While the '80s marked the earliest introduction of rap music to movie soundtracks, the music genre was used sparingly and often in a derogatory fashion. By the early '90s, Rap began to branch out into sub-genres like gangsta rap, bounce, boom bap — even Jazz rap, and started to get heavy play in movies for its authenticity in telling inner-city stories. Earlier, 8'0s movies did have some breakthroughs for rap, with documentaries like Style Wars featuring incredible songs and documenting the early history of everything from rappers and b-boys to graffiti crews and early DJ's, but rap didn't make it into many narrative films. Finally, by the end of the decade, Spike Lee made his Brooklyn love letter, Do The Right Thing, with a soundtrack featuring the highly political rap group Public Enemy, suddenly alerting movie executives to the music's potential for storytelling and connecting to youthful audiences. Over on the West Coast, another '80s movie, Colors, made the bold move of featuring an Ice-T song as its title track, along with edgier tracks by the likes of MC Shan as well as Eric B. and Rakim.
The '80s had laid the groundwork for hip-hop in film, but nobody could argue that the 90s was rap's greatest decade, musically speaking, and Hollywood had little choice but to begin green lighting movies about African-American lives set to rap music as it began to dominate the airwaves and MTV. This became one of the most fertile growth periods for black filmmaking and music, with filmmakers like Lee, the Hughes Brothers, and John Singleton making Oscar-worthy films as artists like Ice Cube, Ice T, and Tupac Shakur began crossing over from rapping into acting. Tupac had a preternatural acting talent, exploding off the screen with a gravitas informed by his own politically-charged upbringing, and became an authentic voice to helm movies about street life. The music began to expand further, and groups like the Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, and Notorious B.I.G. began to illuminate films with poetry about real-life struggles with gangs, drug-dealing, and poverty that crossed over to white audiences who were attracted by the music and lifestyles. The 90s remains the greatest decade of the rap soundtrack, and here are the best films to feature them.
King of New York
A virtual who's-who of the greatest New York character actors ever, King of New York was a hard-edged '90s crime drama at the top of the decade directed by downtown Manhattan bad boy Abel Ferrara. Though it is often forgotten in the pantheon of the city's amazing crime films, it made an earnest attempt at capturing a city in the grips of a crack epidemic and the colorful, criminal souls using Manhattan as their playground. More importantly, it featured a title track by rapper Schoolly D at a time when that was rare. Christopher Walken gave one of his greatest performances, but Laurence Fishburne stole the show, dripping in gold dookie-chain necklaces and pimped-out wardrobe with the hip hop moniker of Jimmy Jump. The film was one of the first to authentically capture the style of New York's rap scene, with Frank White's gang wearing all black with leather kufis like they just stepped off the stage at a Public Enemy show.
Ghost Dog
Long before Quentin Tarantino discovered RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, Jim Jarmusch had him score the soundtrack for his gangster samurai film Ghost Dog. The film is unique in that it was actually scored by a rap producer rather than just gathering tracks from various artists. It's also a fun watch, with Forest Whitaker playing the film's eponymous character with a weighty, muted approach that conveys the sacred samurai code that he lives by.
Higher Learning
While it wasn't as strong as his first film Boyz N' the Hood, John Singleton's Higher Learning attempted to pit together music from different genres to mirror the racial conflicts in the film. It also got a banger of a title track from Ice Cube in his second collaboration with Singleton. The soundtrack also features non-rap groups that incorporated rap elements like Rage Against the Machine and The Brand New Heavies. Add to that an early Outkast track and the requisite Laurence Fishburne performance, and we had everything we want out of a 90s rap movie.
Gridlock'd
If you thought Tupac would be heavily featured on this list, you were right! The virtuoso rapper and top-flight actor gives his most underrated performance in Gridlock'd, with a posthumous release that had every rap fan wondering how high his acting star could have risen if not for his murder a year prior. Gangster as he may have been, Pac was devoted to the art of acting, even taking ballet at one point to improve his physicality on screen. He also had an incredible rapport with co-star Tim Roth, playing junkies who dodge a minefield of violence and police chases to make it into rehab. Most importantly, the film featured a Death Row records soundtrack featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg, Nate Dogg, and 2Pac himself.
South Central
On the heels of Boyz n the Hood's critical success in 1991, there suddenly became a resurgence of films about black lives, with South Central being one of the first to profit from the former film's success. The gangster epic was stirring because of its large scope, following the life of an OG Crip named Bobby Johnson (Glenn Plummer), whose exploits land him in prison, where a period of self-discovery leads him to help his gang-affiliated son when he is finally released. The film had an authentic, serious tone that benefited from a soundtrack featuring Scarface, The Boo-Yaa Tribe and Ronnie Hudson's 'West Coast Poplock', an important, seminal rap track.
Zebrahead
A largely forgotten film, Zebrahead was an early look at interracial relationships, after Spike Lee had tackled the subject a year prior in Jungle Fever. Michael Rappaport, a real-life proponent of the 90s rap scene, stars in the film as a young DJ trying to insert himself into the primarily black rap scene and forge a relationship with a black woman name Nikki (N'Bushe Wright). It captured an interesting social issue near its genesis, when white kids were gaining interest in rap and making early attempts at producing the music themselves, something that was largely taboo at the time. MC Serch supervised the soundtrack to great effect, including early tracks by Nas, MC Breed and Kool Moe Dee.
Fear of a Black Hat
Named after a famous 1990 Public Enemy track, Fear of a Black Hat was a tour de force for unheralded filmmaker Rusty Cundieff, who wrote, starred in, and directed the film in a mockumentary style. It was essentially the black Spinal Tap, with Cundieff lampooning pop-cultural elements of the music and the lifestyles of rappers. The movie hilariously parodies famous rap songs of the time, and led to Cundieff's later association with the Chappelle's Show.
Nothing but Trouble
Easily the strangest movie on this list, Nothing but Trouble was a Dan Aykroyd film infamous for bombing at the box office, but later getting new life on cable television, where younger viewers could appreciate it for the amazing cameo and soundtrack by Digital Underground, the only rap group that could match the zany tone of the horror comedy. This also came at a time when a young Tupac Shakur was still a member of the group, and features his first appearance in a movie before going on to the greatest acting career ever by a rapper.
Whiteboyz
Probably the least-known movie on this list, Whiteboyz is the hilarious tale of some racially-confused white rappers who want to get famous "so [they] can move to the hood." Despite the plot and racial sensitivity not aging very well, the movie has one of the best soundtracks on this list, with a huge array of rappers ranging from Raekwon and Big Pun to Three 6 Mafia and Snoop Dogg. Had the movie gotten a bigger release it may have become a cult classic, if only for the crew of heavyweights on the track list.
CB4
Despite not being a household name, Tamra Davis is actually a historically important director, having bridged the gap from groundbreaking music videos in the 80s into several cult-classic features in the 90s, including Billy Madison, Half Baked, and the hilarious CB4. Her rap credentials are undeniable, having directed a music video for N.W.A. that got her this job (a movie parodying the group), and marrying Beastie Boys rapper Mike D. This movie gets funnier with age, coming at the height of Chris Rock's amazing run as a stand-up comedian, with a cast including the monster comedic talents of the late Phil Hartman and Charlie Murphy (brother of Eddie). The soundtrack is incredible, as well, with hilarious parodies of N.W.A. songs like 'Straight Outta LoCash', cameos by rappers and celebrities, and tracks by PM Dawn, Public Enemy, and N.W.A. member MC Ren himself.
Juice
Another of Tupac's great villain performances, Juice was a proving ground for many young black actors of the 90s, with Omar Epps and Jermaine Hopkins also showcasing talent in their roles. Director Ernest Dickerson was a friend and collaborator of Spike Lee, and his exceptional camera work owes to his background in cinematography, later becoming a driving force for the HBO series The Wire. Like any movie involving Tupac, the rapper again steals the show as Roland Bishop, a corrupting influence on his friends with his street credentials on full display in the role. The movie was a critical and box office success, earning a rave review from Roger Ebert, likely aided by the incredible soundtrack featuring Cypress Hill, Too Short, EPMD and Naughty by Nature.
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
The 90s were the heyday of the Wayans family, with In Living Color in full swing, and a virtual factory assembly line of hilarious comedies that put African-American comedians at their forefront. The best one may be Don't Be a Menace, a parody film of the 90s rap-driven gangster movies, with a title that told you all you needed to know. The film had a tone like a Zucker Brothers movie, lampooning the previous five years worth of violent films about the inner city experience. Marlon Wayans got the most laughs, and the soundtrack impressed with tracks by Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang Clan and the Lost Boyz.
New Jack City
At the height of early-90s excess, Mario Van Peebles took the mantle from his famous director father, Melvin, blessing us with one of the great action movies ever, New Jack City. With Wesley Snipes at the peak of his powers as drug kingpin Nino Brown, the movie guided us through the New York City crack epidemic at a frenetic pace, adding cameos by rappers, a hilarious turn by Chris Rock as Pookie, and a tragically epic outcome that gave Scarface a run for its money. The soundtrack was dope, as well, featuring Ice-T's title track and an amazing acting performance by the rapper, as well.
House Party
While gang epics dominated the 90s landscape of black filmmaking, rappers Kid 'n Play gave us a series of incredible party movies with the House Party franchise, beginning in 1990. With these films, you could always rely on an entertaining movie watching experience, solid tracks by Kid 'n Play and others, and cameos by some of the era's biggest rap stars like Flavor Flav. The soundtracks were a breath of fresh air too, focusing less on gangster rap than on party rappers like LL Cool J and Marley Marl.
Menace II Society
Having always lived in the shadow of its older brother Boyz N' the Hood, Menace II Society has rarely gotten its proper due as another impressive gangster epic. The movie was an incredible companion to John Singleton's film, and the Hughes Brothers have arguably had a greater career than Singleton, who flamed out early after his freshman film. The film was a box office success, as well, with a unique soundtrack owing to its production by the little-known Jive Records, subsequently featuring very little overlap with other rap soundtracks. MC Eiht, DJ Quik and Brand Nubian contributed some amazing tracks, and while the movie may never step out of Boyz n the Hood's shadow, the soundtrack certainly does.
Dangerous Minds
The recent death of rapper Coolio was a reminder of just how big a pop culture phenomenon Dangerous Minds was at the time of its release. While the 'white savior' plot hasn't aged well, the movie still got an amazing performance from Michelle Pfieffer. The film had some inspiring moments, but its popularity and huge box office return can be credited almost entirely to Coolio's smash hit, 'Gangsta's Paradise', with a music video featuring Pfieffer that won Best Rap Video at the MTV Video Music Awards and vaulted the film into our collective consciousness for years to come. Never before or since has a rap song done so much to market a film.
Friday
Arguably the greatest black comedy franchise ever made, Friday launched the career of Chris Tucker and showed what a true renaissance man Ice Cube was, as the rapper wrote the script, starred in the film, and provided its title song for the soundtrack. The film was so funny and successful, it went on to produce a trilogy of films that gave us side-splittingly funny scenes from John Witherspoon and Regina King, as well as a unique rap soundtrack that featured a double album of old-school tracks that also appeared in the film.
Belly
Belly may seem too high on this list, until you consider a few important factors. For one thing, director Hype Williams made the very brave decision to only feature rappers as the lead actors, with DMX, Nas and Method Man all playing key roles. Williams also didn't pull any punches in his depictions of African-American drug-dealing characters, creating an enormous backlash to the film that led to its banishment from Magic Johnson Theaters, then the primary movie houses found in many inner-city neighborhoods. Williams also attempted to make a high-design, noirish production that elevated itself, artistically, from many black films of the era, when executives were reluctant to trust black directors with creative decisions of that nature. Possibly the greatest rap music video director ever, Williams may have been too ambitious to get the movie through production, particularly by using actors with such outlandish lifestyles, but the film remains a document of an incredible time in rap music, and is still fun to watch and consider what could have been had Williams not had the constraints of that time to work against.
Above the Rim
Above the Rim remains one of the greatest films of the early 90s, featuring an impressive script from New Jack City writer Barry Michael Cooper, realistically depicting basketball scenes, gritty violence, and a sublime performance by Tupac Shakur. It also has far and away the greatest soundtrack on this list, not only for its amazing tracks, but their perfect integration into the film. Produced by west coast hit machine Death Row Records (ironic, given that the film takes place in New York) the soundtrack features one incredible track after another, with Nate Dogg and Warren G's 'Regulate' primary among them.
Boyz n the Hood
At the tender age of 23 years old and fresh out of USC film school, John Singleton blessed us with one of the great gang epics in the history of American filmmaking: Boyz n the Hood. The film made him the first African-American to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Director, as well as being the youngest man to receive the accolade. The movie shocked audiences with its realistic depiction of young black lives in Compton, California, and called cultural attention to urban blight in the inner-city by eliciting incredible performances out of the likes of Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne, and the irreplaceable Ice Cube. The movie belongs in the pantheon of the greatest American films ever made, and had a banging soundtrack featuring artists like Ice Cube himself, Too Short and 2 Live Crew. The combination of love stories, graphic violence, comedy and tragedy created a roller coaster ride for audiences across America, becoming a cultural landmark that stood testament to the violence in inner-cities in a way that white audiences had never seen before. If not for one of the deepest Oscar fields ever, it likely could have won Best Picture or at least been nominated, and remains the most culturally important film made that year. Respect. Story by Mike Damski
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