The Juice soundtrack is best remember for classic cuts from Naughty By Nature (Uptown anthem), Eric B. & Rakim (Juice - Know The Ledge) and Big Daddy Kane (Nuff Respect), but the lesser known tracks are pretty good too. I forgot all about those tracks until I gave it a spin today, so I figured it was worthy of a blog post (that... and the fact that I haven't posted in so long lol). Anyway, the production is good and there are only one or two throwaway tracks. Enjoy everyone.
Juice: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [MCA Records 1992]
1. Uptown Anthem - Naughty By Nature
2. Juice (Know The Ledge) - Eric B. & Rakim
3. Is It Good To You feat. Tammy Lucas - Teddy Riley
4. Sex, Money & Murder - MC Pooh
5. Nuff' Respect - Big Daddy Kane
6. So You Want To Be A Gangster - Too Short
7. It's Going Down - EPMD
8. Don't Be Afraid - Aaron Hall
9. He's Gamin' On Ya - Salt & Pepa
10. Shoot 'Em Up - Cypress Hill Crew
11. Flipside - Juvenile Committee
12. What Could Be Better Bitch - Son of Bazerk
13. Does Your Man Know About Me - Rahiem
14. People Get Ready (Remix) - The Brand New Heavies featuring N'Dea Davenport
Streets Is Watching is one of those albums that people just seemed to love when it dropped. Though it was solid, I didn't quite get what the buzz was about. 11 years after its release, it's grown on me a little, so I figured I'd thrown it on here after giving it a spin or two. The lineup is pretty solid, but it's not 100% hip hop; there's some R&B joints sprinkled throughout. The production is solid and even the R&B joints are pretty good.
Streets Is Watching Soundtrack [Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam 1998]
1. It's Alright (Memphis Bleek & Jay-Z)
2. Love For Free (Rell feat. Jay-Z)
3. Only A Customer (Jay-Z)
4. Pimp This Love (Christion)
5. Murdergram (Murder Inc)
6. The Dough (Diamonds In Da Rough)
7. Crazy (Usual Suspects)
8. In My Lifetime (Remix) (Jay-Z)
9. Your Love (Christion feat. Jay-Z)
10. Thugs R Us (DJ Clue feat. Noreaga)
11. My Nigga Hillfigga (M.O.P.)
12. Celebration (Team Roc - Starring Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek, Sauce Money, & Wais of The Ranjahz)
Rhyme & Reason is a movie I've never seen before. I do remember it coming out after The Show did so well. I figured it would be similar and went and snatched it up when it dropped. I remember not feelin' it when I first played it and banishing it to the dusty realms (aka my CD racks). I think I went about 4 years without never giving it a chance when one I day I popped it in out of curiosity. It's actually pretty good. I think my tastes had evolved between listens. Anyway, it's a soundtrack, and the guest list definitely reads like one. The all-over-the-place lineup kind of takes away from the cohesion. It's still pretty cool to hear current rhyme slingers like Sean Price, Ras Kass, and Canibus rhyme with hunger. I think RZA's "Tradgedy" is a classic cut and Mack 10 & Tha Dogg Pound collaborate on the only single I'm aware of -- the bangin' "Nothin' But The Cavi Hit." The production swings from your typical 90's styled east coast underground to thumping Cali styled bass. The album is great in sections but, like I said before, the lack of cohesion kind of keeps it from being the home run that it should've been.
Rhyme & Reason - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack {1997 Priority Records}
1. Nothin' But The Cavi Hit - Mack 10 & Tha Dogg Pound
2. Wild Hot - Busta Rhymes & A Tribe Called Quest
3. Reason For Rhyme - Eightball & MJG
4. Uni-4-Orm - Ras Kass, Heltah Skeltah, & Canibus
5. Bogus Mayn - Crucial Conflict
6. Every Year - E-40
7. Tragedy - RZA
8. Represent - MC Eiht
9. Niggaz Don't Want It - The Lost Boyz
10. Bring It Back - KRS One
11. Is There A Heaven For A Gangsta? - Master P
12. Liquor Store Run - Volume 10
13. The Way It Iz - Guru, Kai:Bee, & Lil' Dap
14. Business First - Nyoo & Decoca
15. No Identity - Deliquent Habits
I found this bad boy at a Salvation Army in Martinsburg, Wet Virginia. Since I don't really dig the newer stuff as much as I used to, I usually go hunting for old stuff that I never copped as a kid but always wanted. This album falls into that category and I think it cost me all of $2.00. I'd say it was worth every penny. The lineup is pretty tight and there are some classics to be found here (Raw, Paid In Full, Colors...to name a few). The thing I found odd about the soundtrack is the fact that even though the movie was about gang violence/culture in California, the hip hop artists on this soundtrack (with the exception of Ice T and 7A3) are all from New York. I mean, if you take away Eric B & Rakim, Salt & Pepa, & Ice T, you basically have a Juice Crew album on your hands (Kool G Rap & Polo, MC Shan, Roxanne Shante, & Big Daddy Kane appear on 4 out of 10 tracks) with a few scattered r&b/dance joints sprinkled about. Go figure. I guess it's just a sign of the times. The east coast pretty much dominated everything from the inception up until the mid 90's. With that being said, don't expect much west coast rap from this set.
Colors - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack {1988 Warner Bros. Records}
1. Colors - Ice T
2. Six Gun - Decadent Dub Team
3. Let The Rhythm Run - Salt & Pepa
4. Raw - Big Daddy Kane
5. Paid In Full [Seven Minutes Of Madness Mix] - Eric B. & Rakim
6. Butcher Shop - Kool G. Rap & DJ Polo
7. Mad Mad World - 7A3
8. Go On Girl - Roxanne Shante'
9. A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste - M.C. Shan
10. Everywhere I Go (Colors) - Rick James
