Awesome ‘90s Rap Soundtracks: The “Friday” Edition Posted by Max Weinstein on 02/20/14 | Filed under Opinion, Rap Nerdery, 90s Soundtracks

Peace to the RefinedHype Nation. If you know like we know, you remember a time when rap soundtracks were more than just exhibits of Jay-Z’s wonderfully developed palette - they were packed with exclusives, buzzing singles and incredible collaborations. The compilations were actually sought out by listeners because they contained never before heard tracks from the hottest artists of the time. 

I know I said that this week would be a Spike Lee joint, but as I listened to "Clockers", there didn’t seem to be as many rap bangers as I wanted there to be, minus the incredible “Return Of The Crooklyn Dodgers,” the solid Buckshot LeFonque song “Reality Check,” and a couple tracks from Rebelz of Authority, BrooklyNytes and Strictly Difficult. So I’m skipping it and covering a classic instead – "Friday".

The Friday soundtrack is on some other shit. Any collection of music that starts out with an Ice Cube song, a Dr. Dre song, and a Scarface song is already coming correct. Add Threat, Cypress Hill, and Mack 10 to the next three songs, and you’re balls deep in one of the illest soundtracks of all-time.

Ice Cube shows he hasn’t lost his edge in ’95, meshing the horns from Public Enemy’s “Show ‘Em Whatcha Got” with some slapping Westside drums to describe the best day of the week, bumping Too Short, playing Nintendo, and educating kids that HIV will make your dick hang sideways (medical evidence forthcoming). Dre is next with the classic “Keep Their Heads Ringin,’” but if you’re of the creeping and crawling persuasion, opt for DJ Screw’s version instead. You won’t be able to go back to the original.

A year after The Diary, Scarface sounds like he included a leftover from that album with “Friday Night,” produced by N.O. Joe with his breezy trademark. Face sounds like he’s walking you through the hood in 3D as he tells the story of a West Coast trip, proving why he’s one of those rare MCs who can talk about jack shit and still keep you hooked.

Threat is next with a somewhat pedestrian contribution (at least compared to his incredible ’93 album Sickinnahead) in “Lettin’ N*ggas Know,” backed by a shaking DJ Pooh beat. Threat shows glimpses of dopeness, especially in the last verse, and it’s hard to imagine smoking a spliff and not loving this song, though it has less effect than other records on the soundtrack.

Like Cypress Hill’s “Roll It Up, Light It Up, Smoke It Up.” DJ Muggs and crew could be credited with some of the first weed-centric rap in hip-hop, enveloping their sound in thick clouds of endo and losing themselves in their love of all things chronic. B-Real breaks down every little detail that he inspects about his weed before putting it in the air, but the drums, the spooky horn sample, and the well-placed scratches make for the illest beat on this album. It sounds like a Temple of Boom.

The weed party continues with Mack 10’s “Take A Hit,” surely Smokey’s anthem for smoking and making Craig smoke, too. The self-produced, strolling-ass beat is g’d up from the feet up, with waning synths and laid back strings that get you high off the sound alone. Like weed, Mack 10 makes everything okay with just a smidgen of strong sensi.

Isley Brothers follow with Craig’s anthem for self-improvement (seriously, how DO you get fired on your day off?) on “Tryin’ To See Another Day,” but funk masters Bootsty Collins and Bernie Worrell wipe some of that ambition out with “You Got Me Wide Open”. It’s a smoke break of a song…if you can take a smoke break from smoking. They might be talking about something a little harder than some nug, but Rick James brings us back to his first love, “Mary Jane,” and Rose Royce concludes this small chronic break with “I Wanna Get Next To You,” best experienced on the Sunday wake up with sun shining in.

We return to rap with a powerful two-piece. Funkdoobiest are fucking with some “Superhoes,” a XXX take on shit like Spiderman, Batman and the Wizard of Oz, backed by a smoked out DJ Muggs beat. The Alkaholiks follow with a slamming track that flips that recognizable Maynard Ferguson sample on “Coast II Coast.” The fact that this kind of dope exclusive is so deep in the soundtrack demonstrates how straight Friday is.

To finish, E-A Ski (criminally slept-on) hooks up “Blast If I Have to” from the album of the same name, and 2 Live Crew drops their signature raunchiness with “Hoochie Mama.” Be sure to stick around until the very end, because Roger serenades you with his timeless take on “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” which makes you move no matter the mood.

With seven rap exclusives, the "Friday" soundtrack only bolsters the legendary stature of the movie. Good for any day of the week, kick back and let this one play all the way through. You don’t want to miss next week either – it’s a two-disc extravaganza.

(By Max Weinstein, @dubmaxx)