The 90s was historic for its contributions in hip-hop and pop culture. These influences translated into urban films like Juice, Menace II Society, Boyz N Da Hood, Friday and many more. The genre of black/ urban cinema has evolved from earlier directors paving the way such as Melvin Van Peebles during the Blaxploitation movement and Spike Lee and The Hughes Brothers contributing iconic films in the early 90s. Most “hood classics” portray the struggle of urban culture in the projects with drug dealing, drug abuse, and inner city violence. It’s basically just a visual representation of the black environment while hip-hop worked as the lyrical component. Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur, and Queen Latifah were a few hip-hop artists that directly contributed to the success of these films as actors. Here are a few classic urban films released in 1996.
Set It Off
This crime action drama is centered on four women played by Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica Fox and Kimberly Elise as they plan to execute a bank robbery. Each individual is looking to accumulate wealth for different reasons whether it be personal gain or to help friends and family with financial burdens. In this film based in Los Angeles, you see how money and greed can be a bad combination.
Don’t Be A Menace
Don’t Be A Menace is a comedy written and produced by the Wayans Brothers in 1996 that spoofs a few notable urban films such as Do The Right Thing, Poetic Justice, Boyz N Da Hood, and Juice. During the movie, many familiar lines and scenes from other movies are portrayed with a comedic twist.
Bullet
This film is one of Tupac’s many acting appearances during the 90s. His character Tank, who is a drug kingpin, is out to seek revenge on a Jewish ex-con named Butch who stabbed him in the eye while serving time together. From drugs to violence being the focal point in Brooklyn, New York viewers are able to get a glimpse of the dark side of New York.
Within all these urban films whether it be a comedy, action, or drama they all revolve around the struggles of poverty in America. All the views depicted are of the same representation we get from hip-hop artist’s lyrics that talk about growing up in the projects with little to no means of getting out. Over time the genre of urban/black films has evolved with newer films like Hustle and Flow, Waist Deep, and Brooklyn’s Finest being a few of the front runners in the 2000’s.
