Hey ya’ll!! I was in the middle of another post, when this song popped into my head and I just HAD to give it a post of its own.
Boyz n the Hood was released in the summer of ’91, but my parents wouldn’t let me go see it. My BFF, Diamond Diva and I snuck to the theater that fall to see it. Shhhh!! Don’t tell them! Almost 2 years later, Menace II Society came out and thankfully, I was attending a pre-college program away from home, so I was able to see that with a few friends.
Whew. Talk about culture shock. I was raised by DaddyTDJ and MamaTDJ in the suburbs of Long Island, NY. We’ve been teased over the years and called the Cosby Show family. Gangs, as seen in Menace II Society and Boyz n the Hood, were a foreign concept to me. I knew it to be true, but it wasn’t the reality of my life. I felt as if I were watching something as completely fictional as Superman or the Smurfs. Diamond Diva and I got both movies on bootleg (VHS back then, filmed with a shaky hand) and watched them over and over. We were drawn to both and mesmerized by what we were watching. Then, when this song dropped in the fall/winter of ’93, I just had to buy the cassette single. I played it so much it popped. Yes, Jameil, I’m OLD! Yes, the video is kinda horrible, but something about the whole thing really connected with me. These brotha’s were singing their hearts out! Please, please tell me I’m not the only one that remembers this song!!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVSiv8-ugu0]
Of course I remember!! I used to love to sing this song as loud as I could. It’s so funny, they were going to be mentioned in an upcoming post of mine too.
Ha ha! Great old school minds think alike. Post away!
Man, these dude’s are saaaanging. ! I remember it very well. At the time it seemed kind of like a modern day version of “It’s so hard to say Goodbye to yesterday” from “Cooley High” to me.
This is why I love You Tube so much. Easy access to so much music. Sometimes me & my beau just sit up with the laptop and randomly pull up songs from our past & play a little “name that tune” for kicks. Corny I know, but we have so much fun. He is my musical twin ! LOL
Weren’t they??? Crooning for sure. **nodding** I like that – an updated, for our generation version of “It’s so Hard”.
Um, yeah, that’s so corny that I’M STEALING IT! *lol* Can’t wait to play it with MrTDJ! Thanks lady!
Hey old lady! That was my JAM!!! But I was in elementary school… WAY-ELL WELL! SEE YOU WHEN I GET THERE!!!
Yep, that line and “I take a drink and I start to think and I”. *lol*
Elementary school????? Hush it youngsta!
I saw Boyz on bootleg VHS. This was back when bootlegs were video of someone shooting the movie in the actual movie theater, like Rerun at that Doobie Brothers concert. I don’t watch bootleg DVDs but I assume they’re better quality. Ah, Boyz n the Hood; back before Cuba Gooding Jr. became lame. Anyhoo, I definitely remember that song. Thanks for reminiscing and taking us all back to the 90s, in a good way.
Yep, with folks bumping the camera man and walking in front of the lens. *lol*
Who could have predicted Cuba’s future? Mighty interesting.
I also had no confidence that Regina King would turn into the fine actress that she became based on that performance.
I dont remember that song – but I do remember boyz in the hood, one of my all time favorite movies.
on a diff note – did you go to Hempstead High or Uniondale HS – my bff grew up in hempstead and i lived in uniondale for over 20 years….
Wow, small world! I lived in Hempstead, but after finishing elementary at Ludlum, I was in private school. I went to Trinity Lutheran in Hicksville for 7&8th and then Long Island Lutheran for 9&10th before moving to the DC area. I have tons of fam and friends that went to Hempstead and Uniondale though.
Girl, I grew up in Italy. Talk about gang life being a foreign concept. When we were moving back to the States all we heard was “Don’t wear this color” and “Don’t wear that color” and, because we were moving to Mississippi, our friends showed us “Mississippi Burning” our last night in Italy. We scared silly to get off the plane….
And, yeah, I totally remember that song….
Wow, I can imagine the shock when you arrived back! Damn @ Mississippi Burning. Thanks “friends”. *lol* What year did you return?
I know, girl, I could have throat punched my friends. LOL
We came back in 1990, just in time to do our senior year in Mississippi. Do you know how hard that was? My sister and I wanted to hurt somebody.
I remember that song and I still love it! I’m about to see if I can find it so I can download it. lol
I remember this being the anthem when someone got killed.
Oh yeah, “I tip my 40 to your memory!!” Twas definitely the anthem that was played hard for at least a year.
Hope you found it to download to your device.
BTW, send me a Words With Friend invite. I’ve got too many games going and can’t initiate any new ones, but I can accept. =)
THROWBACK!!!!! I’m going to have to post this one to FB.
LOL @ you using it twice in one day on FB! My homie!
You’re totally taking me back right now! OMG! LOL “This song’s dedicated…to my homies…wit dat gangsta lean….”
“Gangsta le-e-ean” *lol* A classic of sorts, no?
Thanks for stopping by!
Definitely remember that song! I’ve remixed it in my own way so many times over the years it’s ridiculous.
Ah, would love to hear the remixes. I’m going to have to check out your show.
Nope…you’re definitely NOT the only one who remembers this song. I used to love it! ::Adding it to my iPod riiiiiiight now:: 😀
**high five** Happy I could add a new tune to your ipod. A definite 90’s classic!
OMG, I just fell out on the floor! i remember this song!!! I remember when Menace to Society came out too, I went to the theater to see it, and just sat there afterwards stunned. To this day, i won’t watch it again. It wasn’t my reality and I was just stunned. Boys N the Hood was different somehow. I’ll watch that over and over and over. Rickey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, stunned is exactly how we felt. Shell shocked. Like seriously???? Stuff like that was going on to teenagers just like us???? For REAL???
I remember that song, but I wasn’t allowed to watch the movie until a few years later. Considering I was only 11 when it came out…
Ah, another youngsta like Jameil! *lol*
When I read Boyz n the hood, I knew this post was going to be good. I was just waiting to read it lol. Ahh Cassettes, that was the life lol. I really liked this song back then. Great trip down memory lane.
Yep, Boyz in the Hood was a classic. I had a huge yard sale last summer and sold over 100 DVD’s. Boyz was only one of 10 that I kept. Love that movie!
I have this song on my IPod. I believe I stole it from someone else LOL! I don’t know if all these songs came out at the same time or not but this takes me back to the sad songs/videos era. Aaron Hall’s “I Miss You” and Men At Large cone to mind too.
You know what, I think you’re right. I believe they were all somewhere in the middle 90’s. I seem to remember them all as being during my college years.
Ahhh! I know I’m late, but I had this on in the car this morning!!! Tell me they weren’t sangin!!! Whoo lawd, and whoever mentioned Aaron Hall…many a middle/high school crush had one of his songs dedicated to them on the radio during “Quiet Storm”.
They were SANGIN for sure!!! “I tip my 40 to your mem-ry!” *lol*
Aaron Hall was actually in the original post that I was writing when the fellas from DRS came to mind.
**note to self – return to original post**
Thanks for stopping by!
OMG! They played the video to this the other day on MTV Jams. Yes, I still watch videos! The hubs and I were singing loudly, then proceeded to talk about what they might be doing now.
Menace II Society, that was my movie. Like you, this world was so far fetched from what I knew but I always took away the line ” Dem fools smoked yo cuzzin” Now I have to go rent that from somewhere for old school’s sake!
You and me both!! I used VH1 Soul and MTV Jams as background when I’m doing stuff around the house. I still LOVE videos!
Yeah, I haven’t watched Menace in a couple of years. Need to find that DVD and watch again soon.