Customer Reviews

New Jack City: Music From The Motion Picture

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4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
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Though the movie from whence comes the music on the album is a classic in its own right, the soundtrack is more a time capsule of what we listened to and danced to in 1991. Most of the artists/groups found on the release have either moved on to bigger and better things (Ice-T, Gerald Levert, and multi-talented Queen Latifah), are still recording with lesser success (Johnny Gill with "New Edition" and Keith Sweat), or have faded into relative obscurity (Color Me Badd, Troop, Guy, and 2 Live Crew).

But, in their day, they ruled the airwaves.

Ironically, the song that is the most dated is the sole remake: "For the Love of Money/Living For the City (Medley)". While the two in their respective original forms are just as thrilling today as they were three decades ago, the "new jack swing" version found on the soundtrack pales in comparison, which bears evidence to the fact that some songs cannot be remade.

But, honestly, the album is a good companion to a great film and that's all that can be asked of it.

I recently saw New Jack City (the movie) a second time and tried to listen for the tunes on this soundtrack, but found a number of them were missing. The movie seems a little dated only 9 years later, but many of the tunes on this soundtrack collection continue to refresh with each successive listen. I especially like the slow songs: "There You Go," "I'm Dreaming" and "I'm Still Waiting" are well-balanced performances purveying lush R&B songwriting and balladry without resort to the overproduction and performer excesses that infected so much of the mid- to late-'90s R&B. Like always, the beef is in the songs. You can tell that the songs are strong because the sweaty, extemely powerful performances by Johnny Gill & company still do not overwhelm the songs themselves. The more upbeat songs also hold up well. If you are over 25 at the time of this writing, "I Wanna Sex You Up" is probably ingrained in your head, like it or not. Though the "New Jack Swing" revolution never really took hold, get this CD because it competently captures a pleasant snippet on the musical timeline. It's certainly worth the cheap price Amazon is charging.

I remember rushing out to buy this on cassette since it contained Ice-T's then latest single "New Jack Hustler", which, even performed with the censor on Arsenio Hall show, still sounded like a classic. The big surprise then and now, was that the whole album gels together quite nicely, and hasn't dated that much in the years since it's release.

The no-names on the album (Christopher Williams, Troop/Levert, Essence) are tolerable, but it's the new jack swing of Color Me Badd's runaway '91 hit "I Wanna Sex You Up (different lyrics than their album version)", Queen Latifah's booming cover of Stevie Wonder's "Living for the City", the title track by Guy, and the smooth soul of Keith Sweat's "There You Go Tellin' Me No Again" that make this essential for any self-respecting hip hop fan.

For some reason, I've got a censored version of the album, which removes all cussing from the Ice-T and (unfortunately so, because the edits make this substantial [!] tune sound worse) 2Live Crew cuts. Still well worth picking up, however, even after so many years.

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I love this c.d.! All the songs are perfect! Buy this ,play this, be
happy! Thats all it takes for me! love to all, enjoy!

Nice CD-nice uptempo,danceable, "bob" your head songs that make you fondly recall the movie. All in all, a great purchase.

New Jack City is one of the first CD's that really got me into Hip-Hop when I was in high school. Its funky, soulful, yet thought provoking and powerful songs was not only music to dance too but it had meaning and message that is often lost on todays Hip-Hop scene.

Every song from Ice-T's "New Jack Hustler" to Christopher Williams' "Dreamin'" to Keith Sweat's "There You Go" to Troop/Levert's combination version of The O'Jay's "For The Love Of Money" and Stevie Wonder's "Living For The City" with Queen Latifah adding her rapping style (before she turned into a very accomplished jazz/stage singer), they all had a meaning and a message. If you want the true essence of what hip-hop/rap is, what it was and what it should be about, then you need to peep this soundtrack. Highly recommended.

This is a soundtrack I've had for years but really rarely play. The truth is it's pretty good all the way through, but only 3-4 tracks stand-out to me. Obviously the Ice-T "New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme)" is awesome, and was kind of the unofficial theme of the movie. "I Wanna Sex You Up" by Color Me Badd may seem cheesy now, but was huge at the time, and I actually still like it. Then there's "For The Love Of Money/Living For The City" with that unmistakeable opening, a good track for the film and greed in general. The rest is a mix of R&B/Soul and light rap, all decent, but nothing too amazing. Overall I guess this serves as a good time-capsule for 1991 if nothing else, in the genres anyway. Well worth the 94 cents it's currently going for used.

New Jack City is one of the movies that really made me realize what was going on out there in the streets. Another reality is that these things are still going on today as I am typing this review. There will always be a Nino Brown with a fly girlfriend on his side. All of this is simply life period and what more can I say besides the movie is great. I look at all the people who are now older and doing their thing. We really don't see Wesly Snipes like we used to. Ice T is doing his thing with "Law & Order", Vanessa Williams has finished her work on the "Soul Food Series", Christopher Williams is missing in action for whatever reason, but he is still a nice looking man, Allen Payne was really good in "Blue Hill", Michael Michelle is doing her thing. The movie has really shined the light on life in America along with how neighborhoods do in fact change. There will always be the "Pookies" too. Great movie, outstanding cast and script.

In 1991, you make a soundtrack with names like Johnny Gill, Color Me Badd, Keith Sweat, Guy, Ice-T, and 2 Live Crew its going to attract mainstream audience's. Its a really good cross-section of Rap, house, and R&B styles (New Jack Swing Era) in keeping with the attitude of the flick. The album kicks off right with a visceral cry of urban-poor rage, Ice-T's "New Jack Hustler," (also a perceptive linkage between the United States' capitalist, materialist values and the drug-pushing, murder, and gang warfare that runs rampant in its inner cities), and the one album wonder's F.S. Effect convey the same type of energy with "Get It Together (Black Is A Force)." Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill provide two of the finest numbers on this collection; Gill's "I'm Still Waiting," is one of the more popular songs the one time New Edition member recorded, and Sweat's "(There You Go) Tellin' Me No Again," is one of the better New Jack Ballads of the early '90s. While Guy's "New Jack City," and Troop's cover of the O'Jays' "For The Love Of Money," titled "For the Love of Money/Living for the City," are the albums better New Jack Swing moments; Aaron Hall's vocals are in prime form, sounding dope. Uptown vocalist Christopher Williams contributes a well put together (vocally) song, "I'm Dreaming," and the soundtrack also contains Color Me Badd's huge mid-tempo hit "I Wanna Sex You Up." The disappointment in the rap area is "In The Dust," from 2 Live Crew, seems to be the soundtrack's throwaway, but the very underrated Danny Madden's "Facts Of Life," (heavily influenced by the ojays) derserved more attention, because he wasn't a Guy or Babyface clone. Essence, A Dutch group that sounds exactly/shockingly like The Cure, also contributes to the soundtrack with "Lyrics 2 the Rhythm."