Today's Discussion - Hip Hop Soundtracks
I was watching MTV Hits today (the one MTV branded channel that actually plays music videos) and they were playing a bunch of rap videos from soundtracks.
I was watching MTV Hits today (the one MTV branded channel that actually plays music videos) and they were playing a bunch of rap videos from soundtracks. Jigga from the Nutty Professor, Eminem from 8 mile, Nelly from Training Day...and Twista from Coach Carter. No offense to Twista, who I actually like, but he really needs to pick his soundtracks a little better.
Anyway, it got me thinking about all of the hip hop soundtracks I've actually purchased. Usually I end up buying these cds because the artists listed on it sound so promising. But then you actually listen to the cd, and they're either rapping over beats that aren't even good enough to make the b-side of any of their singles or they're spitting about 8 bars and letting the rest of their crew rap over the rest of the song. So yeah, I've been burned by the Hip Hop soundtrack more than once, but there are some good ones that have been released. Mostly during the 90's. Here's my top ten:
10. Menace II Society
This one is on here because I wanted to make this a "Top 10" list, and I got stuck after listing 9.
9. Bully
The movie is pretty disturbing -- a bunch of kids decide to murder one of their friends. Wholesome film for the whole family! The soundtrack fits. Highlight: JT Money's Who Dat.
8. Juice
Well, the good news is that the soundtrack does feature a song from one of the rappers in the movie. Unfortunately, that rapper is Treach from Naughty By Nature. Tupac doesn't even make it onto this soundtrack! It is redeemed by Eric B. and Rakim's "Know the Ledge." Cypress Hill made it on here too.
Click on "Full Article" to see the rest of the list...
7. Streets is Watching
Okay, its a bit of a stretch to call this anything more than an extended music video. And the parts that actually featured acting were awful except for this one line:
Random Dude: What's the difference between a 4.0 and a 5.0 (Range Rover)?
Jay-Z: About 30 to 40 grand, cocksucker, now beat it.
Anyway, there are a bunch of solid Jay-Z songs, better than anything from his second album, which came out around the same time. Sadly, it left off "Feeling It", s Jay-Z/Primo song featured in the movie.
6. Fresh
You probably haven't seen this movie, but its definitely worth checking out. Featured some young kid who only did one or two movies after this, and also had Samuel Jackson in it -- this in the early 90's when he was in just about every movie that came out. Has Wu-Tang's Can It all Be So Simple, some Cold Crush, Whodini, Furios Five, Spoonie Gee and Fresh 3 MC's!
5. High School High
The movie was horrible -- an attempt to cross Naked Gun with Dangerous Minds. The soundtrack, though, had some bangers on it. Tribe, De La, Large Professor, GZA, and a Lil Kim song with a BIG verse that most people haven't heard.
4. 8 Mile
To be quite honest, this cd was much better than Em's latest cd, Encore. Lose Yourself is about as good as it gets for a soundtrack song.
3. New Jersey Drive
This soundtrack was split up into two volumes, but for the sake of keeping this a top 10 list, I'm counting them both as one cd. Check it out for Outkast's Benz or Beamer -- that's about as gangsta as Outkast gets. I'm a bit biased on this one -- anytime I want to rep my hood, I play Latifah's JERSEY. Yeah, its Latifah, but the Biz Markie sample ("Can't Forget New Jersey") is hot.
2. Above the Rim
This was the first Tupac movie that actually had a Tupac song on it. But wait! A second Tupac song, Pain, was only available on the cassette version. Definitely worth hunting down -- Ja Rule attempted a cover version of the song years later, but all that did was prove that Ja Rule is no Tupac. BIG is also on here, though he unfortunately has to share the track with Jermaine Dupri.
1. Fade To Black
Another Jay-Z soundtrack for a movie that is more of an extended music video. Oh well, it may be cheating, but this is by far the best cd on the list. Mixed by DJ Mark Ronson, includes songs from all of his albums, and some mixtape freestyles that I haven't heard anywhere else. Best enjoyed if you stop the cd before you hit the "Best of Both Worlds" section.
Discuss.