There was once a time, way back in the 1990s and early 2000s, when record labels seized the opportunities afforded by new movies either starring rappers or taking place in urban, rap-friendly environments to release star-studded original soundtracks. Pooling their various resources and contacts, executive producers would reach out to artists from all regions for one common cause: to accompany a film with what would essentially become a fully mastered, elaborately package mixtape.
These became one of the few places where rap fans could hear KRS-One consciousness one minute, then feel vicariously gully as MC Eiht rapped about Compton's darkest stories. Unfortunately, as consumers stopped buying rap albums, labels fell back from spending bags of cash to assemble rappers from multiple record companies merely to push a motion picture.
Which is why, in our ranking of the 30 best hip-hop soundtracks of all time, most picks come from the 1990s, when hip-hop soundtracks reigned. Times are very different now, and the hip-hop soundtrack has become a lost art. In the past decade, only a handful have stood out—whether it’s Future’s work on the Superfly soundtrack, Dreamville's Creed III album, or the most notable of all, TDE’s Black Panther soundtrack.
Still, it’s never a bad time to get a little nostalgic. Here are the 30 best hip-hop movie soundtracks of all time.
30.The Fate of the Furious: The Album (2017)
Record label: APG/Atlantic
Features: Young Thug, 2 Chainz, Wiz Khalifa, PnB Rock, Lil Uzi Vert, Quavo, Travis Scott, G-Eazy, Kehlani, Kodak Black, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Migos, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, 21 Savage, Bassnectar, Ohana Bam, Lafa Taylor, Post Malone, Kevin Gates, Lil Yachty, Rico Nasty, Jeremih, Ty Dolla Sign, Sage the Gemini, Pitbull , J Balvin, Camila Cabello, Pinto "Wahin," DJ Ricky Luna, El Taiger
The Fate of the Furious—the eighth Fast and Furious movie—was released in spring 2017, right in the middle of the SoundCloud era. So it’s no surprise the soundtrack tapped figures like Lil Uzi Vert, just before Luv Is Rage 2 hit, or caught Travis Scott a year ahead of Astroworld.
The project had its finger on the culture’s pulse and secured the kind of big names you’d expect on a blockbuster soundtrack. Some songs feel corny—like Quavo’s chorus on “Go Off”—but there are some good songs too. “Gang Up” gets a lift from PnB Rock’s energy, while YoungBoy Never Broke Again and 21 Savage bring the right amount of menace to “Murder (Remix).” —Antonio Johri
29.Metro Boomin Presents Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Soundtrack from and Inspired by the Motion Picture) (2023)
Record label: Boominati/Republic
Features: Swae Lee, Lil Wayne, Offset, ASAP Rocky, Roisee, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, JID, James Blake, Nav. A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Ei8ht, Don Toliver, Wizkid, Beam, Toian, Coi Leray, 21 Savage, 2 Chainz, Nas, Mora, Becky G, Ayra Starr, Shenseea, Myke Towers, Big Boss Vette, Omah Lay, Pop Money
Metro Boomin has long been fascinated with superheroes. Beyond his Heroes album series, he even published his own comic book last year. So it feels natural that he would handle the music for one of the biggest superhero franchises.
His cinematic, larger-than-life production matches the coming-of-age storyline perfectly. He brings out the best in Coi Leray, who stays lyrically focused on Miles and Gwen’s dynamic over the airy beat of “Self Love.” The same goes for James Blake on “Hummingbird,” where his trembling vocals sound like we’re inside Miles’ headphones. Snippets of dialogue from the film add more depth, showing how closely Metro tied his music to the story.
The first film’s soundtrack made history with “Sunflower,” a track that bottled up nostalgic hopefulness and became one of the century’s biggest songs. There’s nothing as massive on this soundtrack. But the album stll ranks among the most cohesive soundtracks out there. —Antonio Johri
28.Boyz n the Hood (1991)
Record label: Qwest/Warner Bros.
Features: Ice Cube, Tevin Campbell, Chubb Rock, Yo-Yo, Compton's Most Wanted, Main Source, Tony! Toni! Toné!, Monie Love, Kam, Hi-Five, Prodigy, 2 Live Crew, Too $hort, Force One Network, Quincy Jones, Stanley Clarke
John Singleton's Boyz n the Hood is, hands down, the most important hood flick of all time. But what most cinephiles don't regularly acknowledge is the film's soundtrack, an oversight that one could attribute to the fact that its only chart-hitting single came from Tevin Campbell ("Just Ask Me To"). And, sorry fans of soft-baked R&B, but Tevin Campbell doesn't make anyone think of Ice Cube's Doughboy. Well, maybe in name, but certainly not in character.
Boyz N the Hood's roster of California rappers speaks directly to folks who grew up on N.W.A. more than Public Enemy or EPMD. Aside from movie co-star Ice Cube's "How to Survive in South Central," there's one-time baddest-female-in-the-game Yo-Yo's awesomely titled "Mama Don't Take No Mess" and Compton's Most Wanted's "Growin' Up in the Hood," both encapsulating early '90s West Coast hip-hop quite nicely. —Matt Barone
27.Bulworth (1998)
Record label: Interscope
Features: Dr. Dre, LL Cool J, Pras, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Mýa, Canibus, Youssou N'Dour, Method Man, KRS-One, Prodigy, Kam, Witchdoctor, RZA, Eve, Mack 10, Ice Cube, Nutta Butta, Anonymous, The Black Eyed Peas, Ingrid Dupree, Cappadonna, B-Real, Sick Jacken, Public Enemy, D-Fyne
How's this for a mini review: The Bulworth soundtrack was good enough to almost forgive Warren Beatty for ridiculously dressing up in hip-hop gear and embarrassing white raps fans everywhere in the movie of the same name. The operative word, of course, being "almost."
Ignoring Beatty's silly performance here, let's instead focus on Bulworth the album's finely tuned gathering of dope MCs and producers. A massive crossover hit, Fugees alum Pras Michel's "Ghetto Superstar," featuring Ol' Dirty Bastard and Mya, sold the soundtrack as something of a hip-pop undertaking, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Take the two records produced by RZA: his short action film blended with a horror movie score, "The Chase," and Cappadonna's creeping account of fleeing away from the fuzz, "Run."
Still not convinced? Peep the title of Ice Cube's collaboration with Mack 10: "Maniac in the Brainiac." There's also former Organized Noize affiliate Witchdoctor's moody chamber piece "Holiday/12 Scanner" and Eve's pre-Ruff Ryders explosion of feminine wrath, "Eve of Destruction." —Matt Barone
26.State Property (2002)
Record label: Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam
Features: Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Young Gunz, Sparks, Oschino, Rell
For the State Property soundtrack, there were multiple goals in mind. Yes, they wanted to deliver a fire soundtrack for one of the most unhinged hood classics ever. But it was also a chance to introduce the world to Roc-A-Fella’s minor league. State Property was like a B-list Philly Wu-Tang—with way less martial arts jargon and way more raps about armed robbery.
The soundtrack is anchored by one of Roc-A-Fella’s all-time great singles, “Roc the Mic,” with Beanie Sigel and Freeway. But there’s also a surprising amount of depth for an album tied to a movie that’s frankly very dumb. State Property—Sigel, Freeway, Young Gunz, Oschino, Sparks, and Peedi Crakk—were soulful and introspective. Most of the songs are gritty survival tales, whether it’s the bluesy “Sing My Song” or the cinematic “Got Nowhere,” built on one of Kanye West’s most underrated early beats. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
25.Cradle 2 the Grave (2003)
Record label: Bloodline/Def Jam
Features: DMX, Eminem, Obie Trice, Bazaar Royale, G-Unit, Capone-N-Noreaga, M.O.P., Foxy Brown, Althea, Drag-On, Joe Budden, Clipse, Jinx, Loose, Big Stan, Birdman, Fat Joe, Young N Restless, Kashmir, Profit, Jinx da Juvy
Ever wonder why DMX never took the Blade mantle from Wesley Snipes once the latter actor jumped the legal shark? Neither have we, and C-level action flicks like Cradle 2 the Grave are why. Always a far better rapper than a thespian, DMX saved his real talents for the film's aggressive, hard-edged soundtrack, rocking the single "X Gon' Give It to Ya" and dropping bodies alongside Eminem and Obie Trice on the audio horror flick "Go to Sleep."
Cradle 2 the Grave is also notable for its now-obscure tracks from podcaster Joe Budden ("Drop Drop") and Pusha-T (on the Clipse offering "I'm Serious"). But nothing tops the title of the soundtrack's rowdy M.O.P. and Capone-n-Noreaga collaboration: "Stompdashitoutu," which is about as perfect a title for an M.O.P. song as there could ever be. —Matt Barone
24.Tales from the Hood (1995)
Record label: MCA Records
Features: Inspectah Deck, Facemob, Scarface, Domino, Tha Chill, Spice 1, Ol' Dirty Bastard , 12 O'Clock, NME, Grench the Mean 1, Havoc & Prodeje, Dawn Green, MC Eiht, Gravediggaz, Bokie Loc, The Click, N.G.N., Killa
Don't let its hokey title fool you: Writer-director Rusty Cundieff's horror anthology Tales from the Hood is actually a solid entry into the genre omnibus pantheon. The gore effects are nicely gruesome, the stories cleverly tackle urban societal issues from a Tales from the Crypt-esque perspective, and, aside from spotty acting, the characters are mostly engaging. It's not Creepshow, mind you, but it's worth a look.
Smartly, Cundieff reached out to some of rap's hardest acts to piece together the film's slightly horrorcore soundtrack. The opening track, "Let Me at Them," is billed as a Wu-Tang Clan record, but that's misleading—it's actually an Inspectah Deck solo joint, and it's a beast. After that fittingly alarming opener, Tales from the Hood coaxes unpleasant winners from Spice 1 ("Born II Die"), Gravediggaz, sans RZA and Prince Paul ("From the Dark Side"), and Cali's not-Mobb-Deep duo Havoc & Prodeje ("The Hood Got Me Feelin' the Pain"). —Matt Barone
23.Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)
Record label: JVC
Features: Sunz Of Man, 12 O’Clock, Blue Raspberry, RZA, Black Knights, Suga Bang Bang, Ghostface Killah, Tekitha, Masta Killa, Lord Superb, Royal Fam, La The Darkman, Melodie Sexton, Afu-Ra, Jeru the Damaja
When acclaimed independent filmmaker Jim Jarmusch hired RZA to score his nuanced crime flick Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, he immediately earned the respect of Wu-Tang fans worldwide. But after the film's Wu-heavy soundtrack hit shelves, the Clan's faithful must have been ready to declare Jarmusch as the coolest director alive.
Ghost Dog's soundtrack is best appreciated by those already initiated in the Killa Bee family tree. Its strongest records come from extended Wu-Tang affiliates like Sunz of Man ("Strange Eyes"), Superb ("The Man," featuring Masta Killa), and Royal Fam and La the Darkman ("Walk the Dogs").
Peppered with dialogue skits taken from Forest Whitaker's titular movie character, Ghost Dog's mid-range Wu-Tang blowout could've used some verses from A-list Clansmen like Ghostface, Raekwon, Method Man, or GZA. But, as the soundtrack stands, it's an effective display of the Wu's second-tier talent. —Matt Barone
22.Soul in the Hole (1997)
Record label: Loud Records/Relativity Records
Features: dead prez, Wu-Tang Clan, Sauce Money, M.O.P., Big Pun, Xzibit, Cella Dwellas, Mobb Deep, Common, Brand Nubian, Smif-N-Wessun, Timbo King, Dreddy Kruger, Shyheim, Killa Sin, Darc Mind, Organized Konfusion, Boku Rule, Cairo of Tha Ill Rahlos, O.C., U Nast
Only released on six screens, and to very little fanfare, in July 1997, the b-ball documentary Soul in the Hole was little more than a poor man's version of Hoop Dreams, chronicling a Brooklyn coach and his troubled group of talented playground ballers. If not for its jam-packed soundtrack, Soul in the Hole wouldn't have registered much beyond art-house critics' reviews. But, damn, is that soundtrack overflowing with rap royalty.
Assembled by the fine folks Loud Records, the Soul in the Hole album included the lion's share of the label's best talent. Wu-Tang Clan, complete with Ol' Dirty Bastard, checked in with the nightmarishly dark "Diesel," Big Punisher proved his worth outside of the Terror Squad with "You Ain't a Killer," and The Dwellas—Loud's sadly overlooked underground duo—delivered what's arguably the soundtrack's hardest cut, "Main Aim."
Also featuring original songs by Common ("High Expectations"), Mobb Deep ("Rare Species," one of Havoc's sickest beats), and Xzibit ("Los Angeles Times"), Soul in the Hole plays more like a grade-A mixtape than anything that's related to a movie about basketball. Oddly enough, there's not one song about the sport to be heard. That's a good thing—the world didn't exactly need an update of Kurtis Blow's "Basketball" rapped by Jayo Felony. —Matt Barone
21.Friday (1995)
Record label: Priority
Features: Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Threat, Scarface, CJ Mac, Cypress Hill, Mack 10, The Isley Brothers, Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell, Rick James, Rose Royce, Rose Royce, Funkdoobiest, Tha Alkaholiks, E-A-Ski, and\d
Some movies are so cherished by fans that anything else related to them is easily overlooked. Such is the case with the Friday soundtrack, a solid collection of rugged party jams that's been pushed to the back of people's memories thanks to the movie itself being so damn hilarious.
The next time you throw a house party, throw this collection on and see how well it's stood the test of time. Dr. Dre's "Keep Their Heads Ringin'," Tha Alkaholiks' "Coast II Coast," and Ice Cube's "Friday" should keep those party guests in good, uptempo spirits. —Matt Barone
20.High School High (1996)
Release date: September 10, 1996
Record label: Big Beat/Atlantic
An early predecessor to the spoof film likes of Scary Movie and Meet the Spartans, the reasonably funny High School High starred Jon Lovitz as the white dude who steps into an urban high school and changes the lives of its most troubled students. Moviegoers weren't begging for a send-up of flicks like Dangerous Minds and Stand and Deliver, but considering that it spawned a 20-song soundtrack that was miraculously devoid of any crappy filler, no one with an ear for quality hip-hop complained.
The LP's best track was also its biggest single: "Wu-Wear: The Garment Renaissance," a four-minute commercial/record on which RZA, Method Man, and Cappadonna kill it so convincingly that, if revisited today, you may still find yourself looking for Wu Wallabees on eBay. Across the board, High School High is tailor-made for heads who prefer substance in their hip-hop. The Roots get gully on "The Good, the Bad, and the Desolate," New Jersey underground stalwarts the Artifacts get braggadocios on "The Ultimate," and legends Large Professor and Pete Rock join forces for the state-of-affairs cut "The Rap World." —Matt Barone
19.Baller Blockin' (2000)
Record label: Cash Money/ Universal
Features: Big Tymers, Hot Boys, Unplugged, Ziggler The Wiggler, Lac and Stone, 8Ball & MJG, E-40, Nas, Bravehearts, Mack 10, The Comrads, Rappin' 4-Tay, TQ, UGK
Never one to be outdone, Cash Money Records head honcho Bryan "Baby" Williams (or, as fans today call him, Birdman) saw what fellow New Orleans entrepreneur Master P was doing with low-rent flicks like I'm Bout It and I Got the Hook Up and co-wrote and co-directed his own straight-to-the-street-corner movie, Baller Blockin'. Trying to be the hood's precursor to Judd Apatow, Baby created a pre-Pineapple Express veneer of action-comedy shenanigans, though its humor is best aided by some freshly rolled doobies and an affinity for inept filmmaking.
It's also wise to watch Baller Blockin' with its Cash Money-centric soundtrack playing in the background. The album's finest moment is, of course, the single "Project Bitch," that romantic ballad dedicated to "hoodrat chicks" anchored by Lil Wayne and Juvenile. Generously, Baby and his partner/brother, Ronald "Slim" Williams, opened Baller Blockin' up to outside rappers, too, a move that blessed them with jams like UGK's "Family Affair" and Nas and Bravehearts' "What You Gonna Do." —Matt Barone
18.Belly (1998)
Record label: Def Jam
Features: DMX, Nas, Ja Rule, Method Man, Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Lady, D'Angelo, Jerome, Sparkle, Hot Totti, Mýa, Raekwon, Noreaga, Sean Paul, Mr. Vegas, Maze, Drag-On, Gang Starr, Rakim, WC, RZA, Ghostface Killah, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Sauce Money, Made Men, The Lox, Half-a-Mil, Bravehearts
Music video director turned feature filmmaker Hype Williams' big-screen debut Belly showed just how many gangster movie clichés could fit into one rapper-starring vanity project. While never boring, the finished product is a fascinating misfire, notable for Nas' wooden acting, DMX's unhinged charisma, and some striking cinematography.
Thankfully, the Def Jam Records team didn't share Williams' inefficiencies when creating Belly's original soundtrack. Rather, they went for broke, combining dynamite posse cuts (i.e., "Grand Finale," with DMX, Method Man, Nas, and Ja Rule) with heaters from the Wu-Tang ("Windpipe," featuring RZA, Ghostface Killah, and Ol' Dirty Bastard) and Roc-A-Fella ("Crew Love," with Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, and Memphis Bleek) camps.
Hell, even the R&B joints hit hard, namely D'Angelo's DJ Premier-produced "Devil's Pie" and Mya's "Movin' Out," strengthened by verses from Raekwon and Noreaga. —Matt Barone
17.Rhyme & Reason (1997)
Record label: Priority
Features: Mack-10, Tha Dogg Pound, Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, 8Ball, MJG, Ras Kass, Heltah Skeltah, Canibus, E-40, Crucial Conflict, RZA, MC Eiht, Lost Boyz, Master P, KRS-One, Volume 10, GuRu, KaiBee, Lil' Dap, Nyoo, DeCoca, Delinquent Habits
The great thing about rap documentaries back in the day: Even if the movies themselves weren't four-star affairs, the chances of their accompanying original soundtracks being of four-star quality were always high.
Case in point: Rhyme & Reason, an otherwise nondescript look at the hip-hop industry's inner workings that inspired an impressive gang of MCs to issue fresh cuts of the strongest quality. 8Ball & MJG stuck closest to the movie's themes with "Reason for Rhyme," while Mack 10 and Tha Dogg Pound combined for the left-coast anthem "Nothin' But the Cavi Hit." Touching all parts of the country, Rhyme and Reason headed to New Orleans for Master P's "Is There a Heaven 4 a Gangsta?" and shot up north for RZA's pre-Bobby Digital in Stereo solo single "Tragedy."
The soundtrack's toughest offering married highly respected lyricists from both the east and west coasts: One-upping each other with vicious punch lines over ghostly horns and boom-bap percussion, Ras Kass, Heltah Skeltah, and Canibus decimated the Rhyme & Reason knockout "Uni-4-Orm." —Matt Barone
16.Murder Was the Case (1994)
Record label: Death Row/Interscope/Atlantic
Features: Snoop Doggy Dogg, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Tha Dogg Pound, Tray Deee, Nate Dogg, Jewell, Lil' Style, Young Swoop, Danny Boy, Sam Sneed, Jodeci, DJ Quik, Slip Capone, CPO, B-Rezell, Young Soldierz, O.F.T.B.
What's Snoop Dogg's best acting performance to date? No, it's not Soul Plane, though he does deserve some credit for leaving that cinematic debacle unscathed. In our eyes, Snoop's crowning achievement as a thespian comes in the 1994 short film Murder Was the Case, the 18-minute account of his death and resurrection directed by Dr. Dre and Fab 5 Freddy with a surprisingly haunting aesthetic.
Of course, our fond memories of Murder Was the Case may have been swayed by the kick-ass soundtrack, which showcased the Death Row Records' roster at the label's still-a-Dr-Dre-thing zenith. In addition to Snoop's ubiquitous title track, Ice Cube and Dre's vicious "Natural Born Killaz" and Tha Dogg Pound's "What Would U Do" kept radio stations and Yo! MTV Raps on blast in the fall of '94.
Our favorite track? One-hit wonder Sam Sneed's "U Better Recognize," a Death Row classic that's on par with the Lady of Rage's "Afro Puffs." —Matt Barone
15.I’m Bout It (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1997)
Record label: No Limit/Priority
Features: Master P, C-Loc, 8Ball & MJG, B-Legit, Brotha Lynch Hung, C-Murder, E-40, E-A-Ski, Fiend, Gambino Family, Ghetto Twiinz, JT the Bigga Figga, Kane & Abel, Mac, Mercedes, Mia X, Mo B. Dick, Mr. Jinks, Mr. Serv-On, Mystikal, Prime Suspects, Silkk the Shocker, Skull Duggery, Sons of Funk, Steady Mobb'n, The Fast 1, UGK, Young Bleed
Before No Limit's onslaught of Pen & Pixel album covers that flooded record stores throughout the late '90s and early 2000s, there was I'm Bout It, the Southern rap game-changing classic that took damn near all the attention away from its poorly made, shoestring budgeted movie of the same name.
At the time, No Limit leader Master P was a hot commodity in his local New Orleans region, having released five independent solo records. With I'm Bout It, Percy Miller's movement officially broke into the mainstream's consciousness, introducing rap dudes and dudettes from all cities to names like Silkk the Shocker, C-Murder, Mr. Serv-On, Mia X, and Fiend. —Matt Barone
14.Backstage: Music Inspired by the Film (2000)
Record label: Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam/Desert Storm
Features: Jay-Z, Ja Rule, Memphis Bleek, Amil, Big Tymers, Cam'ron, Capone-N-Noreaga, Christión, Da Brat, Da Ranjahz, Eve, Fabolous, Hot Boys, Juelz Santana, Killer Mike, Lady Luck, Lil' Cease, Mýa, Outkast, Prodigy, Redman, Rell, Slimm Calhoun, T-Boz, The Lox
You have to hand it to DJ Clue—how many people could pull together this many rappers with that much testosterone for one release? This was the soundtrack to Backstage, the documentary that gave an intimate look at the 1999 Hard Knock Life Tour. With the exception of DMX, the soundtrack pulled in nearly all the names from the tour, plus a few extras. Prodigy debuted his all-time classic “Keep It Thoro,” despite being in a silent war with Jay-Z. Outkast also popped up, with an assist from a young Killer Mike.
The star power here is wild, and the tracklist delivers everything you’d want: street anthems like Memphis Bleek’s “My Mind Right” or “Gotta Be a Thug” (back when Fabolous was still going by Sport); Beanie Sigel linking with Timbaland for a futuristic club joint; Capone-N-Noreaga rocking over a Scott Storch beat; and The LOX tearing through one of the hardest Swizz Beatz records of the era, "Who Did You Expect." And of course, there’s Jay-Z’s classic rap-and-R&B collab “Best of Me Part 2” with Mya—a record that forever changed how we looked at the North Carolina Tar Heels jersey. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
13.Streets Is Watching (soundtrack) (1998)
Record label: Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam
Features: Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek, Rell, Christión, Ja Rule, DMX, Diamonds In Da Rough, Usual Suspects, DJ Clue, Noreaga, M.O.P., Sauce Money, Wais
Taking cues from Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (1988), Jay-Z orchestrated the 60-minute musical film Streets is Watching as a way to connect several of his music videos—taken from his albums Reasonable Doubt, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, and the movie's eponymous soundtrack—into one semi-cohesive story. It's more a collector's item for fans than an actual work of cinema, but who's going to complain about its filmmaking merits when Streets is Watching also gave us one of Roc-A-Fella Records' best releases?
The disc allowed Jay-Z and Damon Dash the chance to showcase some of the label's lesser-known acts, like Christión and Diamonds in the Rough, yet, expectedly, its bigger draws are the album's greatest contributors. Hov himself scores with the Memphis Bleek-aided single "It's Alright," as well as "Only a Customer" and the posse cut closer "Celebration," co-starring Memphis Bleek and Sauce Money. Streets is Watching truly pulverizes, however, with "Murdergram," the sinister Ty Fyffe-produced three-headed lyrical death blow from Jay, DMX, and Ja Rule. —Matt Barone
12.Get Rich or Die Tryin': Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture (2005)
Record label: Interscope/ G-Unit
Features: 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, Young Buck, Spider Loc, M.O.P., Mobb Deep, Nate Dogg, Olivia, Ma$e
Unsurprisingly, 50 Cent used the soundtrack for his biopic Get Rich or Die Tryin' to promote his newly expanded G-Unit lineup back in the fall of 2005. It's not like anyone actually thought he'd let non-Guerrilla artists eat off the strength of his big movie, right? We'd hope not.
And who could blame him? Get Rich or Die Tryin' debuted when the G-Unit squad was at its strongest, and the film's soundtrack embodies that crew-issued muscle. Being that the Unit's frontman raps on 12 of the album's 16 tracks (as well as on both of its two bonus cuts), Get Rich or Die Tryin' is essentially another 50 Cent album, and that's not a bad thing at all.
Some of 50's best singles are included here, like "Hustler's Ambition" and "Window Shopper," and he's a focal point on collaborations like "You Already Know" (with Lloyd Banks and Young Buck) and "I Don't Know Officer" (with Prodigy, Ma$e, Lloyd Banks, and forgotten Game replacement Spider Loc). —Matt Barone
11.Who's the Man? (1993)
Record label: Uptown/MCA
Features: The Notorious B.I.G., Jodeci, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Mary J. Blige, Erick Sermon, Heavy D, Buju Banton, House of Pain, Crystal J. Johnson, Father MC, Spark 950, Timbo King, 3rd Eye, Group Home
Back in the 1990s, Ed Lover and Dr. Dre (the shorter, pudgier one) were hip-hop culture fixtures, thanks to their fun chemistry together hosting the groundbreaking Yo! MTV Raps. It was only natural that the fellas get their own low-budget movie, and that it be a silly comedy that featured cameos from rappers like KRS-One, Ice-T, Kris Kross, Busta Rhymes, and the House of Pain fellas.
And appropriately, Who's the Man? came equipped with a formidable, original soundtrack. Right out the gate, the LP establishes its classic status with "Party and Bullshit," the first-ever official, on-an-album solo recording from a promising young Brooklyn MC known as Biggie Smalls (later the Notorious B.I.G.). Elsewhere, Pete Rock & CL Smooth calmed things down with the funky "What's Next on the Menu?," while House of Pain nearly stole the show with the gritty title track. —Matt Barone
10.Black Panther: The Album
Record label: Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath Entertainment/Interscope Records
Features: Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, 2 Chainz, Saudi, Khalid, Swae Lee, The Weeknd, jVince Staples, Yugen Blakrok, Jorja Smith, SOB X RBE, Zacari, Anderson Paak, James Blake, Future, Mozzy, Babes Wodumo, Reason, Sjava, Travis Scott About halfway through filming the first Black Panther, director Ryan Coogler approached Kendrick Lamar about contributing a couple of songs to the soundtrack for key scenes. Kendrick and his main producer, Sounwave, felt that just a few songs weren’t enough—so they set out to make a full album.
The result was Black Panther: The Album, which upon release almost immediately entered the canon of great hip-hop soundtracks. That’s largely due to Kendrick’s heavy hand in shaping it: he served as executive producer and has a writing credit on every track. The project also includes two of the more celebrated songs of his career—his emotional duet with SZA “All the Stars” and the explosive posse cut “King’s Dead.”
And while TDE’s roster shows up in full force, the album works so well because of the outside contributions. Travis Scott, The Weeknd, Mozzy, Vince Staples, Jorja Smith, and the now-disbanded SOB X RBE all inject fresh energy into the TDE formula. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
9.Menace II Society (1993)
Record label: Jive
Features: Spice 1, MC Eiht, Ant Banks, Kenya Gruv, Too $hort, Mz. Kilo, Da Lench Mob, Smooth, Brand Nubian, Pete Rock, CL Smooth, YG'z, Hi-Five, Boogie Down Productions, The Cutthroats, UGK, DJ Quik, J.F.N., KK
It's only right that Menace II Society, the much darker South Central-set answer to John Singleton's Boyz N the Hood, was matched with a soundtrack seeped in hardcore West Coast hip-hop. Looking back on the album's tracklist, it's a venerable roll call for the Golden State's most under-appreciated gangster MCs.
Naturally, MC Eiht, one of the movie's co-stars, is represented, with the emotive and powerful hit single "Streiht Up Menace," and his counterpart Spice 1 gets cold-blooded on the straight-faced gun ode "Nigga Gots No Heart." Also present are Ant Banks, Cold 187um, Kokane, and Da Lench Mob—if those names don't make you feel nostalgic, you've clearly never owned a Raiders cap. —Matt Barone
8.Sunset Park (1996)
Record label: Elektra
Features: 2Pac, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Mobb Deep, Aaliyah, Tha Dogg Pound, Groove Theory, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Xscape, 69 Boyz, Quad City DJ's, Adina Howard, Spank D, Junior M.A.F.I.A., Big Mike, Onyx, Miles Goodman
As far as the movie itself, the sports drama Sunset Park was a lower-tier piece of white savior hokum, with Rhea Perlman playing a Jewish schoolteacher tasked with coaching an inner city Brooklyn high school basketball squad. Which, of course, has thugs with hearts of gold as its players. The only reason why anyone still remembers the film, in fact, is because of its successful soundtrack, one that reached as high as No. 4 on the Billboard 200.
A mixture of hardcore rap and edgy R&B, Sunset Park's musical companion set includes the best of both styles. On the rap front, you've got a couple of underrated yet all-time great tracks from Ghostface Killah ("Motherless Child") and Mobb Deep ("Back at You"), an obscure 2Pac joint ("High 'Til I Die"), and an atypically rowdy record from Queen Latifah (the Easy Mo Bee-produced "Elements I'm Among").
Perhaps the LP's most memorable song, however, is Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s "We Don't Need It," a raunchy call-and-response that feels quite out of place attached to a movie about inspiring hope in underprivileged teens. Something tells us that Rhea Perlman's character wouldn't condone the hook, which, amongst other profanities, has chicks declaring: "If you ain't lickin' no butts, we don't want it—we don't want it!" Or maybe she would? Yikes! —Matt Barone
7.Juice (1991)
Record label: SOUL/MCA
Features: Naughty by Nature, Eric B. & Rakim, Teddy Riley, Tammy Lucas, M.C. Pooh, Big Daddy Kane, Too $hort, EPMD, Aaron Hall, Salt-N-Pepa, Cypress Hill, Juvenile Committee, Son of Bazerk, Rahiem, The Brand New Heavies
Since Tupac Shakur is one of the stars of Juice, you'd think that the soundtrack would feature at least one original song from the legendary rapper, but, alas, he's not included. His only contribution to the Juice legacy is the exceptional performance he gives in the movie, playing Harlem resident Bishop, an aspiring gangster whose desire to make a name for himself in the streets leads to numerous tragedies.
2Pac's absence is, fortunately, not a gaping hole on the Juice soundtrack, being that the 14-track hip-hop powerhouse has more than enough audible greatness as it is. Plus, Shakur co-starred in the video for Naughty By Nature's soundtrack opener "Uptown Anthem," which, in the minds of many rap heads, eclipses NBN's more popular recordings, like "O.P.P." and "Hip-Hop Hooray." Equally top-notch is Eric B. & Rakim's ferocious "Juice (Know the Ledge)," a blistering assault of Rakim's lyrical wordplay and a dizzying beat marked by frantic vocal samples and urgent instrumentation.
Stretching far outside of the New Jersey/New York metropolitan area, Juice also finds Too Short dropping pimp jewels on "So You Want to Be a Gangster" and Cypress Hill cutting right to the violent chase on "Shoot 'Em Up." Again, there's no 2Pac, but it's all good. —Matt Barone
6.New Jersey Drive (Volumes 1 and 2) (1995)
Record label: Tommy Boy
Features: Blak Panta, Coolio, Heavy D, Ill Al Skratch, Keith Murray, Mac Mall, Maze, MC Eiht, Lords of the Underground, The Notorious B.I.G., Outkast, Poets of Darkness, Queen Latifah, Ray Luv, Redman, Sabelle, Smooth, Total, Undacova, Young Lay Biz Markie, Boot Camp Clik, E Bros, Flip Squad All-Stars, Jeru the Damaja, Mad Lion, Naughty by Nature, O.C., Organized Konfusion
In the annals of hood flicks, New Jersey Drive is rarely, if ever, placed alongside the almighty trinity of Boyz N the Hood, Menace II Society, and Juice. Given a fresh look today, the film—produced by Spike Lee—holds up as a raw, unflinching look at the car-jacking subculture that struck fear in Garden State residents throughout the '90s. Even if cinema's history books never award New Jersey Drive its proper respect, the filmmakers can always take comfort in the fact that their movie has a much better soundtrack than those aforementioned classics.
An epic collection of a who's who in 1990s hip-hop, the two-disc New Jersey Drive OST—released on two separate days, a la Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill flicks—made it simple for discerning fans to pick and choose. For the softer crowd, Volume 1 mixed in R&B, with Total's timeless "Can't You See" (featuring the Notorious B.I.G.) standing out amidst smooth rap tracks like Outkast's exceptional "Benz or Beamer" and Ill Al Skratch's (damn, remember them?) "Don't Shut Down on a Player."
The second volume, though, is where the real heat existed. At its best, the straight rap edition of New Jersey Drive captured the furious anger of kids pushing against authority, from Jeru the Damaja's strong anti-cop banger "Invasion" to the conceptual, in-the-mind-of-a-dirty-officer highlight "You Won't Go Far," a tag-team from O.C. and Organized Konfusion. —Matt Barone
5.The Show (1995)
Record label: Def Jam
Features: Kid Creole, Kid Capri, Ecstasy, Onyx, Slick Rick, 2Pac, Suga, Method Man, Redman, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, The Notorious B.I.G., Isaac 2 Isaac, Domino, The Dove Shack, Arnita Porter, Treach, South Central Cartel, Jayo Felony, MC Eiht, Sh'killa, Spice 1, Tray D, So. Sentrelle, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Warren G, Twinz, Bo Roc, LL Cool J, A Tribe Called Quest, Russell Simmons, Kali Ranks, The Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, Stanley Clarke
Fun fact: The Show, a 1995 documentary about the hip-hop game, was directed by Brian Robbins, the same hack who almost drove Eddie Murphy's career into the ground with unfunny shit-shows like Norbit, Meet Dave, and A Thousand Words. He should've stuck to docs.
Especially if Robbins had anything to do with The Show's sprawling Def Jam soundtrack, a 27-track triumph that balanced full-length, original songs with voiceover skits from the film itself. The Show's big hit was Method Man and Redman's "How High," the smokers' anthem that launched their fruitful, collaborative endeavors together. Covering all spectrums of hip-hop, the album ventured to Cali for "Sowhatusayin,'" a gangsta rap tour-de-force featuring Jayo Felony, MC Eiht, Spice 1, and South Central Cartel.
There's also a stop in Cleveland to catch up with Bone Thugs-n-Harmony ("Everyday Thang") before heading back to the West Coast for Warren G's proteges The Dove Shack to contribute the regional favorite "Summertime in the LBC." —Matt Barone
4.Judgment Night (1993)
Record label: Epic
Features: Helmet, House of Pain, Teenage Fanclub, De La Soul, Living Colour, Run-D.M.C., Biohazard, Onyx, Slayer, Ice-T, Faith No More, Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E., Sonic Youth, Cypress Hill, Mudhoney, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Dinosaur Jr., Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Therapy?, Joe Fatal, Pearl Jam
Call it the awesome culmination of Public Enemy's and Anthrax's efforts in recording the seminal 1987 rap/rock single "Bring the Noise." A full album's worth of that kind of fusion, the soundtrack to the Emilio Estevez and Cuba Gooding, Jr. thriller Judgment Night bypassed the usual all-MC approach and took 11 creative risks, pairing up respected hip-hop acts with equally acclaimed rock groups.
The results, while not all wholly successful, make for a truly one-of-a-kind listening experience. For those looking to bang their heads, the title track, a Biohazard and Onyx collaboration, is appropriately thrashing, while "I Love You Mary Jane," from Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill, slows things down a bit to give new-age hippies something to enjoy. Other interesting team-ups include Pearl Jam and, for a second time, Cypress Hill ("Real Thing"), Dinosaur Jr. and Del the Funkee Homosapien ("Missing Link"), and Teenage Fanclub with De La Soul ("Fallin'"). —Matt Barone
3.Street Fighter (1994)
Record label: Priority
Features: Ice Cube, Nas, Ahmad, Ras Kass, Saafir, The Pharcyde, Paris, Rally Ral, The B.U.M.S., LL Cool J, Craig Mack, MC Hammer, Deion Sanders, Chuck D, The Wreck League, Anotha Level, Angélique Kidjo, Chage and Aska
Video game historians will forever look back upon the 1994 big-screen adaptation of Street Fighter as a laughable attempt to cinematize the arcade and home console favorite. Blame it on Jean-Claude Van Damme's strained performance as Guile, or the late Raul Julia's over-acting in the villainous role of M. Bison.
Street Fighter should be looked back upon as a total creative washout, but there's just one problem: Its soundtrack is too damn excellent. Perhaps aware that the movie itself sucked (though probably not), the people involved with assembling the film's original music pulled no punches, corralling the likes of Nas ("One on One"), LL Cool J ("Life as…"), and The Pharcyde ("Pandemonium") to contribute first-rate songs that only the most ardent of die-hard fans show love to decades later. It's amazing how many Nas loyalists still haven't heard "One on One." —Matt Barone
2.Above the Rim – The Soundtrack (1994)
Record label: Death Row/Interscope
Features: SWV, Sweet Sable, H-Town, Tha Dogg Pound Gangstas, 2nd II None, D.J. Rogers, Nate Dogg, Thug Life, Warren G, Jewell, Aaron Hall, The Lady of Rage, Snoop Doggy Dogg, CPO Boss Hogg, Paradise, Al B. Sure!, O.F.T.B., Rhythm & Knowledge, B-Rezell, Stretch, Lord G, Treach, Riddler
Unlike the Juice soundtrack, which supported a Tupac Shakur movie without any new 2Pac songs, Death Row Records' Above the Rim blessed the inner city basketball drama with two joints from the movie's hard-rhyming star. Let the history books show that Pac's emotionally devastating "Pain" and his Thug Life posse cut "Pour Out a Little Liquor" represent his earliest, pre-deal recordings for the Death Row family, a nice bit of trivia for Cali hip-hop aficionados.
Above the Rim wasn't all about 2Pac, though. Who can forget the Lady of Rage's radio killer "Afro Puffs"? Or, even more unavoidably, Warren G. and the late Nate Dogg's Billboard-topping "Regulate"? Using those big singles (as well as R&B trio SWV's "Anything") to lure listeners in, the Death Row massive surrounded Above the Rim's more accessible records with two strong album cuts from Tha Dogg Pound, the Snoop Dogg-assisted "Big Pimpin'" and "Dogg Pound 4 Life." —Matt Barone
1.8 Mile: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture (2002)
Record label: Shady/Interscope
Features: Eminem, 50 Cent, Obie Trice, D12, Jay-Z, Freeway, Nas, Xzibit, Macy Gray, Rakim, Boomkat, Young Zee, Gang Starr
Ever the perfectionist, Eminem put as much work into the 8 Mile soundtrack as he did into his eye-opening, superb performance in the fictionalized, quasi-biopic. Appearing on four of the LP's 15 tracks (three of which are solo), the film's lyrically proficient star treated the soundtrack as a two-fold enterprise: One, it's an exhibition of some of his own sickest examples of verbal acrobatics (the towering single "Lose Yourself"; the breathless and mesmerizing "Rabbit Run"), and, two, it's a one-stop shop for Em's favorite rap game peers to flex their vocal muscles.
On the Shady Records end, 50 Cent's breakthrough single "Wanksta" pairs well with the Queens heavyweight's similarly memorable album cut "Places to Go." Outside of Shady, Nas serves up the ego-massaging "U Wanna Be Me," and Jay-Z, along with Freeway, rocks over an Eminem-produced instrumental on "8 Miles and Runnin'." More of Em's personal heroes show up on the smoldering Gang Starr gem "Battle" and Rakim's don't-forget-the-name call to arms "R.A.K.I.M."
Hearing those rap legends show and prove helps to alleviate the ear strain felt from listening to 8 Mile co-star Taryn Manning's (as Boomkat) "Wasting My Time." It's the "Braveheart Party" to this soundtrack's Stillmatic. —Matt Barone