Boots Riley wants to 'compel and repel' you

In this episode of Fresh Air, host Tanya Mosley interviews filmmaker, rapper, and community organizer Boots Riley about his latest film, I Love Boosters, a satirical drama centered on a crew of women shoplifters in the Bay Area who steal luxury fashion items to resell at affordable prices in underserved communities. Riley traces the roots of his radical political artistry back to his upbringing in Detroit, where his father was a labor organizer, and his early experiences organizing youth strikes in Watsonville, California. He reflects on how his work—spanning music with The Coup, films like Sorry to Bother You, and now I Love Boosters—has consistently sought to expose the contradictions of capitalism by making systemic injustice viscerally tangible through surreal, body-centered storytelling. Riley discusses the film’s themes of cultural appropriation, the commodification of Black and brown creativity, and the power of art to both compel and repel audiences. He also reflects on his own evolution from a radical teenager to a mainstream filmmaker, embracing the contradictions of working within the system while critiquing it, and emphasizes his commitment to creating art that is emotionally engaging, janky, and unapologetically political. Riley’s philosophy centers on using art to disrupt passive consumption—whether of news, media, or capitalism—by forcing audiences to confront the seams of reality. He draws from personal history, including his mother’s unfulfilled artistic dreams and his own journey from a self-conscious rapper to a celebrated filmmaker, to ground his work in lived experience. The film’s casting, including Kiki Palmer as the charismatic leader Corvette and Demi Moore as a fashion designer who steals from marginalized communities, underscores Riley’s desire to challenge typecasting and highlight overlooked talent. Ultimately, Riley sees his work as a form of radical optimism: a call to see the world differently, to feel the weight of injustice, and to recognize that even in the most grotesque moments, there is room for resistance, joy, and transformation.