Boots Riley On 'I Love Boosters,' Why Keke Palmer Is a National Treasure | The Rolling Stone Studio

Why It Matters

The film uses entertainment to spotlight hidden labor exploitation, prompting viewers and emerging leaders to question the ethics of consumer culture and potentially inspire grassroots activism.

Key Takeaways

• I Love Boosters explores underground shoplifting economy and fashion.
• Riley ties music activism to film world‑building and social critique.
• Keke Palmer cast as lead, embodying Riley’s envisioned ‘Corvette’ character.
• Score collaboration with Tune Yards shapes narrative tone and audience immersion.
• College tour aims to spark activist dialogue around film’s themes.

Summary

Boots Riley, the Bay‑Area rapper‑turned‑filmmaker behind 'Sorry to Bother You' and the Amazon series 'I’m a Virgo,' sat down with Rolling Stone at SXSW to discuss his sophomore feature, 'I Love Boosters.' The film, set in a hyper‑stylized world of professional shoplifting, blends fashion, art, and radical politics.

Riley explains that the story grew out of his 2006 Coup song of the same name, which critiqued the underground economy that supplies unaffordable consumer goods. He argues that illegal resale is mischaracterized as the problem, while the real exploitation occurs in the factories and supply chains that produce the stolen items. The narrative therefore serves as a vehicle for exposing systemic labor abuses.

The director highlighted casting Keke Palmer as the lead, describing her as the ‘Corvette’ of his imagination, and praised Tune Yards for delivering a carnival‑like score that anchors the film’s tone. He also noted that actors must take a ‘leap of faith’ to work on his unconventional projects, a risk he believes pays off in creative authenticity.

Released on Amazon, the film balances corporate financing with subversive messaging, and Riley plans a college‑tour circuit to ignite activist conversations among future policymakers. By marrying pop culture aesthetics with a critique of consumer capitalism, 'I Love Boosters' could reshape how mainstream audiences engage with underground economies and labor justice.

Original Description

What, you think YOU love boosters? Talk to #bootsriley. The musician and filmmaker not only wrote a song about his admiration for snatch-and-grab shoplifters called "I  Love Boosters" back in the day, he also stole the name for his latest comedy. A go-for-broke satire about a crew of Oakland retail thieves run by #kekepalmer who take on a fast-fashion magnate (played by #demimoore), Riley's second movie proves that his wild, provocative 2018 debut 'Sorry to Bother You' was no fluke.

'I Love Boosters' was the opening night selection of the 2026 SXSW Film Festival, and Riley stopped by The Rolling Stone Studio Live at @SXSW, presented by @jbl, to talk to film critic David Fear about the origins of this new movie, why Keke Palmer is a "f**king national treasure," how his moviemaking is a continuation of his work with the seminal Bay Area hip-hop outfit The Coup, why he's taking the movie on a tour of colleges to talk to students, and a lot more.

#movies #sxsw

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Talent: Boots Riley

Interviewer: David Fear

Director of Social & Video: Waiss Aramesh

Head of Film & Premium Content: Alexandra Dale

Executive Producer & Editor: Christopher Hwisu Kim

Senior Producer & Shoot Director: Viviane Feldman

Producer & Shoot Director: Mitch Saavedra

Director of Photography (Video): Caleb Kuntz

Camera operators: Leland Ohlinger, Dè Randle, Spencer Greene

Sound: Ferrick Hallaron

Technical Director: Brent Klein

Digital Technician: Michael Solano

PA: Mel Bueno

Creative Director: Joe Hutchinson

Executive Music Editor: Christian Hoard

Co-Editors in Chief: Sean Woods, Shirley Halperin

CEO: Julian Holguin

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