SL: I firmly believe that it's not the artist's job to give the answers to racism and I never attempted to provide an answer to "institutional" racism. All I know is that in the universe I created [in the film], people have to pay.
THC: In Bamboozled, you're not only talking about the history of racist media images, but you're also commenting on the state of the current media landscape. There are shows on television today that are the subject of your parody, correct?
SL: There are plenty, and we all know what those shows are. My film is supposed to reflect that; it is an indictment of the people who write and accept those shows, because we know that they exist today. It also has to do with the $1 million question: What is black? It is a never-ending quest for who we are, and some people are still in search of that.
THC: So what do you think about the Mantan Show hitting television screens in this decade? Could it really take off today?
SL: Yes, I do. Maybe not a version as explicit, but think about it - a lot of gangster rap music videos are minstrel shows in themselves.