The question came across Twitter recently, and I figured my
answer was worthy of an explanation.
“What is the best movie soundtrack of all time?”
Not sure if that was the exact wording, but it’s close
enough.
You ask a lot of people, you’re going to get a lot of
different answers. Some people will say Saturday Night Fever. Some will say The
Bodyguard. Some will say Boomerang. Some will say Purple Rain. Some will say
New Jersey Drive (with very good reason: it’s #2 to me). I thought Boyz N The
Hood, CB4, and Poetic Justice all had their highlights. However, none of these
soundtracks is at the top of the list.
The best soundtrack of all time is from…Above The Rim.
1994: we were pretty deep into the West Coast’s run atop the
hip hop world. Snoop, Cube, Eazy, Pac, Dre, Warren G, and the Dogg Pound were
either household names or well on their way to becoming such. Rappers such as
MC Eiht, Too $hort, and E-40 were right there as well. Sounds like theirs made
this album a must-listen like no movie’s musical effort before – or since.
ATR had 21 tracks (if you bought the tape: the CD only had
18), and it bumped from start to finish. Let’s go track by track:
Anything remix (SWV) – The Wu wasn’t on this version, but it
gave what was originally a slow song a completely different vibe. I wouldn’t go
so far as to call it a precursor for similar bass mixes, but it did at least
give the idea that slow songs could be turned into fast songs.
Old Time’s Sake (Sweet Sable) – I wasn’t as into this song
as most people I knew (it was an “in between” song for me), but I admit it had
its laid-back West Coast vibe going.
Part Time Lover (H-Town) – Fresh off two major hits; GI,
Shazam, and Dino provided this effort produced by someone in another hot
R&B group of the time: Jodeci’s DeVante Swing. It also had that West Coast
lean, although not as much as the song after it.
Big Pimpin’ (Dogg Pound) – Now this is where the funk
started for me. The production (done by Daz, actually: not Warren G) was so on
point. Nate was singing hooks, Snoop had a verse, and there was that pimpin’
outro…it was the first song (sequentially speaking) that you could really ride
to.
Didn’t Mean To Turn You On (2nd II None) – This
is one of my two favorite songs on the CD, probably my favorite. It was a fun
song that presented a familiar situation from an opposite point of view. It was
cool and live at the same time, and that’s not the easiest double to pull off.
Doggie Style (DJ Rogers) – Not one of my favorite efforts,
but I have a cousin who loved it. Oh, this was his track. Then again, he was
“doing something” at the time and I wasn’t; so that might have had a lot to do
with our difference in opinion. Nah…I just didn’t like it.
Regulate (Warren G) – I don’t think I need to say anything
about this one.
Pour Out A Little Liquor (2Pac, Thug Life) – Another effort
that I’m not a particular fan of (but if you’re going to have two lackluster
songs, they sure picked the right song to place between them). I would have
probably appreciated the song more if I was older when I heard it, but oh well.
Gonna Give It To Ya (Jewell f/ Aaron Hall) – I can see this
song being played in a “seductive situation”…at least back then…and it sounded
a lot like similar female/male R&B cuts from that time. The two artists
played off each other really well, and the mention of each other’s names was a
plus.
Afro Puffs (The Lady of Rage) – Who knew a woman from VA
would come so hard on a track? People forget her when they say Missy put it
down for VA females, even though Rage claims VA in the song. That beat was
nice, though. It made sure you couldn’t sit still while listening.
Jus So Ya No (Lil’ Nation) – Not the greatest song in the
world, but it wasn’t bad. The beat and the lyrical flow didn’t seem to match
up, but the hook was okay and the beat itself was good. In other words, it’d
probably be a hit if 2 Chainz sang it today.
Hoochies Need Love Too (Paradise) – This song figuratively
made my ears hurt. There was no part of the song that I liked. Of course it
started the second side of the tape, so I hit fast forward to get to the next
track. Whoever cleared the Isley sample needs to lose their license.
I’m Still In Love With You (Al B. Sure!) – Yes, the unibrow
was still making music in ’94. He got away from his nasty turn to sing this
smooth, summer-sounding remake of…well, if you’re reading me; I expect you to
know. If you didn’t like the original singer’s twang, then this likely worked
for you.
Crack ‘Em (O.F.T.B.) – The thing about this song is that it
was misplaced. If this song were, say, right before Afro Puffs? It would sound
better because you could feel the album flow from one song to the next. This
often doesn’t matter much, but a good song could have been better with better
placement.
U Bring Da Dog Out (Rhythm & Knowledge) – This was the
one silly song of the album. It wasn’t bad, it was just silly. Sometimes I was
in the mood to listen to it, sometimes I wasn’t. It mostly depended on how
badly I wanted to listen to the next song.
Blowed Away (B Rezell) – People like to say I don’t care for
songs that promote smoking and drinking since I’m straight edge. This song
disproves that. It just depends on the groove, and this song had the best one
of the entire album.
It’s Not Deep Enough (Jewell) – It has a nice sound. She
seemed to get into the song…which she was always good for whenever she sang.
The sample was nice. But I would never, ever, ever want a woman singing this
song to me.
Dogg Pound 4 Life (Dogg Pound) – Know how the first few
seconds of a song are usually filler? Not this one. First few seconds made you
think “aww …”. Then Kurupt came in and you almost felt like you were on a ride
with DPG for four minutes. It’s right at the top of my list of favorite DPG
songs.
This is where the CD ended. If you had the tape, though; you
had three more songs to listen to.
Pain (2Pac) – I’m not what I would call a Pac fan, for a few
reasons. This was one of his best songs. It had a pull, a feel to it…one that
not many of his efforts had in my opinion. Matter of fact, I can’t think of one
song (okay, maybe Papa’z Song) that had that kind of attraction to it.
Mi Monie Rite (Lord G) – If you were West Coast, you likely
felt this song a lot more than people from other regions. It was a good song to
me, but it wasn’t great. Saying it was my least favorite of the three bonus
tracks isn’t an insult, because the other two were particularly outstanding.
Loyal 2 The Game (2Pac, Treach, Riddler) – Now this is how
you end an album. This is #4 on the list of best final tracks, behind only
Thriller, The Low End Theory, and The Chronic’s parting gifts. Order of
rappers: perfect. Sample: amazing. Production: almost flawless.
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