On September 27th, Qwest/UMe is set to release the groundbreaking, multi-genre Boyz N The Hood soundtrack on double vinyl in two different color options: black and translucent blue. This will mark the first time the soundtrack for Boyz N The Hood has been reissued on vinyl since the album’s initial release on July 9, 1991. This special new 2LP edition also honors the indelible legacy of Boyz N The Hood director and soundtrack executive producer John Singleton, who sadly passed away in April 2019 at age 51.
As the perfect sonic companion piece to Singleton’s incendiary 1991 directorial debut, the Boyz N The Hood soundtrack masterfully stacked cutting-edge of-era gangsta rap alongside a fine selection of R&B, funk, and jazz tracks. From the visceral thrust of Ice Cube’s West Coast gangsta manifesto “How To Survive In South Central” to Tevin Campbell’s New Jack Swing-styled Top 10 R&B hit “Just Ask Me To” (featuring rapper Chubb Rock) to the East Coast boom bap of Main Source’s spitfire take on “Just A Friendly Game Of Baseball (Remix),” the Boyz N The Hood soundtrack encompassed the full scope of Singleton’s singular vision for the film. Two tracks on Side D had been included on the initial 1991 CD release — Quincy Jones’ sultry “Setembro” and Stanley Clarke’s still poignant “Black On Black Crime” — with the latter making its vinyl debut here.
Boyz N The Hood, a coming-of-age film starring Ice Cube, Cuba Gooding Jr., Morris Chestnut, and Laurence Fishburne (then billed as Larry Fishburne), followed the trajectory of three friends growing up in early-’90s South Central L.A., and it established Singleton as an insightful chronicler of the then-shifting urban landscape. At the time, urban film soundtracks were also on the rise, and Boyz N The Hood (which reached No. 12 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart) built on the success of the popular soundtracks for March 1990’s House Party and January 1991’s New Jack City. For his part, Singleton would go on to direct 1993’s Poetic Justice, 1995’s Higher Learning, 2003’s 2 Fast 2 Furious, and 2011’s Abduction (his final film). He also co-created the acclaimed TV crime drama, FX’s Snowfall, which began airing its third season in July 2019.
Though Singleton is no longer with us, his film legacy lives forever on. Boyz N The Hood not only served notice that he was a force to be reckoned with from behind the lens, but that his wide-ranging taste in music also fit the flavor of the times. And now, the far-reaching Boyz N The Hood soundtrack is properly represented just as it should be, on double vinyl.
Preorder the Boyz N The Hood soundtrack here: Color | Standard
BOYZ N THE HOOD SOUNDTRACK
[black vinyl & translucent blue vinyl]
Side A
1. Ice Cube: How To Survive In South Central
2. Tevin Campbell: Just Ask Me To
3. Yo-Yo: Mama Don’t Take No Mess
4. CMW: Growin’ Up In The Hood
Side B
1. Main Source: Just A Friendly Game Of Baseball (Remix)
2. Tony! Toni! Toné!: Me & You
3. Monie Love: Work It Out
Side C
1. Kam: Every Single Weekend
2. Hi-Five: Too Young
3. 2 Live Crew: Hangin’ Out
4. Too $hort: It’s Your Life
Side D
1. Force One Network: Spirit (Does Anyone Care?)
2. Quincy Jones: Setembro
3. Stanley Clarke: Black On Black Crime**
** denotes vinyl debut
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