Original Soundtrack - Boyz N the Hood (CD)

All Music Guide

John Singleton's debut as a director, Boyz n the Hood, was naturally compared to other urban dramas that came out during the early '90s such as New Jack City, Straight Out of Brooklyn, Menace II Society, Fresh, Juice, and South Central. While the soundtrack for South Central was heavy on late '70s and early '80s funk, the soundtracks released for all the other films were filled out with uptodate hardcore rap and youthful RB, so they too were stacked up against one another. Boyz n the Hood's soundtrack is uneven as the others, though it does contain a handful of tracks that no fan of early '90s rap should be without. (Granted, most of them had already appeared on studio albums by the respective artists.) While none of the RB cuts are poor, not a single one would be remembered if they weren't bound to scenes in the film. Bits of the evocative score, from Stanley Clark and Quincy Jones, are also included.

- Andy Kellman, All Music Guide