the enthusiastic, growing fan base.

"We were rollin' and rockin' before rock-n-roll," says one fan. The film, which features interviews with legends Salt-N-Pepa, and Coolio, illuminates the African-American community's relationship with roller skating, an activity to connect, escape and feel free from external racism. But, of course, segregation still made its way onto the wooden O, where Blacks were/are relegated to certain nights, mostly coded as "Adult Night" skates.

Unsurprisingly, it appears that more security is summoned on those nights, and Black skaters are often frisked and closely supervised, when "all we're doing is going in a circle a hundred times." Interviewees stress that taking kids skating keeps them off the streets.

Just like the music it incubated, rinks in different cities reflect the local culture. Los Angeles folks like to make custom skates out of street shoes (banned at many mainstream rinks, another racist divide), and like slippery wheels for sliding tricks. Chicago relies on the James Brown catalog to ignite its low shuffle, big wheel, gaga, and the aptly-named nutcracker.

Nationwide, many rinks are closing to make way for more lucrative big box stores, but many "rink rats" are fighting to preserve this vibrant subculture and the unbridled joy of skating.

United Skates is available on HBO. The documentary is also touring with screenings to fundraise and keep rinks open – visit https://www.unitedskatesfilm.com